50 replies to this topic

[JJFIVEOH]

I'm thinking of making my own chicken wings. Down here in SoFL I've tried so hard to find any place that has wings even remotely close to real Buffalo wings. One place came close but they sold out and their new wings are just as bad as the rest. Hard to believe I have never tried to make my own. Anyways, it's really hard to find any place down here that uses a wing sauce that is your typical tangy vinegar/butter based sauce that we're so used to in BFLO. Most places nowadays just add as much jalapeno and pepper to burn your mouth for minutes after you eat it but have absolutely no flavor. I'm just looking for a basic wing sauce that most small BFLO restaurants use. Basically just general proportions and hot sauce brand to mix with. I can work with a general recipe and tweak from there. Yes, I can Google it but I figure I'd get a better answer here. I prefer small crispy wings, not a fan of the fat meaty type (but that really doesn't have anything to do with this. ) Thanks!

[Meathead]

franks and butter

youre welcome

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Meathead, on 01 February 2013 - 01:30 AM, said:

franks and butter

youre welcome

[ubkev]

Franks, butter, garlic powder, little crushed red pepper...dash of BBQ sauce will help it stick a little better to the wings and you can't taste the BBQ sauce...a little honey works too. I mess with my wing sauces all the time just to try something new
The possibilities are endless

[deluca67]

I prefer Frank's, butter, white pepper and celery salt.

[ubkev]

DeLuca67, on 01 February 2013 - 05:39 AM, said:

I prefer Frank's, butter, white pepper and celery salt.

I'll give that a shot too

[Captain Caveman]

Meathead, on 01 February 2013 - 01:30 AM, said:

franks and butter

youre welcome

Add a dash more vinegar, salt and pepper and you'll be thanking me.

The ratio of butter to hot sauce determines the "hotness" of the sauce. Half and Half leads to a pretty mild sauce, I used to do somewhere around a large tablespoon of butter per half cup of Franks.

[SwampD]

Hear are some posts from a previous wing thread (which I can't find right now) that I found very useful.  Sorry I don't know who the authors are.


Get as big a deep fryer as you can find/reasonably afford. Don't mess around w/ a Fry Baby, you'll get 6 wings per batch tops.

Use a good deep frying oil (the one I use is peanut oil based). (Oh, if only you could still get lard / deep fat, that made them the absolute best.) The ideal cooking temperature is 375F, but because I usually use frozen wings and I have a large crock pot sized fryer, I heat my fryer to 400F to start (the frozen wings cool the oil a bit).

You don't have to thaw the wings, but make certain you get excess ice off them. (If necessary, I usually just rinse them w/ water to melt any ice chunks off.) There will be grease splatter when the wings hit the oil, the more water / ice on them, the worse it will be. I typically add 2 wings to the basket at a time, and then raise / lower the basket to keep the oil from bubbling over the fryer. (Don't be shocked when you forget to add a couple at a time and drop the whole basket in and you end up w/ oil EVERYWHERE, you really do want to add the wings slowly to the oil.)

You can find 4-5 lb bags of precut wings at Sam's or BJ's. When I was living in the south, I couldn't find them in 'regular' grocery stores. If you can't find the bags, remember to cut the wings you get in the supermarket at the knuckles (slice through the cartiledge) and for the love of all that's good and holy, throw out the tips and DO NOT bread them before frying them.

Remember to shake the basket frequently when you are starting a batch to keep them from sticking together and occassionally after they're going.

After you have a full basket (my fryer will hold ~14-18 jumbo wings and ~2 dozen large wings) fry them for ~14-20 minutes (if you have a larger fryer and are running fewer wings, it will be towards 14 minutes; because my fryer is 'stuffed' it takes me a little longer to get them done). The wings will start floating when they are getting close to ready. They will need to fry for a few more minutes after they're floating. When you remove the basket from the oil to drain the oil from the wings, you can shake the basket to remove more oil from the wings. When you get proficient, you will be able to tell from the sound made as the wings shake whether they are done.

For the sauce, as DeLuca mentioned - butter and Franks is the base (and not in that order). Franks Extra Red Hot is a good way to get started at making them a little hotter. You can add other peppers, sauces, etc to this base to make them hotter, but remember that Franks and butter are key. I've also seen people have good results w/ a mix of 50% butter / 50% margarine instead of straight butter, but don't go w/ pure margarine.

