The Great Chicken Wing Debate .

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

Unrelated, does anyone know where to get a sauce that is similar to Bar Bill's Hot? Anchor Bar ships, and that's ok, but I would love another option. I like a strong burn that where for the last two wings I indulge in some blue cheese.

[skibum]

I'm a Rochester guy, and we have our own wing style there, the archetypes being Country Sweet and Sal's Birdland. Tossed in flour, deep fried, and ladled with a thick, syrupy sweet hot sauce. Loved it when I was 16, but my body can't tolerate that level of corn syrup anymore. But they are undeniably decadent and delicious. 

 

Any of you Buffalonians ever experience Rochester-style wings? I'm curious to know what folks think of them. I imagine they can really split a room.

Edited December 20, 2023 by skibum

[US Egg]

2 hours ago, HIT BY SPIKES said:

I don’t think the jumbo roaster chicken wings up here in Canada are anywhere near as enormous as the ones you have south of the border due to different poultry regulation regimes.

My niece went to a mass poultry production “farm” years back, here in the states.
 

Many were so big they couldn’t stand and their legs would break.

 

Not the chickens of yore, that’s for sure.

[msw2112]

Wings not being crispy is the worst.  Something that can be so good is rendered so disgusting....I prefer traditional Buffalo wings:  not breaded, fried to a crisp, and in butter/Frank's sauce.  I have come around to enjoying other "wings" (garlic parmesan, BBQ, lemon pepper, baked, smoked, etc.) but they are not "Buffalo" wings and will never be.  I am able to make pretty good ones in an air fryer and found that to be a pleasant surprise.  See image below and note that I didn't have any celery on hand that day....When I was in grad school several years ago, my buddies and I went out and bought a countertop deep fryer to make wings and despite all the oil, those were not as crispy as I can create in an air fryer.  I think that to get a real crisp using oil, you need a restaurant/commercial standard deep fryer.

[Don Otreply]

Wings should never have breading, should be done in a fryer, with Various sauces and blue cheese (if you’re not a savage) after cooking.  Wings are not a health food, so no removal of the skin for gods sake…, 

 

You can agree with me or be wrong, 

 

 

 

😂

[skibum]

3 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

Wings not being crispy is the worst.  Something that can be so good is rendered so disgusting....I prefer traditional Buffalo wings:  not breaded, fried to a crisp, and in butter/Frank's sauce.  I have come around to enjoying other "wings" (garlic parmesan, BBQ, lemon pepper, baked, smoked, etc.) but they are not "Buffalo" wings and will never be.  I am able to make pretty good ones in an air fryer and found that to be a pleasant surprise.  See image below and note that I didn't have any celery on hand that day....When I was in grad school several years ago, my buddies and I went out and bought a countertop deep fryer to make wings and despite all the oil, those were not as crispy as I can create in an air fryer.  I think that to get a real crisp using oil, you need a restaurant/commercial standard deep fryer.

 

True, wings have enough fat to "deep fry" themselves. A little fry-daddy can't maintain temperature when you dunk a bunch of room temperature meat in it. 

[Ray Stonada]

Everything comes in too many flavors and choices these days…

 

Can’t get wings at any restaurants around me so I fry them at home in a wok for 13-14 minutes till nice and crispy and toss with Frank’s and a bit of butter.
 

Lately I tried baking them and was surprised they’re just as good… definitely as crispy. You salt them and space them out and then a couple of times over a 30-40 minute bake. 

[teef]

22 minutes ago, skibum said:

I'm a Rochester guy, and we have our own wing style there, the archetypes being Country Sweet and Sal's Birdland. Tossed in flour, deep fried, and ladled with a thick, syrupy sweet hot sauce. Loved it when I was 16, but my body can't tolerate that level of corn syrup anymore. But they are undeniably decadent and delicious. 

 

Any of you Buffalonians ever experience Rochester-style wings? I'm curious to know what folks think of them. I imagine they can really split a room.

my wife loves country sweet.  we always have a bottle of it in our fridge and she puts in on everything, (she doesn't really love wings).  i appreciate it, but the sweet has always been a bit much for me too.  the fun was going to the one on monroe ave just to catch the vibe.  i remember seeing one of the cooks wrestle a homeless man out of the building one night.  you can't get that entertainment most places.

