Roger's Frat Wings

From: Roger Kaplan <kaplanr@shearson.com>


Well, I have not worked in a restaurant that serves wings, but
I lived in a fraternity that worshipped them.  We always kept
a supply in the freezer for "emergency wings".  We were also
fortunate to have a deep fryer, which is vital for authentic
wings.

Our "emergency wing sauce" consisted of items that our kitchen
always stocked: ketchup, sugar, and tabasco, and another ingredient
that could always be scared up: cheap red wine -- the cheaper the
better.

The scene would usually be something like this: 10 guys are
huddled around the metal prep table in front of the fryer.  As the
wings came out of the fryer, they would be replaced assembly-line 
fashion with another batch.  The wings would be consumed by the horde,
then more sauce would be made up ("Put the whole bottle of
Tabasco in this time; the last ones were wimpy")  as the new
batch of wings neared completion.  In this way, we could finish 
off about 15-20 pounds of wings in an hour or so.

Assembly:  deepfry wings for 10-12 minutes if frozen, 4-5 if not.
   While wings are frying, make sauce.  Dump some ketchup into a
   pot, add sugar to taste, dump in a few glugs of red wine 
   and whisk until the sauce reaches the right consistency.
   Then add enough tabasco to make your mouth peel.
   Dump wings in pot, and shake until well coated.


Notes:

  1) Many recipes call for just frying wings with hot sauce.  I don't 
     think this cuts it.  Avoid barbecue sauces too; you will
     make BBQ wings, not buffalo wings.
  2) Use a deepfryer if at all possible.  I find that deepfrying 
     on top of the stove is difficult at best and dangerous at worst.
  3) Don't overcook the wings.  The sauce coats the wings better when
     the surface is moist.
  4) Commercial wing sauce does exist.  It probably tastes more 
     authentic, but it is expensive and nowhere near as much fun.
  5) The school referred to, while not in Buffalo, was in upstate NY,
     and therefore the opinions of the attending students do carry
     some legitimacy (more so than, say, Californians').  Wings are
     designed to be eaten in mass quantities in very cold climes.