Also, you will be told by some to add vinegar. Vinegar is the 1st ingredient in Franks, so it is redundant.

If you start the sauce early and keep it on moderate heat as the wings are frying, you will condense the sauce and it will stick to the wings better. I just dump the batch of wings into the sauce pan, cover, and shake; but some prefer to pour the sauce into a mixing bowl and stir the sauce onto the wings. Some will tell you to bake the wings on low heat after adding the sauce to them; if you've properly condensed the sauce this step will be unnecessary. (The only reason I can think of to put the wings in the oven is so you can have several batches ready to serve at once.)

Don't forget that real Buffalonians serve celery AND carrots w/ the bleucheese. I usually go w/ Marie's chunky blue cheese dressing. It's easy and good.

And lastly, enjoy.

---

... Just don't start the sauce too early because it can get salty.

---

Good point if the sauce is overcondensed. Starting out, he'd probably be better off slightly undercondensing it (and having the sauce slightly runny) than going too far the other way.

When the sauce is to the proper consistancy, the heater element can be turned off (at most it'll be a handful of minutes that it's waiting for the wings to finish cooking and the sauce will still be warm/hot when the wings are added); I usually get it close to where I want it consistancy-wise and then drop the heat to the lowest setting. It usually takes about 20-25 minutes to get the sauce the way I want it, but I could go w/ higher heat initially and get it there in about 10 minutes (but that runs the risk of going to overcondensed, or worse - slightly burned butter).

Additionally, I like to get the butter melted in the pan prior to adding the Franks. I add the Franks just before the butter is completely melted. For the 2nd and subsequent batches, I let the butter melt in the last batch's sauce and then add the Franks. If other items are being added to the sauce, I 1st get the Franks/butter well mixed and then add liquids 1st and then powders. Get them all blended before beginning to condense the sauce.

Low sodium / unsalted butter would likely reduce issues w/ overcondensing, but I have never tried them intentionally. (I'm sure on occassion that was all I had in the house, but I don't recall how it affected the sauce.)

I'm sure he'll find a way that works well for him.

[Claude_Verret]

Meathead, on 01 February 2013 - 01:30 AM, said:

franks and butter

Plus garlic powder, celery salt and worcestershire.  Most importantly, do not add extra vinegar.  No need.

[Sherman]

Meathead, on 01 February 2013 - 01:30 AM, said:

franks and butter

youre welcome

That's all they uses at Nino's in Orchard Park.

[weave]

Gotta add garlic to the Frank's.

A tasty alternative is to hit the ethnic foods aisle and pick up a bottle of sriracha sauce (has a big rooster on the label) in the Chinese section and use that in place of Frank's.  Mix it with butter in the same ratio you would with Frank's.  It is less vinegar-y and has a good solid garlic kick on top of the heat and chili pepper flavors.

You're welcome.

[ThirtyEight]

Stupid question - but which Frank's sauce is it? A quick google gave me RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, Red Hot Original Sauce, Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce

[IvanPutski]

Melted butter, Frank's, and ketchup as my base.  Can also add grated parm cheese and some crushed garlic for a nice change of pace.

[Wacka]

Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce  has the butter already in it.

[Doohickie]

Franks and butter was standard at Roma's on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga when I worked there in the '70s.  Mix in a round-bottom stainless steel bowl.  Once we'd done a few batches, there was residual sauce in the bowl, so mild was no more sauce, just add butter; medium was a some Franks and some butter in equal amounts, hot was just Franks and a dash of Tabasco.  If someone asked for really hot, the cooks would get creative.

[weave]

ThirtyEight, on 01 February 2013 - 10:39 AM, said:

Stupid question - but which Frank's sauce is it? A quick google gave me RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, Red Hot Original Sauce, Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce

Original is the "original" Buffalo wing sauce (with butter added to taste).

[Doohickie]

We used Red Hot Original.  There was no "Buffalo Wing Sauce" in those days.

