Super Sriracha Wings with Pickled Carrots & Celery Sticks & Fixins Bar

For the Brine:

• 6 cups water
• 1/4 cup Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 pounds drumettes or cut wings (I prefer all drummettes)
• Cooking spray, canola or olive oil

For the Pickled Carrot and Celery Sticks:

• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup superfine sugar
• Pickling spice: 1 teaspoon each mustard seed and coriander seed, 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries and red chili flakes, 2 thin slices ginger root, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 1 large fresh bay leaf, 2 to 3 cloves and black peppercorns
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
• 4 to 5 celery ribs, cut into 3-inch sticks

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 to 1 1/2 inches ginger, grated or finely chopped
• Coarse black pepper, about 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 cup Sriracha hot sauce
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Toppings Bar:

• Lime wedges
• Chopped scallions, whites and greens
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Chopped toasted peanuts, almonds or smoked almonds
• Horseradish Blue Cheese Sauce: 1 cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, 1/4 cup minced chives, 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, splash of cream, half-n-half or buttermilk, salt and pepper to taste

Combine brine ingredients in a 2-gallon plastic food storage bag. Add wings, store on bottom shelf of fridge overnight or several hours.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Drain wings from marinade and pat dry. Arrange in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets and spray with cooking spray. Bake 30-40 minutes, switching oven racks once, or until wings reach and internal temp of 165°F and are crisp.

For pickled carrots and celery, place all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool; transfer to a container and refrigerate overnight. Remove veggies from pickle juice to serve.

For the sauce, heat butter to foaming over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and black pepper, and swirl a minute or two. Add hot sauce, tomato sauce, soy, vinegar, Worcestershire and sugar; simmer to thicken a bit.

Transfer sauce to large bowl, toss in hot, crispy, freshly baked wings to coat. Serve with toppings bar of lime wedges, scallions, sesame seeds, toasted chopped nuts and horseradish-blue cheese sauce, and pickled vegetables alongside.