OT Buffalo wings

[That Aud Smell]

What are Buffalo Wings...

 

I can tell you how to make chicken wings...

pssst...in WNY we call them chicken wings...

Agreed. Let us not give way to the Buffalo Wing denomination - in WNY, it's just wings.

 

You MUST fry them.

Taro's method sounds very solid. (I've actually copied and pasted his and free's frying instructions and printed them out for use at home this summer ... or maybe this fall when football rolls around.)

 

There might be only a handful of ways to make them right, but there are thousands of ways to screw them up. Grilling, baking, breading, ranch dressing, bad wing sauce, weird flavors are just a handful of ways restaurants and people outside WNY ruin wings.

But I have to take issue with the idea that "grilling" wings is on par with serving them with ranch dressing and that wings must be fried in order to be authentic. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Just by way of example: LaNova's barbeque wings (which are grilled) are fantastic. Are they traditional, Buffalo-style, like-Theresa-used-to-make wings? No. But, for me, they're every bit the authentic local wing experience that you get from a plate of steaming, freshly-fried, Franks'd up wings at Duff's, Anchor Bar, the Gate/Hemingway's, Bob & John's, etc. I'll also relate a story on this front: Back in the mid-80s, I attended the Chicken Wing Festival that was held out at Fantasy Island, right around the 4th of July. I specifically recall how the guy who won the competition for best wings had prepared them on a backyard charcoal-fueled grill - I stopped by his cooking area and saw that he was taking lightly steamed wings and then drenching them in some kind of sauce/butter and spice mixture, and then grilling them and re-dipping/brushing them at the end. Served with a variety of vegetables (celery and carrots among them) and chunky blue cheese, they were delicious, and, again, an authentic local take on wings.

 

I really miss the days when I could say to someone,"Let's get a sheet and fifty," and they would know what I was talking about.

Sheet and 50 ... hmmmmmmmmmm.

 

6. MOST IMPORTANTLY -- DO NOT COOK THEM INSIDE YOUR HOUSE.

this is great advice. we made ~70 wings, in our house, for this past superbowl ... i'm not sure that the smell's gone yet. those big-ass fryers that sit on a propane burner out in the yard are great for wings ... and for fish fries. just get a good thermometer so you can make sure that the oil is staying nice and hot.

[BetweenThePipes00]

Bob & John's also has outstanding BBQ wings ... it's a whole other genre of food, but still very good ... however, and I could be wrong, but I think they (and LaNova too) fry the wings a bit first before throwing them on the grill ... I think it's just enough to get the char-broiled flavor but not the full cooking ...

Thank God my dad brought me 10 lbs of Sahlens Memorial Day weekend and I had some last night, or all this Buffalo food talk would really be killing me ... In fact, I think I still have some Bison dip in the fridge .... ;)

[Guest Sloth]

You are absolutely killing me!

I've been gone so long I forget stuff like that. I hate the fact that I think soda, before pop, too... :ph34r:

 

Try ordering some type of pop in the south. Waitress asked me what I wanted to drink. I said a coke. She says ok, which kind? Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, etc...I was like umm...a coke.

They use coke as their general term. :blink:

[darksabre]

Try ordering some type of pop in the south. Waitress asked me what I wanted to drink. I said a coke. She says ok, which kind? Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, etc...I was like umm...a coke.

They use coke as their general term. :blink:

 

I hear thats a Texas thing

[Bmwolf21]

But I have to take issue with the idea that "grilling" wings is on par with serving them with ranch dressing and that wings must be fried in order to be authentic. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Just by way of example: LaNova's barbeque wings (which are grilled) are fantastic. Are they traditional, Buffalo-style, like-Theresa-used-to-make wings? No. But, for me, they're every bit the authentic local wing experience that you get from a plate of steaming, freshly-fried, Franks'd up wings at Duff's, Anchor Bar, the Gate/Hemingway's, Bob & John's, etc. I'll also relate a story on this front: Back in the mid-80s, I attended the Chicken Wing Festival that was held out at Fantasy Island, right around the 4th of July. I specifically recall how the guy who won the competition for best wings had prepared them on a backyard charcoal-fueled grill - I stopped by his cooking area and saw that he was taking lightly steamed wings and then drenching them in some kind of sauce/butter and spice mixture, and then grilling them and re-dipping/brushing them at the end. Served with a variety of vegetables (celery and carrots among them) and chunky blue cheese, they were delicious, and, again, an authentic local take on wings.

