Buffalo Wings (and Barbecue too!)

Buffalo is built on wings, I mean when the President visited I had no idea what he was here for, all people were talking about was that he was going to Duffs, not the Anchorbar.

Whenever a relative visits we have some wings delivered, but lately my dad hasn't been satisfied with the wings we've been getting. 20 wings for $10, isn't exactly a good deal.
However, you can buy a bag of 100 frozen wings for $16, even with the cost of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and butter, when you sit down and do the math, you make out pretty good.

Besides they're crazy easy to make!
The ratio of hot sauce to butter is really up to you, I like my wings medium, but if you like them hotter, add more hot sauce. You could also add a dash of garlic powder or red chili flakes, but I wanted to keep mine as simple and classic as possible.


Medium Buffalo Wings
15 wings
1/4 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup Franks hot sauce

Preheat your fryer to to 385 degrees (that's as high as mine will go).
My fryer basket holds 15 wings, so that's how many I make per batch.

(Note: If you don't have a fryer, a pot full of vegetable oil on the stove with a cooking thermometer will work fine. Just be careful not to overfill it and watch for splattering oil.)

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Fry the wings for 12 minutes, or to desired crispiness. 12 minutes gets them crispy on the outside and moist inside.

Mix the melted butter and hot sauce.

Once the wings are done, give them a good shake and place in a big bowl, pour sauce over the top and toss to coat.

Barbecue Wings
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
15 wings

For authentic barbecue wings, you should grill them, but if you're short on time lazy, or busy making other flavors, it works pretty well to just thicken the barbecue sauce and then coat the wings. To thicken the sauce, pour it into a saucepan, heat on the stove at about medium heat, stir occasionally until reduced.

Fry the wings at 385 degrees for 12 minutes, give them a good shake and place in a big bowl, pour thickened barbecue sauce over the them and toss to coat.

Serve your wings with carrots, celery and blue cheese dressing. Be prepared to make these all the time once your family realizes how cheap, easy and delicious they are.

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

Welcome to my new obsession, barbecue sauce. All summer I've been craving it, slathered over chicken, burgers and fries. So far though I haven't done any true barbecuing though. I didn't plan to either, initially the plan this week was to bring you this recipe.
Looks delicious right? But admittedly more of a winter dish. I was all set to ignore that though and make them this week until 2 separate trips to the grocery store yielded no short ribs. They're sold out and the butcher doesn't know when more are coming in!

On the second trip, my sister (who shouldn't have gone to the grocery store hungry) insisted I get something else to make. She was paying so I couldn't refuse. I picked up several pounds of beef spareribs even though I had no idea how to cook them.
After settling on a cooking method (I'll be slow roasting them), I knew I needed to make my own barbecue sauce. You don't take the time to make ribs then toss bottled barbecue sauce on them.
Not wanting to let go on my root beer dreams, I found this barbecue sauce recipe and adapted it to use root beer instead of Dr. Pepper.
I'm calling this the first version, because I will be experimenting to create a more root beer-y version soon.The sauce is delicious, but I'm not sure someone would know that there's root beer in it.

I am no officially of the opinion that everyone should make their own barbecue sauce, its super easy and a great way to experiment in the kitchen. Find a basic recipe and make it your own, then brag to everyone about your secret special barbecue sauce.

Almost Root Beer Barbecue Sauce
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of root beer
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon srichacia (or whatever hot sauce you have on hand)
1 teaspoon fine-ground white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Melt butter in a saute pan, add garlic and onions and cook until "translucent".


Then add everything else. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until it is thickened. Turn off the stove and let the sauce cool. (Do not put it into your blender hot!) Once it is no longer boiling hot, but still slightly warm, pour into the blender and blend until smooth.
The sauce will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, but it probably won't last that long.


Something weird: I realized halfway through cooking that I didn't have any vinegar so I used Chiavetta's marinade instead, if you do this be very careful about seasoning with salt and pepper since it'll already have some.