[hondo in seattle]

I've eaten some really good breaded wings.  But it's not Buffalonian.  When we cook wings at home, they're always naked.

I agree with the sentiment that wings can be too big.  It throws off the seasoning-to-meat ratio.

 

As a matter of tradition, we nearly always have wings on game day.  But it would be boring to eat traditional Frank's-with-butter wings every week.  So we mix it up with Filipino, Chinese, Brazilian, Thai, etc. recipes.  Sometimes I make a kind of Korean-Latin fusion sauce with Gojuchang, tomatillo, tomato, and spices.  Really good!

 

We often bake the wings out of laziness but they're better when we double-fry them.  I haven't yet tried the confit/fry-at-low-temp method but will.  

 

 

[WingMan]

I have a lot of experience with making and more with eating wings throughout the US and internationally. Believe it or not they have been frying and eating wings longer in Asian countries than we have been doing it in the US.

 

To answer your question: I think a medium or average sized wing by Buffalo standards is more than big enough. Too small and they are tedious to eat and prepare. Too big and you seem to get less of the crispy surface and they take forever to cook. Also, a premium price for the large wings.

 

I’m not a big fan of heavy breading but I have had plenty of wings with a bread like coating that were delicious. I favor naked but wings but I believe that wings should be judged by the end product like any other food. 

 

Outside of buffalo I almost always ask for extra crispy. Biggest issue for me is a flabby wing. A more common problem I noticed when visiting buffalo lately. 

 

I have personally experimented with all types of sauces. I love a lot of Asian inspired sauces. Sweet, salty, hot with other interesting flavors.

 

I think the best evolution of the wing is to char them after frying then sauce again. I love a crispy, saucy wing.

 

FYI. I have lived in Phoenix for the last 25 years but I spend a few months in Buffalo every year to get good wings and pizza. I love to see new developments with the food. 

 

 

[djp14150]

Sweep or end around?  

Wings or fingers?

[Fleezoid]

2 hours ago, I'm Spartacus said:

I'm not a fan of the breaded wing, however a place in Buffalo suburb called Sal's has outstanding wings and they have a breading (don't get the hots if you don't want a major burn!). I also prefer medium sized wings. The jumbo size is overkill. In the old days they came with celery and carrots. Now it's just the celery. Duff's is still my go to because they are always consistent.

 

I grew up there. Could actually walk to Sal's. We would go and get wings and pitchers of beer. Every time a table would order the super hot, or extra hot, whatever they were called, Sal would bring them over with a sinister giggle if he knew they were trying for the first time. I couldn't do those. 

[Punching Bag]

No breading unless takeout fast food.

 

Do wings other than chicken count?  I have had some delicious duck wings and if you think raw chicken wings are costly, duck wings are even more costly.

 

Turkey wings are different. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit from Hong Kong and since we had a turkey she cooked it IN THE WOK.

I prefer dark meat and will eat two full drumsticks but the wings were excellent.  They were crisp without being dry or crunchy and when you broke one the heat steamed out.  She basted the turkey with a combination of soy sauce, ginger and garlic. The meat in the wing were cooked in the turkey's natural fat.

 

My wife makes chicken wings (she actually likes wings more than I).  I bought a case (40#) of mis-cut wings at 50 cent a pound.  As far as I can tell I can see no difference other than maybe not perfectly cut right joint spot.

 

She will use any sauce I like but on her own she will use same Chinese BBQ (char) powder used on pork.   I still dip them in blue cheese (Maria's) when available. 

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FneNpg5s_m10%2Fsddefault.jpg&tbnid=OJ2JRZfwLi4JBM&vet=12ahUKEwiR0L6BgJ-DAxWoK2IAHV1hD1wQMygBegQIARBT..i&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DneNpg5s_m10&docid=Jsa0nZkW5vnstM&w=640&h=480&q=chinese bbq chicken wings char&ved=2ahUKEwiR0L6BgJ-DAxWoK2IAHV1hD1wQMygBegQIARBT

 

 

 

I like Hawaiian wings and those are best large size for they are stuffed.  Vietnamese and Thai stuffed wings are good too.

