Snobby about chicken wings

[plenzmd1]

1 minute ago, Jauronimo said:

There is no such thing as overthinking when the end goal is a consistently perfect chicken wing.

try this then....too much work for me, especially a little tipsy and in Hammers Lot..but these wings are awesome the 2 times i have made them

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/01/ultimate-extra-crispy-double-fried-confit-buffalo-wings.html

[Jauronimo]

20 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

try this then....too much work for me, especially a little tipsy and in Hammers Lot..but these wings are awesome the 2 times i have made them

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/01/ultimate-extra-crispy-double-fried-confit-buffalo-wings.html

I have used that method on multiple occasions and the results were great.  As I mentioned up thread, my frying technique is solid.  Now I'm focused on the last remaining variables:

 

1. When to sauce wings - straight out of the hot oil OR wait until no longer steaming.  I've personally had best results when waiting 2 or 3 minutes after frying.

2. Temperature of the sauce when saucing - I normally use a room temp sauce but I have seen some of my favorite wing places (Richmond's in Rochester, NY) toss their wings in a skillet with what I would guess is a hot, as in thoroughly heated, wing sauce.

3. Viscosity of the sauce - I have noticed over the years any wings in an asian inspired glaze, like thai chili, general tso's, korean styles, retain their crunch sometimes for hours while classic Buffalo wings from the same establishment get soggy relatively quickly or arrive soggy to begin with.  The consistency of the sauce must be another prime variable.  Sugary ingredients ( a no go for Buffalo wings) and corn starch thickeners can be found in nearly all of these asian sauces.  

 

Some of these questions seem obvious but there is very little info out there on the topics above.  I guess this weekend I should sacrifice a few wings in the name of science.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Jauronimo

[Jauronimo]

Anybody in this thread spend some time working at Gabriel's Gate, Duff's, Anchor Bar, Bar Bill, Elmo's and have some trade secrets to share? 

 

I see a lot of chatter in various forums where pizza takeout places are using Whirl/liquid margarine and veg oil in wing sauce rather than butter.  I'm guessing this is mainly due to cost savings as butter is more expensive than whirl but it occurred to me that Whirl and Veg oil are liquid at room temp whereas any sauce rich with butter will congeal at room temps and turn solid at fridge temp.  Perhaps the congealing is why I've seen one of my favorite spots for wings saucing theirs in a skillet over a lit burner.  

 

Pretty sure adding sauce to steaming hot fried food will result in soggy skin in short order but adding a steaming sauce to perfectly fried food may be the secret.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

2 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Anybody in this thread spend some time working at Gabriel's Gate, Duff's, Anchor Bar, Bar Bill, Elmo's and have some trade secrets to share? 

 

I see a lot of chatter in various forums where pizza takeout places are using Whirl/liquid margarine and veg oil in wing sauce rather than butter.  I'm guessing this is mainly due to cost savings as butter is more expensive than whirl but it occurred to me that Whirl and Veg oil are liquid at room temp whereas any sauce rich with butter will congeal at room temps and turn solid at fridge temp.  Perhaps the congealing is why I've seen one of my favorite spots for wings saucing theirs in a skillet over a lit burner.  

 

Pretty sure adding sauce to steaming hot fried food will result in soggy skin in short order but adding a steaming sauce to perfectly fried food may be the secret.

 

You got to ask Teddy.  He was flipping burgers and tossing wings at some place a few weeks ago  

 

[Jauronimo]

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

 

You got to ask Teddy.  He was flipping burgers and tossing wings at some place a few weeks ago  

 

I do not care at all how @Teddy KGB sauces boneless wings at the Chilis in Newport News.

[Gugny]

4 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Anybody in this thread spend some time working at Gabriel's Gate, Duff's, Anchor Bar, Bar Bill, Elmo's and have some trade secrets to share? 

 

I see a lot of chatter in various forums where pizza takeout places are using Whirl/liquid margarine and veg oil in wing sauce rather than butter.  I'm guessing this is mainly due to cost savings as butter is more expensive than whirl but it occurred to me that Whirl and Veg oil are liquid at room temp whereas any sauce rich with butter will congeal at room temps and turn solid at fridge temp.  Perhaps the congealing is why I've seen one of my favorite spots for wings saucing theirs in a skillet over a lit burner.  

 

Pretty sure adding sauce to steaming hot fried food will result in soggy skin in short order but adding a steaming sauce to perfectly fried food may be the secret.

 

I could SWEAR I recently saw something on TV in which the wing sauce was added to a bowl containing hot oil (not a lot).  I can't remember the show, or even the context.  And it may have been for a fried chicken sandwich and not wings.  But I do remember hot oil being part of the equation.

 

 

EDIT:  Writing this jarred my memory!  It was the hot chicken sandwich at Hattie B's.

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/hattie-bs-hot-chicken-from-fried-true.html

 

…. And the spicy coating, for which you can use melted lard or a scoop of the hot cooking oil, is thick with cayenne kept just barely in check with a touch of brown sugar and other seasonings.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Gugny

[noacls]

On 10/14/2018 at 7:42 AM, plenzmd1 said:

Arrived in my inbox this morning. These are all stupid lists , but the timing was good!

