---

Chicken Hot Wing Dust Spice Blend Recipe

---

The one and only “Magic Dust” by Mike Mills, is an amazingly versatile dry rub style seasoning for chicken and pork.  The flavor is slightly spicy and savory invoking an almost Cajun effect that finishes with hints of sweetness.  It is guaranteed to invoke fond summer memories of outdoor barbecues and sauce on your shirt. (kinda like that old country song…)

Recipe Inspiration – Peace, Love, & Barbecue

You can use this spice blend a thousand different ways, but my favorite is on The Best Oven Chicken Hot Wings and the Perfect Roasted Chicken with crispy skin.  Just substitute it for the Rustic Tuscan Season from my earlier post “Cook Her the Perfect Roasted Chicken.”  Be sure to drizzle a bit of olive oil on your meat first to help open up the spice.  It is gentle enough that you can generously throw it on without fear.

The combination of salt and sugar in the “Magic Dust” helps to create a luxuriously satisfying crunchy chicken skin.  No matter how strong your self-control, you’ll be eating some of that skin!  Try it on wings and finish with “Frank’s RedHot” sauce to create the best hot wings known to man.  (More on these wings to come in a future post!)

This is another recipe that I discovered through my dad, who has been known to make some seriously good barbecue over the years.  He first utilized Magic Dust on pulled pork, both as a dry rub before smoking and post pull, directly on the sandwich. Be sure to check out the original source of this recipe, Mike Mills book Peace, Love, & Barbecue.

All spices from our local shop The Spice House in Old Town – Chicago

---

Spice Blend Recipe Chicken Hot Wing Dust

---

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons mustard powder
• 1/2 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons cayenne
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1. Gather all ingredients, a coffee / spice grinder, and a container such as a mason jar to combine and store the blend.  If you don’t have a dedicated spice grinder, check out this method from Food52 to clean the coffee out.  A mortar and pestle can also get the job done (bonus: free arm workout!)  It is my preference to start with whole spices for the cumin and peppercorns.  Grinding them freshly makes a noticeable improvement.

---

2. Grind the cumin seeds, peppercorns and salt to a fine texture in the spice grinder.  Watch out for the salt, it will be a bit dusty.

---

3. Put all ingredients into the container and prepare for the MAGIC…

---

4. Stir or shake gently to combine ingredients.

---

Let’s Eat!