I made Meigg's wing recipe, as written. I will probably start fiddling with it, because that's just me , but I wanted to taste the original first.

The preparation is easy, which makes this a good recipe for folks who don't enjoy Big Production Numbers. I did have a problem with deep frying my wings, due to poor quality control for the manufacturer. (I got wings ranging in size from city pigeon to drumstick!), so they weren't all cooked at the same rate. I held them warm in the oven but it would have been better if I could have made them in larger batches all at once. (Of course, that would require me to purchase a deep fryer, something that I've been trying hard not to do; it would be a most dangerous appliance to have around! ) I might try baking the wings with a butter baste to see how that works. My experience has been up to now that baked wings tend to be less dry, but do lack that really crisp texture to the outside that deep frying gives them.

The sauce had a very pleasant aroma, which intensified sharply as I tossed the cooked wings. The seasoning and smoke scents were wonderful. The taste was not what I expected, however. The poultry seasoning was by far the dominant flavor, and for me the vinegar and smoke flavors did not emerge enough to really contrast with it. Also, I would make about one-and-a-quarter the amount of sauce for the amount of wing pieces called for; for me the coverage was insufficient for my wings.

I will say that it is a tasty and mild variation on wings, for people who find the in-your-face hot pepper variants to be too much to handle. My kids (who are frightened of my Hot Foom recipe) thought they smelled terrific and want to try them.

In the future, I might vary these by trying one or more of the following:

- baking the wings with a butter baste
- adding some form of pepper or extract sauce to the toss
- substitute a small amount of soy sauce for the liquid smoke, and add a little five-spice for a Chinese flavor.

I don't know what we plan to use for a rating system, but my personal rating is based on the question "Would I fix this again?" In this case, yes I will.