The mighty Nick Lindauer of Hot Sauce Blog is hosting his 2nd annual Hot Wing competition. I didn’t make it in last year, but this year is different. I got my act together and put this little recipe up.
Hmmm, I wonder if red savina chile pepper is hot-like?
When someone mentions hot wings, you’ve got a pretty good idea as to what they’re talking about. Juicy chicken wings with a bright red, spicy sauce all over the place. I love those suckers, you can just slurp the goodness right off the bones. Hooyah!
But I wasn’t in that mood, I wanted something deep fried, spicy, juicy and gave good crunch. A food that caused you to breath in the gathering flood of hotness. MmMmMmm, deep fried gathering flood.
First a marination of Salsa Encino (arbol chiles & vinegar) combined with a little red El Yucateco (habanero action), overnight in the fridge to a day or 3 is best. Let come to room temperature and get your deep oil action going.
My first attempt was with corn meal only, as soon as it crisped up, it fell off. So, I tried adding half that amount more of ap flour. Bingo! Fry till a golden brown and finish with a nice dusting of red savina chile pepper dust. Limes are optional, hey.
The marinade mellowed with the cooking, yet retained some sharp flavors from the vinegar & habanero peppers. The coating on the wings wasn’t too thick, just the right amount, nice & crunchy with the cornmeal action. Finishing with the chile pepper dust gave a nice sharp spike of heat that wasn’t really expected. One does have to be careful eating such things though, that pepper dust translates to the fingers and one decent pick of the nose makes your eyes and nose run for quite some time.
After all was said and done, I enjoyed myself and the food was just as I had envisioned it. Cheers and beers to you all!
xo, Biggles
ps – Almost forgot to mention that Chilebrown is entered in this contest as well. He took 3rd place last year, let’s see if he can move that up a few notches this time, eh?
Those look too good for words! The only thing better than spicy is spicy and crunchy. I love mixing and matching hot sauces, too.
You know that is not to bad.They look pretty tasty. Mr. Lobster is hightailing it out of there.I think you should at least place second or third. Oh Yeah!
Hi Lydia!
Hey CB,
Yeah, I dunno man. Not sure if the judges are hip to crunchy hot wings. I think your list of ingredients and the juice factor could put me further down on the list. I got my entry in, so we’ll see.
Biggles
Oh, man!
Wings, wings, wings. Everywhere I look I’ve been seeing wing recipes – makes me wish I watched football.
P.S. – I made some oven-baked pork ribs the way you said to in a much earlier post, and they turned out perfectly. I glazed ’em with a miso butterscotch glaze from Habeas Brulee. It was derlishush.
Hey P&P,
You, my dear, are impressing me. And you’re correct, it’s pork. Show it some love and it’ll lead you down the wonderous path each time.
Um, I don’t watch any sports, ever. So, you’re in good company here.
Biggles
I’ve been marinating chicken with sriracha sauce and chili garlic sauce lately. Flavor stays with it for grilling anyway. A nice bite to it.
Hot n’ Dusty Wings!
Biggs, Baby! From this far north, We have to go with what you have prescribed. This sounds good…very good! Trying, as we speak…
Been making wings since this little recipe appeared in the New York Times in the Sixties for this obscure item concocted at a bar/restaurant in Buffalo. Honest……..Still like those pure ones, hate the many changes wroight by most followers…Yours sound very much your own. Worth a try, for sure, and I may be the only food writer in the country who has nothing about the Super Bowl in my copy this week. Feh….Of course I would eat wings almost any way, any day. I always pull the wings off a roasted chicken as soon as it is sensibly possible, the cook’s well-earned treat. Like the blades better than the drumettes — fun to suck on.
I’m with Lydia – spicy AND crunchy takes the cake. Or the batter. Wow! Posts like this make me swear I’ll never dine out again.
Well, DAMMIT !!! I finally, after about 4.5 years, posted something in a timely & useful timeframe. I’m slipping in my old age, I’m pissed.
Biggles
Hmmmmmm….wings are the one thing I’ve never understood. Now I’m beginning to think it’s because I’ve never had anthing like your spicy AND crunchy goodness. Mayhaps I’ll give wings a shot.
Actually, so wait: Do you dip the marinated wings directly into the cornmeal/flour? Should there be egg? Or does it just stick because of the habanero goodness?
Did you win? (Yet?)
Hey Krista,
Directly in the cornmeal/flour, wanted to keep the breading to a minimum. Seemed to stick exceptionally well.
The wing is a portion that makes the chicken worth approach, it’s the fattiest part! And when prepared nearly any way, has a very concentrated flavor pack. Add to that skin crunch and suckability, and you have a winner each and every time.
If you roast an entire chicken, try this one:
http://www.meathenge.com/archives/000753.html
And make sure you read the comments, someone offered up some really excellent ways to improve the already perfect way. Done this way? Will render you nothing short of heavenly, chicken, candy. Heck, even the breast meat is edible! Pay special attention to that trivet, it’s no trivial matter.
Biggles
Smokey bacon to save the breast meat??!?! That’s freaking genius. This may have to be on my weekend to-do list. But I do have one small query: For those of us working in less than ideal conditions (no stovetop fan for example), will we be smoked out of house and home? How bad will it get? Should I warn my landlord?
Hey Krista,
It’s really not too terribly bad. You may want to cover your smoke alarm with a shower cap, open a window. But I wouldn’t let that stop me, nope!
Each oven varies a lot too … there’s only one way to find out!
Biggles