Wing Recipe

Sorry for the delay but here's my recipe for wings.

After living in Buffalo I can tell you that one way to tell how good a wings is depends on how it is named. Actual wings are not called Buffalo chicken hot wings, especially in Buffalo. Since the Buffalo and hot are redundant, and really so is the chicken.

Now making true wings requires a fryer. Which can be done at home (hint always outside), but is messy and time consuming. My recipe just needs a stove.

For this you will need.


2 dozen wings (uncooked or precooked)
butter

Frank's red hot sauce
Louisiana Hot sauce
Cholula sauce
Lee and Perrins
Soy sauce.

Black pepper (preferably freshly ground in a fine mill)
Salt
Cumin
Cayenne pepper.


First you'll need to cook the wings. Precooked, but unseasoned wings work as long as they're unfrozen. For this you ready your oven to 375F and spread the wings on a cooking pan and heat at five minute intervals, flipping each time until they are cooked.

This does three things: it gets the meat cooked and safe (always a good thing with chicken), it reduces excess water and fat, and it browns the skin.

Once you have your wings set you take them off the cooking pan and have them rest in a bowl. You can turn the oven off, it's done. The rest is done on the stovetop. I prefer cooking with cast iron but any good pan will do. A thick bottom is preferable though.


The traditional wing sauce calls for 1/3 cup of butter for every 1/2 cup of Frank's. My recipe calls for a full cup of Franks.

First you'll want to melt 1/3 of a cup of butter on the pan with the stove set to medium-low. Once the butter is melted put the wings in and stir. This should get a light coating. Then you apply the dry spices in the amount you feel comfortable with. This is the phase that simulates the frying. If you want a bit of a breading effect a bit of flour can help. Garlic is also anoption.

Err on the side of less, and if you're not sure you can take a wing and cut off a piece and taste it. Since its fully cooked already, you're safe. This is wear a fine ground pepper works better as it stick to the wings better than coarse. Let the wings cook with these spices for about six minutes flipping once. You can add more spice to taste.



Meanwhile you'll work on the sauce. Take a 2 cup or greater mixing cup and pour a cup of Franks red hot into it. This is the base of your sauce. The other sauces can be added. Be especially sparing with the Lee and Perrins and use only a dash of soy sauce.

Do not add salt, the soy sauce will give more than enough. Add cumin. It should be hot enough without needing to add cayane, but if you want more heat go ahead. The sauce should be mixed.


Then melt 1/3 of a cup of butter in another measuring cup. Once it is melted pour into the sauce and immediately stir using a whisk. Because the butter will rapidly cool, it
tends to clump if not thoroughly mixed.

Now you can flip the wings, take the sauce, drizzle a thin amount onto them. You can adjust the heat here. More heat makes a more crispy wing, less heat makes a more moist and saucy wing. Though I'll give an optional finishing step that will ensure moist and saucy.

At least have the wing go for two runs of four minutes so there's sauce on each side. You should use only about a third of the sauce.

Now you can take the wings off, let rest for a couple minutes and enjoy.



Or....


You can do a proper finish. For this you take the wings off and put into a mixing bowl large enough to fit them all. Then pour the remainder of your sauce into the bowl and gently stir. Lightly close the top and let rest for 5-8 minutes.

This will have the sauce adhere to the wings and get the full flavor, at the cost of making them spicier, richer, and messier.