 

Ate at a Thai restaurant which stuffed wings with chopped carrots and celery very fine and sweet chili sauce and cooked with Buffalo sauce using genuine Frank's HotSauce.

 

[GerstAusGosheim]

No breading. Extra crispy. Small to medium. Never Ranch. Flavor-wise, Bar Bill mild is king. 

[John from Riverside]

I don’t get the authentic like you guys do need me here in California I like mango habanero wings

[jethro_tull]

NO BREADING

Large are OK as long as they are crispy. 

Traditional franks sauce- medium. 

Blue cheese - no ranch

My local market in suburban chicago area (Jewel) sells the "drumettes" by the pound- no cutting no wing tips and that is OK by me, although they are pricy.  

Wings in the meat department used to be super cheap.  Last time I bought 5 packages of 24 each it was over SIXTY DOLLARS ! 

[fergie's ire]

48 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

Wings not being crispy is the worst.  Something that can be so good is rendered so disgusting....I prefer traditional Buffalo wings:  not breaded, fried to a crisp, and in butter/Frank's sauce.  I have come around to enjoying other "wings" (garlic parmesan, BBQ, lemon pepper, baked, smoked, etc.) but they are not "Buffalo" wings and will never be.  I am able to make pretty good ones in an air fryer and found that to be a pleasant surprise.  See image below and note that I didn't have any celery on hand that day....When I was in grad school several years ago, my buddies and I went out and bought a countertop deep fryer to make wings and despite all the oil, those were not as crispy as I can create in an air fryer.  I think that to get a real crisp using oil, you need a restaurant/commercial standard deep fryer.

Side note.  Nice Wegman's Bills Pilsner of yore.  Used to have a couple of these but they didn't survive all my moves back in the day.

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, I'm Spartacus said:

I'm not a fan of the breaded wing, however a place in Buffalo suburb called Sal's has outstanding wings and they have a breading (don't get the hots if you don't want a major burn!). I also prefer medium sized wings. The jumbo size is overkill. In the old days they came with celery and carrots. Now it's just the celery. Duff's is still my go to because they are always consistent.

 

Sals Birdland?  A Rochester institution for decades.  the only battered wings one may eat

[Draconator]

Gotta give my vote for Bar at Main and Hamlin in East Aurora for the best wings. Crispy, meaty but not oversized, and amazing sauces. They do it right. 

[CheshireCT]

I live in Europe and the best you can get here are from a local hard rock chain, so yeah not very good lol. I started making my own wings during the pandemic, first deep frying in a pot and then eventually buying a deep fryer. The one I got was 80 bucks or so and works really well, it also has a compartment below to drain the oil when you’re done. I use peanut oil and my wings are kick ass. Funny we’re talking about wing size, because over here the default size is TINY, lol. It’s hard for me to find a wing that would even be considered “small” back home.

[frostbitmic]

I cook my wings in an air fryer, they get as crispy as i want them and I don't have to discard a bunch of oil.

 

Breading never.

 

Sauce ... I used to like them really hot, med hot is enough for me nowadays.  (had dry rub Cajun at the bar Sunday) I make my sauce with BBQ sauce, a little water to thin it out some and Cayenne pepper

 

Blue cheese is the only dip ... Carrots and Celery should be mandatory.

 

I prefer my wings to pass a steroid test ... They are supposed to be Chicken Wings not Emu Wings.