[JJFIVEOH]

Thanks everybody for the suggestions and thanks to Swamp for adding those posts. I didn't realize there was a wing thread already or I would have looked for it and not started a new one. Looks like the general concensus is Frank's and butter. If Frank's already has vinegar as the main ingredient that probably settles that. Might add more if needed. I think that's part of the reason the wings down here suck so bad, I think they make their own sauce and use very little if any vinegar. I don't have a full size fryer but I do have a Presto Dual Daddy which is about as big as you're gonna get without actually having a full size countertop rectangular fryer. I just wanted a starting point and it sounds like it's easier than I thought. I fry stuff all the time so it shouldn't be too bad.

[JJFIVEOH]

Doohickie, on 01 February 2013 - 12:31 PM, said:

We used Red Hot Original.  There was no "Buffalo Wing Sauce" in those days.

What is the difference between 'original' and the two different wings sauces?

[SwampD]

JJFIVEOH, on 01 February 2013 - 05:07 PM, said:

What is the difference between 'original' and the two different wings sauces?

The Buffalo wing sauce has the butter (flavor?) mixed in already.  In a pinch, it's pretty good.

[theesir]

I want chicken wings

[JJFIVEOH]

SwampD, on 01 February 2013 - 05:09 PM, said:

The Buffalo wing sauce has the butter (flavor?) mixed in already.  In a pinch, it's pretty good.

Ah OK. So use the wing sauce if you're not in a mood to mix a good sauce. Use the original as a base to make your own by adding butter and vinegar.

theesir, on 01 February 2013 - 05:13 PM, said:

I want chicken wings

Me too!!

[SwampD]

JJFIVEOH, on 01 February 2013 - 05:15 PM, said:

Ah OK. So use the wing sauce if you're not in a mood to mix a good sauce. Use the original as a base to make your own by adding butter and vinegar.

fixed

I want wings now, too.

[Glass Case Of Emotion]

a lot of wing places use bluebonnet liquid margarine in place of butter.

[skaught]

A hot sauce place near where I live in San Diego carries Anchor Bar Wing sauce, so I just get that.

[BuffaloBorn]

im eating wings now

[ParkMeadow]

Coming in to Buffalo from NH early AM tomorrow for mom's 80th birthday.  Can't wait to get some wings!

Love making them, and thanks to all for the tips, but wifey says they're too messy and it stinks up the kitchen so don't get to very often.  And there is no good place to buy them here!

[North Buffalo]

JJFIVEOH, on 01 February 2013 - 01:20 AM, said:

I'm thinking of making my own chicken wings. Down here in SoFL I've tried so hard to find any place that has wings even remotely close to real Buffalo wings. One place came close but they sold out and their new wings are just as bad as the rest. Hard to believe I have never tried to make my own. Anyways, it's really hard to find any place down here that uses a wing sauce that is your typical tangy vinegar/butter based sauce that we're so used to in BFLO. Most places nowadays just add as much jalapeno and pepper to burn your mouth for minutes after you eat it but have absolutely no flavor. I'm just looking for a basic wing sauce that most small BFLO restaurants use. Basically just general proportions and hot sauce brand to mix with. I can work with a general recipe and tweak from there. Yes, I can Google it but I figure I'd get a better answer here. I prefer small crispy wings, not a fan of the fat meaty type (but that really doesn't have anything to do with this. ) Thanks!

I use Franks and Butter too, bout a half stick per 8 oz.  Then add 1/4 cup of taragon or Red Wine Vinegar to up the tanginess.   Also, I like to get hot chilli peppers the long red ones and the little round ones and soak them in the Vinegar for at least a week.  The Vinegar soaks up the spice and adds the delayed heat affect.  After adding the Vinegar, I add Tabasco sauce to get me to the level of spicey heat I like!

[Captain Caveman]

Claude_Verret, on 01 February 2013 - 07:05 AM, said:

Plus garlic powder, celery salt and worcestershire.  Most importantly, do not add extra vinegar.  No need.

You insult my sauce, you insult me.

[notwoz]

LastPommerFan, on 01 February 2013 - 05:19 PM, said:

a lot of wing places use bluebonnet liquid margarine in place of butter.

BlueBonnet liquid margarine?  Is that Tim Connolly's recipe?

[ThirtyEight]

Does the sauce really take 20 minutes to make/reduce a little?

