Sunday, January 27, 2013

JUNGLE RED SUPER BOWL BUFFALO WINGS

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Is everybody ready for NEXT Sunday? Got your chips and dips all planned for the big game? It's the...um... well, honestly, I have to admit I don't even know who's playing. It's the 49ers, right? Against somebody?  I guess you can tell we don't watch a lot of football at our house, but we do usually manage to watch the Superbowl, at least for the commercials.

HOWEVER, I do have a great Superbowl recipe to share. Courtesy of my friend (and regular Jungle Red commenter) Diane Hale, it's JUNGLE RED HOMEMADE SUPERBOWL BUFFALO WINGS. (Although it doesn't have to be for the Superbowl. You can eat them anytime.) 

I haven't been able to eat buffalo wings in a restaurant for years, because I don't tolerate MSG well and restaurant wing sauces and blue cheese dips are usually loaded with MSG, so I was thrilled when Diane gave me her recipe.  We made the wings on New Year's Eve, and they were so good we've already made them again.

I should add that these are NOT FRIED, but baked, so are as healthy as you are likely to get on Superbowl Sunday.

Here goes, according to Diane:

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Cut the drummies and flappers apart, discard the tips. (If you buy Smart Chicken wings, they are already separated and trimmed.) This recipe makes enough sauce for two packages. Dry the wings well. (Diane brines hers, but I didn't get the instructions. Hopefully she will add in the comments.)

Mix:
½ C catsup
¼ C beer, preferably dark
1 tbsp. of Tiger Sauce (or equivalent hot sauce)
same amount of Tabasco
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp each Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.  

Heat until bubbling, check for taste.
You may need to add a tbsp. or so of brown sugar.  As always, adjust for taste.  If using Tiger Sauce, you may want to start with a tsp., then work your way up.  

Line a roasting pan with foil. Coat the wings with the sauce, then place them on a rack in the roasting pan.  Cook for 30-40 minutes, until they're crispy, then toss once more in a large bowl with the sauce.  

Then put the wings back on the baking rack for another 10-15 minutes until they've darkened and started crisping again.

Reheat any remaining sauce to the boiling point, then serve the wings with a dipping bowl of sauce and a dipping bowl of blue cheese dressing (DEB: I use Marie's because it's MSG-free,) and plenty of really fresh carrot and celery sticks.

Enjoy, and may the... er.. best team win:-)

REDS and readers, tell us what you make for the Superbowl!

22 comments:

  1. That sounds delicious and I'll plan on making it next weekend. But a small food-safety warning: make sure you don't put sauce that raw chicken was dipped in onto the cooked chicken (or, I guess, reheat it to the boiling point before you do).

    When the Superbowl takes place in a culinarily interesting place, I like to make a dish from that locale. When it was held in New Orleans, I made a big jambalaya. Some locales present more of a challenge on that front!

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  2. We are such sports nimnils that I didn't even know Super Bowl Sunday was next week, let alone who is playing.

    The wings sound yummy. If we are invited to a party, I will remember this recipe. Thanks!

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  3. This Superbowl, the Harbaugh brothers coach opposing teams -- 49ers vs. The Baltimore Ravens. When one son battles the other for world dominance, who is Mom rooting for? What a story. Reds should be glued to the set.

    I'm trying the wing recipe. Looks easy and I'm all alone this Superbowl. I will report...

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  4. So right Jack, we have missed the point of the character drama! Easy to see where murder would ensue...

    I LOVE wings but don't often let myself have them. This looks perfect--thanks Debs!

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  5. This looks senSAtional --
    Now we just need a really good recipe for blue cheese dressing. Anyone? Anyone???

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  6. We discovered that we have 6--yes, 6--different jars of salsa in our fridge. So we're going to dump all the salsa into a bowl for a Super Salsa, get some chips, and munch away. Personally, I love the Super Bowl for the ads and half time show...

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  7. Thanks, Edith, I had said "reheat the sauce" but went back and added "to the boiling point" which is what I've done when I've made this.

    Jack, that puts the game in a whole new light!! Even though we don't watch much football, I do like the Superbowl. We have loved going to our friends Cyndi and Kenny's annual Superbowl party, but they moved to Louisiana last year. I guess we'll have to make our own fun...