 

 

[CheshireCT]

1 hour ago, msw2112 said:

Wings not being crispy is the worst.  Something that can be so good is rendered so disgusting....I prefer traditional Buffalo wings:  not breaded, fried to a crisp, and in butter/Frank's sauce.  I have come around to enjoying other "wings" (garlic parmesan, BBQ, lemon pepper, baked, smoked, etc.) but they are not "Buffalo" wings and will never be.  I am able to make pretty good ones in an air fryer and found that to be a pleasant surprise.  See image below and note that I didn't have any celery on hand that day....When I was in grad school several years ago, my buddies and I went out and bought a countertop deep fryer to make wings and despite all the oil, those were not as crispy as I can create in an air fryer.  I think that to get a real crisp using oil, you need a restaurant/commercial standard deep fryer.

I just wrote a post about it, and my home wings are crispy as hell. Faults I can think of are: 1. Not dabbing the wings with paper towels before tossing them in (they should be as dry as possible), 2. Bad oil - I recommend peanut.

[Buffalo ill]

Not being a native to Buffalo I was deeply saddened to find out the super special buffalo wings just use Frank's sauce.  What a letdown.  Might as well use Heinz 57.

 

I'll eat a thigh 10/10 times if given the option of a franks wing vs a plain thigh.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

16 minutes ago, Draconator said:

Gotta give my vote for Bar at Main and Hamlin in East Aurora for the best wings. Crispy, meaty but not oversized, and amazing sauces. They do it right. 

That was from some of the staff that left Bar Bill, right? Do they sell their sauce?

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Buffalo wings are amazing!

 

But hear me out....

 

Thai or vietnamese Fish sauce wings are out of this world good. A completely different flavor profile obviously.  But if you have never tried them please do. You will be blown away by the sweet and tangy taste! 

[Draconator]

13 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

That was from some of the staff that left Bar Bill, right? Do they sell their sauce?

Former BarBill employees run the Bar at Main and Hamlin, yes. I don't think they sell any sauce as of yet. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Draconator

[Breakout Squad]

2 hours ago, Buffalo Junction said:

Not too bougie. The bougie part was that the wings were an add on to fill space in the smoker…. That was the “snack” 😂 

Damn 🤤

 

[skibum]

1 hour ago, teef said:

my wife loves country sweet.  we always have a bottle of it in our fridge and she puts in on everything, (she doesn't really love wings).  i appreciate it, but the sweet has always been a bit much for me too.  the fun was going to the one on monroe ave just to catch the vibe.  i remember seeing one of the cooks wrestle a homeless man out of the building one night.  you can't get that entertainment most places.

Ha ha, Roc City! You gotta be on your toes, but it's a lot of fun if you know your way around. There are not a lot of cities in the US that have that kind of character anymore. I haven't spent much time in Buffalo, but I imagine it's not that different. 

[skibum]

38 minutes ago, Buffalo ill said:

Not being a native to Buffalo I was deeply saddened to find out the super special buffalo wings just use Frank's sauce.  What a letdown.  Might as well use Heinz 57.

 

I'll eat a thigh 10/10 times if given the option of a franks wing vs a plain thigh.

Dang, I also love a good thigh, but you can't come in here and poop all over Frank's like that! By the way, proper Buffalo sauce is Frank's plus a lot of butter, simmered a while; it's not just Frank's alone. There's a big difference. 

[WhoTom]

35 minutes ago, Buffalo ill said:

Not being a native to Buffalo I was deeply saddened to find out the super special buffalo wings just use Frank's sauce.  What a letdown.  Might as well use Heinz 57.

 

Frank's was the original wing sauce, created by Frank and Teressa Bellissimo, the owners of The Anchor Bar in the 60s and 70s - the place that put wings on everyone's radar. They created the sauce in their kitchen, not a lab like Heinz 57.

 

 

 

[Neo]

5 hours ago, I'm Spartacus said:

I made wings at home for the Eagles game. Did them in the air fryer for the first time. Damn they came out great! Crispy but tender inside. Went traditional with Franks, butter and garlic paste. Always bleu cheese, NEVER ranch!

Change Eagles to Cowboys and I have the same story.  New air fryer, Franks and Butter.   A very light roll in olive oil and flower with salt and pepper, first.   Before Sunday, i would’ve sneered at “air fryer.”

[CaptnCoke11]

I like full wing breaded.  Garlic salt and sriracha 

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, frostbitmic said:

prefer my wings to pass a steroid test ... They are supposed to be Chicken Wings not Emu Wings.

