Best Wings Ever?

My sis swears my wings are the best she’s ever had.  Ever?  I find it really hard to believe.  First, Hooters wings are just crazy awesome (don’t judge).  And have you had the goods at Outback Steakhouse?  Next level!  So when she looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Yes!  Your wings are the best I’ve ever had!”  I assigned myself with the task of getting this wing-ipe (wing + recipe?) down on paper for her, and well, everyone.  Just to be clear, I don’t believe that my wings are the best.  But I will say they are pretty bomb…..especially with a burning cold Blue Moon to wash ‘em down ;)

Michee’s Favorite Buffalo Wings (makes 12 pieces)

Wings

1 Dozen Fresh Whole Wings

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Sugar

1 Cup Flour

Oil for Frying

Buffalo Sauce

3 TB Butter

2 Garlic Cloves chopped fine

½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1 tsp Onion Powder

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Chili Powder

½ tsp Smoked Paprika

¾ Cup of your favorite Louisiana style hot sauce

Honey

Salt

I know it can be easy to reach for that bag of frozen wings and drumettes.  If it is, go for it.  Just make sure to thaw them out and pat them dry before moving on.  Lay your wings out on a clean sheet tray or cutting board and season both sides evenly with Salt and Pepper.  In a small bowl, combine the Garlic and Onion Powders, Cayenne, Chili Powder, and Sugar.  Mix well and sprinkle evenly on both sides of your wings.  You may not use the entire mix depending on the size of your wings.  This just means make more wings!

Place the flour in a mixing bowl and toss your wings, 4 or 5 at a time, to coat.  You don’t want to cake it on, just a nice thin layer will do.  We’re looking for the slightest bit of crunch here.  Once covered, pat off the excess flour and place on a rack or paper towel lined sheet tray.  Let sit in your fridge for at least one hour.  This gives the seasoning time to penetrate the meat as well as have the flour adhere to the wing instead of fall into your fryer.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt your butter until the bubbles subside.  Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Do not let this burn.  Your sauce will be bitter.  If the garlic begins to brown too quickly, lower the heat or remove the pan from the flame to cool.  Once the garlic is translucent, add the Crushed Pepper, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder, and Smoked Paprika.  Toast the spices for another minute then add your hot sauce.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add enough honey to balance the sauce (you’ll know what I mean when you do it) and season to taste with Salt.  Honey is the great equalizer of the kitchen.  It provides a great mid-range note that can really bring out character and body in your food.  Now, this sauce will break.  Guaranteed.  So just before saucing, give it a good whisking to re-emulsify it.  As it cools, it will lose its tendency to break.

To finish, bring a pot of oil up to 360F.  Place your wings in one at a time.  Depending on the size of your pot, you may want to add 4 wings or 8 wings at a time.  Just don’t crowd your cooking vessel.  Doing this will drop your oil temperature, which in turn will force your wings to soak up the oil instead of cooking in it.  There’s a long explanation for this, but we’ll discuss another time.  Cook your wings for 7-8 minutes then set on a wire rack over some paper towels when done.  You can put this loaded rack into a warm oven to stay hot while you finish cooking the rest of your wings.  Be sure to let your oil return to 360F before adding another load.  When all your wings are done, spoon some of your sauce into the bottom of a large mixing bowl, drop in a few wings, spoon on more sauce (how much is entirely up to you), and toss to coat evenly.  Keep tossing, you want good coverage here.

Serve your delicious, crispy wings with your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing and an extremely cold beer.  And don’t forget to call your sis over to help you take care of these bad boys.  I hope you enjoyed this recipe ‘cuz it was pretty fun to write.  And as always, if you ever find yourself lost in the kitchen, give us a shout and we’ll do our best to help you find your way :)  Belly…out!