My wife is a fan of fried food, an occasional comments-section lurker and completely awesome, so, inspired by the discussion here, she got me a deep-fryer recently.
To test out the unified wing theory put forward in the aforementioned post, I attempted to make my own Buffalo wings yesterday.
And lo, they were delicious. It turns out making awesome buffalo wings is incredibly easy if you have a deep fryer.
Step 1: Acquire wings (I bought “wingettes,” which are already cut into the two familiar wing pieces, instead of full wings which you have to cut yourself like a sucker).
Step 2: Put wings in fryer at 375-degrees for 12 minutes.
Step 3: While the wings are frying, mix roughly equal parts Frank’s Red Hot and butter and a pinch of celery salt. Most recipes don’t call for the celery salt but I learned it on a tip from a Buffalo native and remarkably smart grad-school professor. You don’t need much at all, but it really enhances the hot-sauce flavor. Gives it a little extra kick.
Step 4: Toss wings in sauce.
Step 5: Eat wings.
Look at them:
So how were they? Awesome, like I said. They tasted like Buffalo wings. As good as any, I think.
One thing frequently underestimated in judging the quality of wings is the importance of freshness. Eating these just minutes after they came out of the fryer, I realized how important it is that the chicken skin still be crispy, despite all the delicious wing sauce.
I slept comfortably last night, and not just because of all the fried food. I could rest because I could rest assured that now, among my limited arsenal of skills, I can include the ability to make Buffalo wings. And that’s important to me. It’s a nice thing to have in my pocket, and maybe I can use it to get me out of trouble at some point in the future.
I am a wingmaker. A wingmaker and a baconmaker. Of these distinctions I am proud.
Tedquarters 
A quick tip to make it even easier that it already is. Franks Red hot makes premade bottled buffalo wing sauce. Cuts out the whole step of mixing the sauce and butter. All you have to do is toss the wings in the sauce.
I’m skeptical that it will be as good as the hot sauce/butter mix, though. I mean, butter is awesome.
I was too but its actually awesome. I love pretty much anything ‘buffalo’ and that premade sause is awesome for quick meals. I just slap it on chicken on the grill, toss premade purdue chicken nuggets in the stuff, cook sliced chicken in a pan in the bottles sauce and make buffalo cheick wraps etc.
The classic butter/hot suace mix is f course great, but this the bottled stuff tastes just as good and possibly a little better. Since its not actually made with butter, its much less greasy, and probably a bit healthier.
The Frank Red hot website is also a must visit for anyone who like all types of ‘buffalo’ style dishes.
I can second this, the buffalo wing sauce is delicious
Those look delicious. The color is just right.
The only thing I can add is that I highly recommend that you brine your chicken next time. I’ve been doing it for years and brined chicken is noticeable more tender and juicy than regular chicken, no matter how it is prepared. It’s really easy and worth the extra effort.
Here’s a link explaining the science of it. Think of it as sabermetrics for food.
Click to access ND01_ISBriningbasics.pdf
Ha! I just have to say, that is among the most excellent analogies I have ever heard. Cook’s IS the sabermetrics of food, right down to sucking all the joy and accidental possibility out of things!
(I’m totally behind the stats people, as I am totally behind Cook’s, for what it provides. Irreplaceable. Still…)
In the words of the great Thomas Dolby, “SCIENCE!”
Dad – if you’re reading this, I think we should follow Ted’s ingredients and make this sometime this week.
Ted – you will receive a lot of credit in the Rudner household if the wings are indeed delicious.
I like that you’re communicating with your father via comments section.
I communicate with my dead grandparents on Deadspin. To each his/her own?
These. look. delicious. Period.
Ted, the wings look great. I would ask you to try putting them on the charcoal grille briefly. It adds that smoked flavor to it. (But if you like them “gooey,” they are delectable too.)
I’ve watched a lot of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” lol.