When Buffaloes Fly

I like hot wing. Yes, they're messy to eat, and they're also messy to make. But they sure are tasty. Every once in a while when I'm at the grocery store, I'll see wings on sale for pennies per pound. I generally buy a few of the jumbo packs when they are. Somewhere between 5 and 8 dozen wings. When I'm ready to cook them, I cut the wings at the joint, discard the wing tip (actually, save it for stock) and start heating up the oil.

I cook them in huge batches and freeze most of them for later parties. The best way to cook them is outside. If you have a turkey fryer, that's the way to go, only don't use the 10 gallon pot you fry the turkey in, use something shallower. If you have a canning pot, that's the ideal size. You need something that'll hold about a gallon of cooking oil so you can cook about 2 dozen wings at a time.

Once the oil is hot (about 350 degrees), put a couple of dozen wings in and cook them for 15-18 minutes. If they're a little on the overdone side, that's fine. They're better a bit dry. As you do each batch, put the done ones aside to cool. Unless you plan on eating then right away, then set them in a warm oven to keep them hot.

A Large steel mixing bowl comes in handy for getting the sauce on them. Melt a bit of butter and mix in the hot sauce (purists will insist on Frank's brand hot sauce, but I find that stuff a bit bland. I make my own), pour it over the wings and toss them in the bowl to coat them all. Serve with some blue cheese or ranch dressing. I love 'em.

The hot sauce is easy, and you can make it in giant batches because it won't go bad, and it doesn't need refrigeration. Take one part salt, one part brown sugar, and three parts ground Cayenne pepper. Stir that together in a bowl, and then start adding apple cider vinegar while stirring until it gets the consistency of catsup. This will be very hot sauce, so you want to use it sparingly. The more butter (or margarine) you use, the less hot it will seem. Using it straight will be more than hot enough for all but the most die hard capsicum junkies.