Anecdotal evidence aside, I simply cannot accept grilled wings as true chicken wings. True chicken wings are fried. If someone makes great wings on a grill then that's fantastic, but they aren't the same thing as authentic "Buffalo-style" wings IMO.

[inkman]

I hear thats a Texas thing

 

Yes. Mr Simpson you are what we like to call, "Stupid". :)

[That Aud Smell]

Anecdotal evidence aside, I simply cannot accept grilled wings as true chicken wings. True chicken wings are fried. If someone makes great wings on a grill then that's fantastic, but they aren't the same thing as authentic "Buffalo-style" wings IMO.

i understand this position - it's something of a "reinheitsgebot"** for wings, if you will.

 

for me, though, i like the idea of an ever-expanding sphere of what constitutes "wings" - the more that universe expands, the greater the culinary debt that is owed to our sleepy little town.

 

or something like that.

 

 

**the auld german purity laws governing beer.

[Bmwolf21]

i understand this position - it's something of a "reinheitsgebot"** for wings, if you will.

 

for me, though, i like the idea of an ever-expanding sphere of what constitutes "wings" - the more that universe expands, the greater the culinary debt that is owed to our sleepy little town.

 

or something like that.

**the auld german purity laws governing beer.

That's kind of how I look at it. I don't mind the other flavors (I am particular to the sweet BBQ sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings - it's the place that has been closest to true chicken wings here south of Cleveland), the different styles of preparation or presentation, I just don't like to see wings that are not fried, breaded, not using true wing sauce and offering something other than blue cheese passed off as Buffalo-style chicken wings. It really ticks me off when I'm outside of WNY and I see "Buffalo Wings" on the menu, but when I read the description it's breaded or grilled or baked, etc., and I want to yell at the manager for misappropriating the term "Buffalo Wing."

[That Aud Smell]

I want to yell at the manager for misappropriating the term "Buffalo Wing."

only because i can talk about wings all day long: who appropriated that term in the first instance? and to what were they referring? neither is clear to me.

 

further in this regard, we haven't mentioned how using the term "buffalo" with food on a menu has become synonymous with a style of preparation that frequently involves frying and/or the cayenne-based hots'ing up of the food. so there's that.

 

i agree on breading: yuck. although doesn't hooters bread their wings? :thumbdown:

 

in any case, you're right to ask that restaurants respect and recognize the traditional buffalo-styled chicken wing: quality flats and drums, deep fried to perfection, tossed in a bucket with a (thickened) mixture of frank's (or some deserving substitute) and butter, served piping hot with blue cheese, carrots and celery. if they want to use the term "buffalo wing" on their menu, then they should at least point out the ways in which their wings differ from the original.

[BetweenThePipes00]

I think just by the name - BBQ wings - it is obvious they are not "WINGS" so there is no misappropriation ... it says in the name they are prepared differently ... so I am OK with that ... anything breaded or baked or in some sort of garlic or parmesean coating ... screw all that.

[Bmwolf21]

only because i can talk about wings all day long: who appropriated that term in the first instance? and to what were they referring? neither is clear to me.

 

further in this regard, we haven't mentioned how using the term "buffalo" with food on a menu has become synonymous with a style of preparation that frequently involves frying and/or the cayenne-based hots'ing up of the food. so there's that.

 

i agree on breading: yuck. although doesn't hooters bread their wings? :thumbdown:

 

in any case, you're right to ask that restaurants respect and recognize the traditional buffalo-styled chicken wing: quality flats and drums, deep fried to perfection, tossed in a bucket with a (thickened) mixture of frank's (or some deserving substitute) and butter, served piping hot with blue cheese, carrots and celery. if they want to use the term "buffalo wing" on their menu, then they should at least point out the ways in which their wings differ from the original.

I don't know if anyone ever actually spelled out what a "Buffalo Wing" should consist of, but I think true WNY'ers have expectations as to how a "Buffalo Wing" should look, be prepared/served, etc., so when we see something out of sorts it really catches our attention.

 

Hooters' wings are a joke. Ironically, one of the best places we got wings was the Miller Ale House in Orlando - until they started adding breading and we had to order them "naked." But without the breading they were as good as anything we ordered in WNY - good size drums & flats, good sauce, and the most underrated aspect - good blue cheese - not too chunky, not too "creamy", no bitter bite or aftertaste. Blue cheese can make or break a good wing.