 

Yummm Emu wings.  Emu and ostrich meat does not taste like chicken at all.  It is a red meat like beef.   

There was farm in Maryland and there was a road sign near an exit and we stopped and bought some steaks that were on sale.

Absolutely great meat able to be cooked rare.  Too bad so little meat for all the farmer's effort.  He was closing his farm.

 

I have been willing to try most anything vertebrate or from the sea.

Insects a couple of times (not worth effort), won't touch snails & slugs and no worms.

 

[BillsFan2313]

I just want to know why you were eating leftover chicken wings from last week.... it's Wednesday

Edited December 21, 2023 by BillsFan2313

[The Jokeman]

Franks Hot sauce with a touch of Tabasco and also like throwing in a very small Tropical Pepper Co Ghost Pepper Naga sauce. Flats all the way and medium sized are best.

Edited December 21, 2023 by The Jokeman

[TheBrownBear]

I almost never order Buffalo wings in a bar unless I'm in Buffalo visiting family.  I prefer to just make them at home.  I buy the industrial sized bag from Costco Business, air fry them, and then liberally toss them in Franks and butter, maybe squeeze a little lime on them and some garlic salt if I want to get wild.  

[hondo in seattle]

3 hours ago, WingMan said:

I have a lot of experience with making and more with eating wings throughout the US and internationally. Believe it or not they have been frying and eating wings longer in Asian countries than we have been doing it in the US.

 

To answer your question: I think a medium or average sized wing by Buffalo standards is more than big enough. Too small and they are tedious to eat and prepare. Too big and you seem to get less of the crispy surface and they take forever to cook. Also, a premium price for the large wings.

 

I’m not a big fan of heavy breading but I have had plenty of wings with a bread like coating that were delicious. I favor naked but wings but I believe that wings should be judged by the end product like any other food. 

 

 

 

 

I lived for a little while in Korea many years ago.  Once back then, I entered a restaurant and was confused by what I saw and felt.  

 

Koreans are very neat and tidy eaters who use chopsticks.  Normally.  But here I saw people wearing plastic gloves, eating with their hands, and spitting on the floor.  It was kind of shocking.  As I walked to my table, something crunched beneath my feet.  It turned out the house specialty was chicken feet.  So that's what I ordered.  I donned the gloves, put the wings in my mouth, and spit the bones out onto the floor.  When in Rome...

 

The feet tasted remarkably like Buffalo wings.  

[dayman]

Always extra crispy

 always hot

 always blue cheese

 always straight buffalo…with rare exception if you have to mix it up for mango habenero

 

 

 anyone doing bbq in ranch should be shot on the spot

[3rdand12]

6 hours ago, I'm Spartacus said:

I made wings at home for the Eagles game. Did them in the air fryer for the first time. Damn they came out great! Crispy but tender inside. Went traditional with Franks, butter and garlic paste. Always bleu cheese, NEVER ranch!

I have recently become and Air fryer convert.

No to breading. NO Thats another recipe altogether

Sauce is for tossing.

Traditional is always rewarding

I have been doing light dry rub with the lite coating of oil with the Ninja

Not big , and fresh matters

cayenne is correct. Garlic in the dry rub is as it should be

I put a sauce or two out to roll your wing in if you wish , but no longer required lol

Blue Cheese, and the Blues cheese choice matters as well

But all fun  

 Thanks T for bring a delectable subject up again that never loses its appeal

[buffblue]

6 hours ago, I'm Spartacus said:

I'm not a fan of the breaded wing, however a place in Buffalo suburb called Sal's has outstanding wings and they have a breading (don't get the hots if you don't want a major burn!). I also prefer medium sized wings. The jumbo size is overkill. In the old days they came with celery and carrots. Now it's just the celery. Duff's is still my go to because they are always consistent.

Sal's in Depew has by far the hottest wings I've ever had. I like to consider myself pretty tough when it comes to the heat, but I could barely finish 2 wings. Unbelievable burn