Sweet and Zingy Buffalo Wings

My best take on
Buffalo Wings

After several attempts of dabbling with ingredients, many wings later and many tips discarded, I finally tweaked my recipe to my liking. Hopefully, you will like them too.

Now I am a true believer in using a brine with wings mainly to get them all pump up with extra moisture, which of course helps 'em from drying out. It also adds another layer of flavor to the sweet meat. It doesn't take but an extra few minutes of prep time and about 30 minutes in the fridge is a good rule of thumb, although I do it longer. A reader once wrote on another recipe that he had never used a brine on wings but after doing it once, will never cook them again without it. It really does matter - so I think too.

Although you might think hot because of the name, these wings are to me fairly mild - with just enough heat to carry the name and with just enough slightly sweet flavor to make you want more. Enjoy!

Drick's Buffalo Wings
8-12 appetizer servings

24 wings, separated, tips removed
brine solution or salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Go ahead, do it - place the chicken wings in a sealable bag and add a brine soulution. This time I used I used 2 cups water, 1/3 cup Kosher salt, 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon crushed oregano. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or no longer than a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the oil, butter and remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Allow mixture to come to a simmer over low heat. Stir to incorporate and let simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drain wings and pat dry with paper towers. Arrange on baking pans (sprayed with cooking oil) separated so each are not touching skin side up. Place in oven, reduce heat to 375 and cook for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 10 minutes.

Remove wings to a casserole or deep pan. Pour sauce over wings, toss to coat and return to oven. Cook about 15 minutes tossing occasionally or until most of the sauce has cook onto the wings.

Note: I know these would be exceptional cooked outside on a grill, however, the weather did not co-operate this time. I plan to do it soon by cooking the wings off heat, medium high until cooked followed with several baths into the buffalo sauce.

Comments

  1. No doubt these would be awesome grilled.. the addition of vinegar will make them fall off the bone too! Love the brine method... got to try out that liquid smoke in my big loot bag I won! Thanks for the recipe and your new ebook is fantastic! Congrats and I have some great cooking ahead of me thanks to you!

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  2. These look absolutely amazing. Thanks for posting.

    Exede

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  3. Looking forward to trying this one out. Thanks!

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  4. I'm not a big fan of Liquid Smoke. Is the flavor very strong or does it cook down to a more subtle flavor?

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  5. I'm sure the grill would kick them up a notch, but they look darned good as is. I like the addition of a little liquid smoke to the sauce for another notch.

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  6. These look really incredible! Like that you added a touch of brown sugar to the sauce - helps bring out that sticky-sweet property. I could use a plate of these while I'm watching the Georgia-South Carolina game that's on right now :-)

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  7. @Karen H - well, to me the smoke taste is a plus, giving the wings the essence of running through a smoke house... leave it out if you do not like liquid smoke.

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