[BetweenThePipes00]

I never eat the blue cheese ... but I brought a bucket of Duff's back to Pittsburgh one time and my roommate could not get enough of the celery and blue cheese ... claimed it's the best blue cheese he's ever had .... but many places outside of WNY serve ranch as the default ...

[JoeFerguson]

I always thought that before Frank and Teresa's, most restaurants would just take the wing of the chicken and toss it or use it to make soup or something. Serving chicken wings by themselves would therefore explain why any chicken, regardless of how it's prepared, is referred to as a "Buffalo wing".

[Guest Sloth]

I hear thats a Texas thing

 

On some webite, I can't recall the name, it actually shows what parts of the country use pop, soda, coke, etc...for their term.

Including Texas, coke is the term used in the SE. As you go west it turns to soda.

 

As for the chicken wing issue, I'll be back in Buffalo in 2 weeks! I haven't had chicken wings in Buffalo in over a year. My mouth is already watering.

 

Do any of you away from Buffalo miss the pizza? Local pizza places in Buffalo are the best. I can't stand pizza hut or any other national chain. My fav is pizza junction.

[ROC Sabres]

On some webite, I can't recall the name, it actually shows what parts of the country use pop, soda, coke, etc...for their term.

Including Texas, coke is the term used in the SE. As you go west it turns to soda.

 

As for the chicken wing issue, I'll be back in Buffalo in 2 weeks! I haven't had chicken wings in Buffalo in over a year. My mouth is already watering.

 

Do any of you away from Buffalo miss the pizza? Local pizza places in Buffalo are the best. I can't stand pizza hut or any other national chain. My fav is pizza junction.

You mean this website!

Pop Vs. Soda

[SwampD]

On some webite, I can't recall the name, it actually shows what parts of the country use pop, soda, coke, etc...for their term.

Including Texas, coke is the term used in the SE. As you go west it turns to soda.

 

As for the chicken wing issue, I'll be back in Buffalo in 2 weeks! I haven't had chicken wings in Buffalo in over a year. My mouth is already watering.

 

Do any of you away from Buffalo miss the pizza? Local pizza places in Buffalo are the best. I can't stand pizza hut or any other national chain. My fav is pizza junction.

Good Guys- corner of Ruie and Nash. It's the best around and I make sure to get it every time I'm back there.

 

EDIT: sorry, in NT...now my mouth is watering

[Bmwolf21]

Good Guys- corner of Ruie and Nash. It's the best around and I make sure to get it every time I'm back there.

 

EDIT: sorry, in NT...now my mouth is watering

We got wings from Good Guys the night my son was born. Really good stuff. My brother lives around the corner from there (Master Street) so after my wife's baby shower we went back to my brother's to have to pizza and wings and watch the Sabres-Flames game. My wife went into labor about an hour after the Sabres won in the shootout. A good night all around. :thumbsup:

[SwampD]

We got wings from Good Guys the night my son was born. Really good stuff. My brother lives around the corner from there (Master Street) so after my wife's baby shower we went back to my brother's to have to pizza and wings and watch the Sabres-Flames game. My wife went into labor about an hour after the Sabres won in the shootout. A good night all around. :thumbsup:

I grew up on Doebler, one street over from Master. We would steal quarters from mom's purse to go there and play Asteroids(it was Pizza Pick-up then). Later they got Galaga.

 

Whenever a freind of mind and I have a bet on the Sabres or Bills we never bet money, the loser always has to buy a sheet and fifty from Good Guys.

[Bmwolf21]

I grew up on Doebler, one street over from Master. We would steal quarters from mom's purse to go there and play Asteroids(it was Pizza Pick-up then). Later they got Galaga.

 

Whenever a freind of mind and I have a bet on the Sabres or Bills we never bet money, the loser always has to buy a sheet and fifty from Good Guys.

Nice. :thumbsup:

 

We only got the wings from Good Guys - the pizza we got from Franco's on Payne - my sister-in-law raved about their pizza, so that's where we went. Even though my wife and I lived in NT for almost five years we had never eaten at either Good Guys or Franco's - we always ordered from Galassi's or Wally's - but Good Guys and Franco's were both pretty good, so we had no complaints.

[ET1062]

Fried in oil, no breading or batter.

 

Franks Red Hot.

 

It is that easy.