Slog
News & ArtsFriday, January 15, 2010
Chow / Books The Best Buffalo Wings Ever
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:20 PM
Finally, I realized that I had to make the buffalo wings my own goddamned self. So last night, I tried this Alton Brown recipe for buffalo wings. I'm usually my own harshest critic when it comes to my cooking, but I have to tell you that these were the best buffalo wings I've ever had in my life. They were crisp, exactly as spicy as I wanted them to be, and juicy. If you're having a Super Bowl party next month, you should think about making these.
I've never used an Alton Brown recipe before, but based on the simplicity of the recipe and how well they turned out, I think I might have to pick up some of his cookbooks.
(The logo illustrating this post is from this unfortunately named Maine restaurant chain, which makes pretty good wings.)
1
Alton Brown as a personality is becoming insufferable but the man knows his food. His 'Chip Chop' recipe is the bomb.
4
Paul, did the steaming cook the meat significantly? That was the only part I found unusual. Baked wings are definitely the way to go, but they take longer, which is why restaurant wings are almost always fried.
5
i prefer the second syllable stressed in a very sweet (to me) wording - "here then there" - contained at the beginning of foucault's passage - stressed syllabically like encampment, not raconteur. it could be though just a dive into the village idiot vernacular, or simply the impossible trancendance of translation (but you get the point! erg!).
shoot, this was obviously meant to go with an intelligent book related post,anyhoo, wingswoohoo! delta feta thi! rock on party like its 1999.
shoot, this was obviously meant to go with an intelligent book related post,anyhoo, wingswoohoo! delta feta thi! rock on party like its 1999.
6
@1 - Agreed. I can't stand to watch him on tv, but I recently tried his technique/recipe for basic pan-seared fish and it was so easy and came out perfect. I had never been able to get it quite right before with the slightly crispy crust without having it stick to the pan or overcooking.
8
Along with answers to 3 and 4 did you alter the recipe at all, or will you alter the recipe when you make them again?
9
Feh. No mention of the correct sauce to use, which is Frank's Redhot Hot Sauce (not really that hot, but very tangy), and that you should *deep fry* the wings in *very* hot oil until they are crispy and float in the oil. If the oil is hot enough and you don't put in too much meat and cool the oil it should take about 8 minutes (first 2 are quite violent), if the oil is not so hot, maybe 12. Brown and floating is what you want to look for. Overcooked is better than undercooked in this case.
Baking? Please.
Baking? Please.
11
His recipes are always spot on, and his books are great. Plus Good Eats has been doing a lot of Gilliam-esqe cartoons lately.
12
The best thing about making your own wings is you don't have to inadvertently consume the frankenchicken most restaurants use.
13
It would be a mistake to buy Alton's books and assume that all of his recipes are fantastic. Instead, buy Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking," and there you go, you have almost all the food science you need.
Then, sure, listen to what Alton has to say about particular recipies, but ONLY FOR FOOD THAT IS COMMONPLACE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH. That's all he's good at.
For general purpose cookbooks you can do no better than Mark Bittman or Deborah Madison. "How to Cook Everything" and "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," resp., are essential. Even if you're not a vegetarian. I'm not.
Then, sure, listen to what Alton has to say about particular recipies, but ONLY FOR FOOD THAT IS COMMONPLACE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH. That's all he's good at.
For general purpose cookbooks you can do no better than Mark Bittman or Deborah Madison. "How to Cook Everything" and "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," resp., are essential. Even if you're not a vegetarian. I'm not.
14
I really like "I'm Just Here for More Food", but beware that about a third of the recipes that I've tried out of there have been goofed up in one way or another. For example, the crackers in there are excellent - after I fixed the amount of flour. It calls for 270g of flour, but that made a dough that was impossibly sticky. Bump it up to 320g and it's perfect. Similar things have happened with several of the other recipes in there, and it's particularly bad for baking recipes, which should really be precise. I've got a fair number of annotations in my copy.
15
Can someone please tell me where in Seattle I *can* get good wings? The Central had great ones awhile back but changed their recipe. Same for the Twilight Exit.
16
The accompanying video for the linked-to recipe showed that Alton Brown made his own hot sauce. (Weird that there's no mention of it in the recipe.) Is this what you did? Seems like his sauce would be awfully sticky.
17
My husband makes the seared Cajun tuna steaks from "I'm Just Here for the Food" and they're amazing. Better than 95% of restaurant tuna, to the point we've stopped ordering tuna steaks out. Simple recipes, predictable results.
18
Alton Brown kicks ass and them's some great wings. But lordy they are a lot of work. Just turn the oven to 450, bake wings (cut ala Brown's style -- he's brilliant) on a rack for 46 minutes (flip 'em after 23), then coat them in 1/2 butter-1/2 Frank's hot sauce (mixed ahead of time) and voila! Doing it this way is just as good.
Steaming reduces the amount of greasy smoke coming out of your oven, but it's a helluva lot more work. So as long as you turn your oven's fan on and don't leave your house while they're cooking just in case you start a grease fire, you can have just as good wings without all the hassle.
Steaming reduces the amount of greasy smoke coming out of your oven, but it's a helluva lot more work. So as long as you turn your oven's fan on and don't leave your house while they're cooking just in case you start a grease fire, you can have just as good wings without all the hassle.
19
Buy Alton's books for the information more than for the recipes.
I use them for things like "What do I do with this particular cut of beef?" or "What kind of pan do I cook this in?".
His explanations of different foods and how they work and why are what is totally worth it.
And honestly, if you are an accomplished cook, you don't need his books. If you are still learning, they can give you a much greater understanding of food.
I use them for things like "What do I do with this particular cut of beef?" or "What kind of pan do I cook this in?".
His explanations of different foods and how they work and why are what is totally worth it.
And honestly, if you are an accomplished cook, you don't need his books. If you are still learning, they can give you a much greater understanding of food.
20
I don't like them unless they've been deep fried. My favorite recipe is Emeril's spicy honey wings (though I cut down the hot sauce amount quite a bit):
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeri…
They are a lot of work, but OMG you will pick the bones clean.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeri…
They are a lot of work, but OMG you will pick the bones clean.
21
You should try a lot more of his recipes. I've very rarely made one that wasn't amazing. I also agree that he's become more and more annoying on TV, but damn he makes good food. I've made these wings before too—fucking great.
22
how is this a recipe?
"cook wings with butter, salt, garlic, some nonspecific 'hot sauce' and water" is a recipe?
I'm annoyed that I clicked through two whole links from the front page of Slog for that horseshit
"cook wings with butter, salt, garlic, some nonspecific 'hot sauce' and water" is a recipe?
I'm annoyed that I clicked through two whole links from the front page of Slog for that horseshit
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
NYC Man Ticketed for Not Riding in the Bike Lane by Jonathan Golob
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (22) RSS