Seeking the King of Wings
by
Ted Slater
on Apr 15, 2008 at 6:40 PM
I'm passionate about a few things: my wife and daughters, grace, the music I perform and listen to, media discernment, humble orthodoxy.
And chicken wings, as I confessed earlier this month:
I've been doing my research over the past 18 months, reading online and in books. I've gone through perhaps dozens of different wing sauces, comparing each one, sometimes mixing two or three together. I've tried deep frying, baking, broiling and a combination of the three. I've tried both fresh and frozen chicken wings. I've tried them with breading and without. I've cooked them at temperatures ranging from 350 degrees to 500 degrees. I've tried marinating them and brining with vegetable broth, kosher salt, brown sugar, EVOO, and a variety of spices. And through it all I've been keeping accurate notes of ingredients and times and temperatures.
I've done some more cooking since writing that blog post, and found myself disappointed that I had once again fallen short of wing nirvana. My quest continues. In the meantime, enjoy the photos below, which chronicle my latest heroic attempt at "getting it right."
1. Jehtro had the following to say on Apr 15 at 7:41 PM:
Ted, Ted, Ted, Ted, Ted!
I thought you were meant to be making the sauce yourself from scratch? This is clearly wing related cheatery!
I'm outraged.
2. BDB had the following to say on Apr 15 at 8:29 PM:
That first picture looks awfully familiar...I guess BRINE is what is in the bottom of my backyard fountain...
3. Naomi W had the following to say on Apr 15 at 9:47 PM:
It is just cruel to do this to a pregnant woman. Those pictures will keep me awake and hungry for the next three days. And since my husband has the car all day for work, I can't even go out and buy the makings for them. Augh.
4. Marc had the following to say on Apr 15 at 9:50 PM:
I just realized something... Ted likes chicken! :-)
5. Mike Theemling had the following to say on Apr 15 at 10:57 PM:
Hmm, I see some problems with your approach Ted:
1) You used "Extra Virgin Olive Oil". That'll make your chicken too holy. If you want your chicken to have "spice" and/or be "fiery" you have to switch to just "Pure Olive Oil". Also it would help to have on the label "First Cold Press" (that sounds diabolical).
2) Ziploc bags?! No, no! You'll ruin the process. Ziploc bags are just like a lot of men: They hold everything in and you can see right through them. Chickens need privacy to marinate. Why do you think they are called "chickens" in the first place?
3) I'm not sure if the sauce choice was great either. The only time in America Defcon #2 was instituted was during the Cuban missile crisis. And let me tell you, the Wings during that era weren't so great (or so I've heard). And "Original Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing Sauce" doesn't sound too promising either. 'Original' means "first" so it's probably their first crack at making sauces. You probably got a bottle from 1964 when they first started experimenting with Wings. Little coincidence that the Cuban Missile Crisis was in 1962, just two years before Anchor Bar started making Wing sauce. I see a connection here that I'm not liking.
4) I'm glad the end product worked out well for you Ted. You know that since we are carbon-based creatures, consuming more carbon )i.e. burned chicken) will make scientists millions of years later think that we lived much longer before that using carbon dating, probably around the time of the dinosaurs. But hey, at least you got some Wings out of it.
While you look for the "King of Wings" I'll go searching for the "Lord of Gourds" when I make my cucumber and squash medley.
6. Rachel had the following to say on Apr 15 at 11:56 PM:
Ah, so your barefoot pregnant wife is not the only one who's been in the kitchen!! Ya'll need to have me over for dinner. :)
7. Gary had the following to say on Apr 16 at 6:03 AM:
Deep fried is the way to go, though grilling them is also not bad...at least you've gotten the Anchor Bar sauce...you're on your way now, Ted. A trip over here to Buffalo may be in order...
8. a sassy sister had the following to say on Apr 16 at 7:34 AM:
I'll bet they were delicious! ;)
9. Read had the following to say on Apr 16 at 8:23 AM:
Ted where did you find that recipe? I'm very interested in the brine mixture. I've tried a couple of different salt water brines but nothing as complex as what you've used here. Mind posting a recipe?
10. JMarie had the following to say on Apr 16 at 8:43 AM:
Wow - Boundless as food blog. Have you tried a rub, Ted? My boyfriend grills wings regularly by first rubbing them with "some thing out of a bottle" (a powdered spice rub...one of these days I'll investigate his cupboard to learn what). Once they're grilled to perfection on his fancy wood chip grill, we eat them as is or cover them in Jack Daniels wing sauce (I may have to suggest chipotle for variety, though. Mmm.)
11. Leah had the following to say on Apr 16 at 8:53 AM:
My mum makes the best marinated chicken wings... don't knwo what she marinates them in though!! (I'll have to get the recipe seeing as I'm getting married and moving out soon ;)).
12. Kate had the following to say on Apr 16 at 9:12 AM:
Yum, those look good!! Now I want wings for dinner ;)
I've never had much luck with homemade wings, so if you ever find the 'perfect' recipe you'll have to let us know!
As for restaurants, though, there's one called Red Hot and Blue that has reeaaallly good wings....mmmmmmmm
13. Matt from DC had the following to say on Apr 16 at 9:53 AM:
Ted,
Good job on the wings there. When I make wings myself I start by frying first, saucing them up, and finishing by baking them. Have you tried that yet?
Thanks for showing off that marinading technique, I'm going to use that.
14. Julia H had the following to say on Apr 16 at 10:16 AM:
Ted,
you really must try marinating your wings in beer. It makes them really tender and extra delicious.
15. Ted Slater had the following to say on Apr 16 at 10:23 AM:
Read -- the recipe is drawn from various brine recipes I found on the Web and in a book by Alton Brown.
The salt and sugar make up the foundation of the brine. I use chicken broth for its saltiness, but also because it adds more flavor. My experience is that EVOO and a bit of milk (just 1/4 cup of milk) make the chicken more tender. The white wine and lime juice just add a bit of mystery. I've got the measurements at home -- I'll try to dig them up and share them when I get a chance.
Julia H and Matt from DC -- I look forward to trying your suggestions! I'm going back to deep-frying next time....
16. Caleb S. had the following to say on Apr 16 at 3:32 PM:
Now I'm hungry for wings! Thankfully the girlfriend will be over soon and perhaps I can coax her into going out for wings. I also have a delicious wing sauce recipe, but I have yet to figure out how to get the sauce to stick to the wing well. I tried coating before and after cooking, but haven't tried using a brine yet, I may have to try that. Now, if I can only get my grill back from the people that borrowed it months ago.
17. Tami had the following to say on Apr 16 at 5:15 PM:
Guinness, garlic, onions + chicken + time in the fridge = yum.
18. Lauren T. had the following to say on Apr 17 at 10:33 PM:
WHAT on Earth is EVOO??
19. Loris had the following to say on Apr 21 at 7:17 AM:
It's Extra Virgin Olive Oil. EVOO.