    And Hallie, yes, a good blue cheese dressing recipe! The Marie's is a little bland, but could probably be improved by mixing in some good blue cheese.

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  8. Thanks for sharing my recipe, Deb. I usually brine my wings, as I like to cook them on the grill if the weather's nice and brining keeps them moister. If anyone wants to try it, 1/2 cup salt and sugar added to about 4 cups water, dissolve the crystals, then add the chicken wings. I brine mine in a large zip-lock bag, makes clean up a little easier.

    I also cook my wings first, then put the sauce in my large steel bowl, add all the wings, and coat them, then back in the oven to "dry" them out.

    Hallie, try equal parts mayo and sour cream, well mixed, then add crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola. Mix well, let sit overnight (in the fridge, of course) to develop the flavors.

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  9. Super Bowl Sunday . . . food, yes; football, no. [I realize that is tantamount to being sacrilegious in many circles, but we seldom if ever watch football . . . .]

    Sunday, after church, is almost always cooking day in our house so I will cook pork tenderloin and freshly-baked rolls for pulled-pork sandwiches . . . always served with caramelized sweet onions and homemade bleu cheese dressing.

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  10. Oh. There's some sort of sporting event taking place next week? NOT a sports fan, especially if the sport is football. I WILL keep that recipe, though, for future reference; sounds yummy!

    (It IS a football game, right?)

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  11. Ignoring the Super bowl. IGNORING. I live in NewEngland. We are ALL ignoring.

    Concentrating on those yummy wings. Can we call them Downton Abbey wings, maybe?

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  12. Joan Emerson, what's your blue cheese dressing recipe that goes with the pulled pork? I was thinking of doing pulled pork in the crockpot this week.

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  13. I love the term "drummies and flappers". One of you should name a book that some time!

    There was a piece on television this week warning of an impending wing shortage. Apparently you can only grow two per chicken (!) and people are eating way too many wings and not enough of the rest of the bird. You might want to grab yours sooner rather than later.

    --Marjorie of Connecticut

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  14. Deb: Here’s the recipe for the Bleu Cheese Dressing:
    Combine and mix well 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, 2 teaspoons horseradish sauce [or to taste] OR a teaspoon or so of prepared horseradish [or to taste] . . . gently stir in one five-ounce container of crumbled bleu cheese and refrigerate . . . .

    I cook the pork in the crock pot [with root beer]; caramelize the onions while the rolls are baking and then just put it together for pulled pork sandwiches . . . .

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  15. Marjorie,

    When my dad was growing up, his siblings convinced him that the neck was the best part of the chicken. They would pretend to grudgingly allow him to have it. To hear them tell the story, it sounds as though he didn't know until he went off to the Navy that chicken necks were not some sort of delicacy!

    Just wondering: is it permissible to eat pork products at SuperBowl parties?

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  16. I love recipes that I can put in the oven and forget about it until the timer dings.

    Thanks for the recipe. I baked all my meat, so this is definitely doable.

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  17. Oops, I thought Super Bowl already happened.
    I probably still won't watch it, but I think I'll celebrate by making these wings.

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  18. As all good New Englanders we we will be celebrating Downton Abbey Sunday and taking Hank's lead we will, until next year at least, be calling Daine's recipe Downton Abbey Wings.

    The wings will have a place of honor next to our hot chorizo nachos that I make with fresh tortilla chips, refried beans, chorizo, chopped onion, extra sharp aged cheddar, Monterey Jack, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, garlic, and Cholula.

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  19. Well, you can all do whatever you want, but I'll be glued to the TV all day long. My Niners are in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994 and I'm gonna enjoy the hell out of watching them beat the Ravens.

    I'm a Niner fan from waaay back, a San Francisco native who used to live on the site of what's now Candlestick Park, so cheering for this team is in my blood! (In the early 50s we lived in a housing project named Candlestick Cove, before it was demolished to make way for the 'Stick.)

    My husband calls himself a football widower, but he's a fantastic sport who holds down the fort while I go to games with my girlfriends. He'll be right by my side on Sunday, though, watching and cheering with the rest of us.

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  20. I made these for SuperBowl and my husband loved them. Since he's an RN, I consulted him about how long I needed to boil the sauce to insure food safety. Since we live in Louisiana, we've moved on to Mardi Gras now--red bean and rice anyone? gumbo? shrimp and grits--all on the party menu!

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