Best Chicken Wings

[CreamyGoodness]

Without a smoker, how have you folks been drying your peppers (ie, can I do it in my ny apartment)?

 

[Melana]

I used to use one of these before I got the smoker...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_332186-576-...AWELAID=1437538829&kpid=3740241&"cagpspn=pla"

 

[Jayhem]

Without a smoker, how have you folks been drying your peppers (ie, can I do it in my ny apartment)?

A food dehydrator is the way to go in an apartment.

I have a Nesco, awesome for making jerky, dried herbs and this year...peppers! :rockin:

 

[CreamyGoodness]

So doing the string of chilis and hanging them out the window is ill advised?

 

[Melana]

You can do it that way... just takes a lot longer.

 

[cheezydemon3]

They can get moldy too. Ristras are typically done in Hotter climates.

 

[LovesIPA]

I'm originally from upstate NY. Yes, they really do have the best wings. Duff's wings are excellent, Anchor Bar wings are good, but the bar-none best wings in WNY are served at the Bar-Bill in East Aurora. If you haven't tried them from there, you're missing out.

ALL Buffalo-style chicken wings are deep fried, never cooked any other way. If you're cooking wings on the grill or in the oven, you may be making chicken wings, but they aren't Buffalo wings. I'm not saying they're not good or "less than" Buffalo wings in any way - just that they're not to style. It would be like adding roasted barley to a pilsner recipe and wondering why you didn't place in a homebrew competition.

I've actually found one place where I live now that makes excellent wings. They're as good as what you get in Buffalo, and that's no small feat. I spent years eating crappy chicken wings in California.

I also make them at home and use Frank's red hot as a base for the sauce. I add a bunch of spices and misc. ingredients to make it unique. I bought a deep fryer and wouldn't cook wings any other way. Getting good sized chicken wings can be a challenge, too. Some wings are just not very big and they end up being too much sauce and not enough meat.

 

[headbanger]

ALL Buffalo-style chicken wings are deep fried, never cooked any other way. If you're cooking wings on the grill or in the oven, you may be making chicken wings, but they aren't Buffalo wings.

Yeah, well that's just your opinion man.

 

[headbanger]

As FYI, you can get good, fresh powder without growing/drying/grinding your own right here.

 

[bob1852]

If you're cooking wings on the grill or in the oven, you may be making chicken wings, but they aren't Buffalo wings.

That's why the title of this thread is "Best Chicken Wings" not "Best Buffalo Wings."

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Barring another piece of equiptment I dont really have the room for and if I want them somewhat more quickly, could I use my oven?

 

[LovesIPA]

That's why the title of this thread is "Best Chicken Wings" not "Best Buffalo Wings."

That's a valid point sir!

 

[cheezydemon3]

Barring another piece of equiptment I dont really have the room for and if I want them somewhat more quickly, could I use my oven?

Maybe, but that would eff up your air conditioning bill somewhat. Dehydrators are cheap and don't take up much room.

They are great for jerky too.

 

[Tamarlane]

Barring another piece of equiptment I dont really have the room for and if I want them somewhat more quickly, could I use my oven?

If it is good and hot out and you have a space with some sun on a balcony or what-not you can lay them on a screen with a fan blowing on them. May take a couple sessions depending on the size of the pepper.

But dehydrators are the best tool for the job and not expensive, and you can make stuff like jerky, apple chips, dog treats, fruit roll-ups etc so they are well worth it

If you can't dry your own peppers, buy the dry peppers at the supermarket, toast and grind them into powder. Next best thing and these days you can find a lot of varieties of dried peppers if you know where to look


My scotch bonnet plants are putting out a ton of peppers this year (in Florida peppers are perennial so the plants I grew from seeds last year are still going strong) but I don't like to dry them because of the strong odor so I have just been making hot sauce or freezing them

 

[Dovage]

If you want really crispy fried wings, after you dredge them in your flour mix let them sit in the fridge for 30 min. The moisture from the chicken is soaked up by the flour, then when you fry 'em, they are really crispy.:rockin:

 

[ChefRex]

Alton Brown's technique is a bit of a pain in the a$$ but works awesome with out frying.
Started picking some of my jalapeños peppers today, not as hot as last years but i'm happy

 

[ChefRex]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/buffalo-wings-recipe/index.html
Forgot the link

 

[Paps]

red chili flour-
50 lbs white flour
4 cups chili powder
4 cups paprika
4 cups salt
2 cups corn starch
===============================================
this is totally from memory of some sheitty bar i used to work at.
scale it down to w/e amount you like.
the place used it for their hot wings and onion rings/a few other apps as well.
HOT WING SAUCE
fill a blender with orange habenaros
add a small handfull of cilantro
add a few pinches of salt
add franks red hot (equal weight of the habs...roughly 12 oz)
blend till desired consistancy.
this sauce is my own recipe and not for the feint of heart (stomach)

 

[cheezydemon3]

Breaded some tenders with a flour, egg wash, corn starch regimen. I then doused them in a very basic mix of crystals and the Really hot El Yucateca XXX.




Freakishly delicious. The crust was crisp and un soggable....but....
The crust broke too easilly on the tenders. I liked it a lot, but it wasn't perfect.





I am thinking that the tenders should be pounded flat.

 

[Paps]

butterfly the chicken breasts that you cut into chicken tender strips and dunkem in buttermilk before your flour mixture

 

[headbanger]

Breaded some tenders with a flour, egg wash, corn starch regimen. I then doused them in a very basic mix of crystals and the Really hot El Yucateca XXX.


View attachment 132528

Freakishly delicious. The crust was crisp and un soggable....but....
The crust broke too easilly on the tenders. I liked it a lot, but it wasn't perfect.



View attachment 132529

I am thinking that the tenders should be pounded flat.

Did you ever see that episode of Chappelle's show where Tyrone Biggums went on fear factor?

 

[Jayhem]

This thread has made me crave chicken wings to the point I'm considering leaving work early to go whip up some wings!

 

[headbanger]

This thread has made me crave chicken wings to the point I'm considering leaving work early to go whip up some wings!

Sounds like a good idea to me, I'm with you!

 

[cheezydemon3]

I will check out that vid when I leave work HB.

Now I'm not so sure about corn starch on wings.

It would have to be a dusting so as not to be a "crust".

I wonder if a dusting would even be noticed.

 

[Melana]

This thread has made me crave chicken wings to the point I'm considering leaving work early to go whip up some wings!

Great idea!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

While I like the idea of a dredge for wings, I have had success with just paper towelling the surface of the skin and dropping into the hot oil.

My sauce is usually butter and Franks with whatever spices/salt/pepper I was looking to play with. Get really crispy skin that way, though there is a "slough off" factor.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I have even pre-crisped the skin side of wings under a broiler before frying to get REALLY crispy.

I agree that they don't really need anything. i gues our corn starch conversation and some REALLY effing good buffalo chicken tenders I had recently got me thinking.

 

[headbanger]

Took Jayhem's advice yesterday...

 

[cheezydemon3]

Are those corn cakes HB? Looks fantastic!

 

[headbanger]

Are those corn cakes HB? Looks fantastic!

That's best cornbread! Recipe coming soon, I'm still tweaking it but I will tell you that the secret is the yellow cornmeal mix from Save-A-Lot in the blue bag along with some jalapeño and green chili powder from mild bill's.

On another note, I was planning to add some corn starch to the rub mix last night just to see what happened but we were out of it.