Dutch Oven Hot Wing Drumsticks
Twelve drumsticks, garlic oil, and a cup of hot sauce, baked over coals.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 38
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 65 min
- total time
- 80 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chicken drumsticks | 12 | skin pulled off before packing |
|---|---|---|
| Olive or vegetable oil | 4 tbsp | |
| Minced garlic | 2 tbsp | jarred is fine and keeps in the cooler |
| Frank's RedHot sauce | 1 cup |
Method
- Build a bed of coals and set the 12-inch dutch oven to bake at 350F. Coals go under and on the lid, more on top than below.
- Shake the oil and garlic together in a gallon zip bag. Add six drumsticks and work the bag until they are coated.
- Lay the coated legs in the oven, then coat the second six and add them. Scrape the leftover garlic out of the bag and scatter it over the top.
- Lid on. Bake 30 minutes.
- Turn every drumstick and bake another 20 minutes.
- Turn again and spoon the hot sauce over each one. Bake 15 minutes more, until the meat pulls back from the bone end.
Skinning the drumsticks first is what makes this work in a dutch oven. Skin needs dry radiant heat to crisp, and a covered oven over coals traps steam instead. Without it, the oil and garlic go straight onto the meat and the sauce has something to grip.
The hot sauce goes on last for a reason. An hour of heat cooks the vinegar off and leaves a dull red coating. Fifteen minutes is enough to set it on the meat and keep the bite. This one needs a cooler and real coals, so it is a car-camping or basecamp dinner, not something you carry.
Packing
Skin the drumsticks at home and pack them in the zip bag with the oil and garlic already in it. That way camp prep is opening a bag, and the marinade does its work in the cooler on the drive. Hot sauce rides in its own bottle, capped tight.
Variations
- A 10-inch oven takes about two thirds of everything, same heat, same clock.
- Swap the hot sauce for barbecue sauce if you are feeding kids.
- A cup of the sauce mixed with a spoon of honey during the last 15 minutes glazes instead of soaking.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/franks_drumsticks-2429.asp