[Glass Case Of Emotion]

notwoz, on 01 February 2013 - 07:05 PM, said:

BlueBonnet liquid margarine?  Is that Tim Connolly's recipe?

I know for certain it's used in several local pizza chain recipes.

It's faster to mix and has a longer shelf life and won't separate. You get more homogenous colored wings and more homogenous flavor.

[Miller30]

LPF is correct about the speed and homogenous color and "flavor" you get with margine but IMHO nothing beats the taste of butter and Franks. The reason most recommend the long cooking time while making the sauce with butter is because butter contains water and milk solids. Reducing the sauce boils off the water which allows the fat in the butter to stick to the wings better.

I personally use clarified butter when making wings or fingers. If you clarify the butter you can basically warm the sauce on the stove for a few minutes and use. Butter can be clarified in the microwave in no time at all - just google "how do I clarify butter using microwave" it's quick and easy.

As for the wings, if you like crispy evenly cooked wings don't use frozen. Make sure they are thawed out and make sure to pat dry the wings using paper towels. Thawed dried wings will cook evenly and crisp up and you won't have to worry about what happens when you mix hot oil and water.

[Meathead]

yeah the pizza shop i worked at long ago used a liquid butter alternative product called prep for their wings. it was ok but it was a different flavor than butter

i moved away from the bflo area before wings got popular so when i wanted some i had to make them myself. if i felt like doing the little bit of extra work i would clarify the butter like miller says, but usually i just mixed it with franks and let it simmer for half an hour. of course you can add garlic, paprika, cumin, black/white pepper, chili powder, pepperoncini or other hot pepper juice, just about anything you want to try. but when i was watching a bills game or something and was homesick for wings it was just good old fashioned franks and butter

btw heres the prep product: http://www.stratasfo...ds/Prep-ZT.aspx

[deluca67]

ThirtyEight, on 01 February 2013 - 07:25 PM, said:

Does the sauce really take 20 minutes to make/reduce a little?

It shouldn't take 20 minutes to make wing sauce. It should take about 5 minutes at medium heat to blend the butter, hot sauce and any spices you may add. Reducing the sauce will only make the sauce taste overly salty. That's fine if that's the flavor you are shooting for. I prefer a smoother flavor and a velvety texture. You should be able to just coat the back of a spoon.

[Assquatch]

Slight thread hijack but the best cooking method for wings I've found is here:
Science:
http://www.seriousea...falo-wings.html

Recipe:
http://www.seriousea...falo-wings.html

Basically you dehydrate the wings by frying them for 20 minutes at low temperature then cool them up to three days in advance, and fry at high temperature when ready to eat them. They come out perfect every time I've done this. It's more time consuming than traditional methods but the skin comes out tight and crisp, and the meat is juicy but not fatty or greasy.

[Meathead]

great link ass

[todzilla]

We use a turkey fryer to make the wings. You can get about 75 in there in one batch, plus you're working outside and don't stink up the house.

I worked at a pizza and wings place for years in Buffalo and we used straight Franks for hot, cut it with 1/4 butter for medium, and 1/2 butter for mild.
If you want to go crazy hot, just get a bottle of Blairs or Dave's Insanity and add a couple drops, doesn't change the flavor, but really turns up the heat.

Enjoy...

[Eleven]

Assquatch, on 02 February 2013 - 08:16 AM, said:

Slight thread hijack but the best cooking method for wings I've found is here:
Science:
http://www.seriousea...falo-wings.html

Recipe:
http://www.seriousea...falo-wings.html

Basically you dehydrate the wings by frying them for 20 minutes at low temperature then cool them up to three days in advance, and fry at high temperature when ready to eat them. They come out perfect every time I've done this. It's more time consuming than traditional methods but the skin comes out tight and crisp, and the meat is juicy but not fatty or greasy.

I'm pretty sure that Gabriel's Gate does something similar.  I know that the wings are par-cooked somehow there, and they have the best in the city as far as I'm concerned.

[JJFIVEOH]

OK, I'm going to give this a shot tomorrow. Got three different Frank's. Buffalo, Hot Buffalo and Original. And some extra vinegar just in case. Wish me luck.