 

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/the-21-best-chicken-wing-restaurants-in-america

Bar Bill has to be most overrated wings in Buffalo area. The service is horrible. They will not cook wings the way you want. Not enough sauce and that guy bartender is an a..hole.  Beef on weck is good but not good enough to get past service

[Gugny]

30 minutes ago, noacls said:

Bar Bill has to be most overrated wings in Buffalo area. The service is horrible. They will not cook wings the way you want. Not enough sauce and that guy bartender is an a..hole.  Beef on weck is good but not good enough to get past service

 

Personally, the wings I've gotten there have always been perfectly cooked and sauced, the bartenders have always been friendly and attentive and the service has always been stellar.  I also think the beef on weck is top notch.

[Seasons1992]

46 minutes ago, noacls said:

Bar Bill has to be most overrated wings in Buffalo area. The service is horrible. They will not cook wings the way you want. Not enough sauce and that guy bartender is an a..hole.  Beef on weck is good but not good enough to get past service

 

I did not experience this at all when I went in November 2018. It was quite good all around.

[Gugny]

54 minutes ago, noacls said:

Bar Bill has to be most overrated wings in Buffalo area. The service is horrible. They will not cook wings the way you want. Not enough sauce and that guy bartender is an a..hole.  Beef on weck is good but not good enough to get past service

 

So, how long have you worked at Duff's? 

[noacls]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

 

So, how long have you worked at Duff's? 

Duff's sucks too.

[Bray Wyatt]

On 1/29/2020 at 3:07 PM, Gugny said:

 

I could SWEAR I recently saw something on TV in which the wing sauce was added to a bowl containing hot oil (not a lot).  I can't remember the show, or even the context.  And it may have been for a fried chicken sandwich and not wings.  But I do remember hot oil being part of the equation.

 

 

EDIT:  Writing this jarred my memory!  It was the hot chicken sandwich at Hattie B's.

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/hattie-bs-hot-chicken-from-fried-true.html

 

…. And the spicy coating, for which you can use melted lard or a scoop of the hot cooking oil, is thick with cayenne kept just barely in check with a touch of brown sugar and other seasonings.

 

Love me some Hattie B's!

[BarleyNY]

7 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

Personally, the wings I've gotten there have always been perfectly cooked and sauced, the bartenders have always been friendly and attentive and the service has always been stellar.  I also think the beef on weck is top notch.

I agree, Bar Bill has always been on point for wings and beef on weck.  Possibly the best I’ve had.  My daughter touts Gabriel’s Gate’s wings as her favorite.  Not a bad choice either.  I haven’t been to the new Bar Bill location on Main in Clarence yet tho.  Too crowded so far.

 

One thing I heard from one of the Gate owners (Bill) is that you can’t expect wings to stay crispy if you put them in a carry out container.  He hates it when people complain about that.  Eat them in the restaurant!

[Augie]

5 hours ago, noacls said:

Duff's sucks too.

 

Is there anything you DO like? Coming off as a cranky guy to me. 

 

There is a Duff’s in Newnan, GA about 40 miles from me, but it’s 99% highway, so fairly quick. I’ve made the trip once, and this has me thinking of doing it again next week for lunch. I don’t have a ton of great options, and this is the best I’ve had since my last trip to WNY. 

[noacls]

2 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

Is there anything you DO like? Coming off as a cranky guy to me. 

 

There is a Duff’s in Newnan, GA about 40 miles from me, but it’s 99% highway, so fairly quick. I’ve made the trip once, and this has me thinking of doing it again next week for lunch. I don’t have a ton of great options, and this is the best I’ve had since my last trip to WNY. 

Try goldbelly you can order from la nova, duff's, and even bar bill I think. A bit pricey though

[Augie]

4 hours ago, noacls said:

Try goldbelly you can order from la nova, duff's, and even bar bill I think. A bit pricey though

 

Interesting. And yes, pricey. If you can’t take a wing home without getting soggy, what’s it liked shipped across the country? 

 

I’ve ordered Bocci’s pizza delivered to Atlanta before and while it was “nice”, it wasn’t at all the same. I’ll drive to Duff’s when I’m in the mood, I guess. 

 

I’ll make my own weck (following Charlie the Butcher’s directions) and take beef on weck to my buddies for the SB. 

 

 

.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Augie

[T&C]

I actually have the original Anchor Bar wing recipe... so old that you might remember when the Durkee name was around. Don't know how to post pics here or I would... I'm not hacking the whole thing out.

[Augie]

12 minutes ago, T&C said:

I actually have the original Anchor Bar wing recipe... so old that you might remember when the Durkee name was around. Don't know how to post pics here or I would... I'm not hacking the whole thing out.

 

I have the CocaCola formula and McDonalds “secret sauce”, but my fingers are tired too.  

 

I remember the Durkee name, but can’t really place it. Old enough to remember, and too old to remember at the same time, I guess. Bummer.....

[Taraka]

I think the secret to great wings is they must be well done and crispy straight out of the fryer and sauced lightly. The excess sauce makes them soggy. You can serve extra sauce on the side with the blue cheese and dip them to your taste from your dinner plate if you prefer them that way. 

[Augie]

23 minutes ago, ~Kostabi~ said:

I think the secret to great wings is they must be well done and crispy straight out of the fryer and sauced lightly. The excess sauce makes them soggy. You can serve extra sauce on the side with the blue cheese and dip them to your taste from your dinner plate if you prefer them that way. 

 

Welcome!

 

There would have been serious trouble had you mentioned ranch!  

 

I have heard you need to let them rest just a bit before saucing. Not long, but enough for the “crisp” to set. We have some experts here who know better than I would. @plenzmd1 picks me up before sunrise to start drinking at the tailgate, and about 8 hours later he has the best wings on earth. I mean, I think it’s still earth.....but it can get fuzzy as to details. 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Augie