Macheesmo

Beginning today is the event that many people wait all year for: The NCAA Basketball Tourney. If you are hosting a party this weekend, you should be able to provide ample snacks for your guests. While chips and dips are good, many guests will arrive expecting that classic sporting food: chicken wings. And good ones.

It’s important that you do not disappoint.

Because it is going to be a long weekend, you might want a little variety in your wing selections. Below I’ll show you how to master three different kinds of wings. Do you have to make all three? Of course not. You can make just one and if your friends don’t like it you can tell them to take a hike.

Before we get to the wing making, we need to prep the wings. You could even do this the night before if you are a planner.

Prepping The Wings

When you buy wings, they will most likely be in the shape of, well, a wing. But most people want the wings cut into the sections they find in bars. This is a two step process.

First, find the joint between the wing tip and the rest of the wing and slice off the tip (I shivered when I wrote that). It shouldn’t take a lot of pressure if you find the right spot.

Second, split the wing in half so you have a wing and a drumstick. Both of these cuts are very easy if you can find the joint. If you can’t you will be hacking through bone which is fine as long as you are very strong.

After your wings are prepped, they are ready to go if you want to make one of these:

Three Chicken Wing Variations

by Nick

Serves:

36 wings

Prep Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

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Three recipes for chicken wings that will rock your game time.

Ingredients

Dry Rub Wings (courtesy of Young and Hungry).

12 wing pieces (obviously this recipe is scalable.)

1 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon paprika

1 Teaspoon chili powder

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 Teaspoon pepper

3/4 Teaspoon oregano

Old Faithful Hot Wings:

12 wing pieces

1 Cup Frank's Red Hot Wings sauce

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 Teaspoon tomato paste (optional)

Killer Honey Mustard

12 wings

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Teaspoon chili powder

2 Tablespoons mustard

1/3 Cup honey

Pinch salt

Pinch pepper

Instructions

1) To cut wings in half, find the joint between the wing tip and the rest of the wing and slice off the wing tip. It shouldn’t take a lot of pressure if you find the right spot. Then split the wing in half so you have a wing and a drumstick. Both of these cuts are very easy if you can find the joint. If you can’t you will be hacking through bone which is fine as long as you are very strong.

For dry rub, Just mix up your rub and smear it on your wings really good. Don’t be afraid to slather.

Bake wings at 350 degrees F for about an hour.

For frying:
you would ideally marinate the wings in buttermilk overnight or If you aren’t a planner, you could just soak them in milk for a few hours before frying.

For traditional sauce:
Melt your butter and mix it in with your hot sauce. This will give the sauce a little extra flavor. Don’t worry if the butter solidifies. It will melt right away when it hits the hot wings.

For honey mustard:
In a small sauce pan, sauté your onions in the butter until they turn translucent, then add your chili pepper and cook for a few more minutes until your onions start to brown. Add your mustard, honey, salt and pepper, and cook on low for 10 minutes. Then remove from the heat.

Remove wings from buttermilk and give them a quick dip in flour.

Next, fry them in the oil of your choice. Work in batches depending on your pot size. You don’t want to overcrowd the wings. It will take about 10 minutes per batch and as soon as the wings come out sauce them in whichever sauce you want.

These wings are the easiest. Just mix up your rub and smear it on your wings really good. Don’t be afraid to slather.

Cook these guys at 350 for about an hour.

Frying Wings

If you are making fried wings (you should), you would ideally marinate the wings in buttermilk overnight.

If you aren’t a planner, you could just soak them in milk for a few hours before frying.

While these are soaking, let’s make our two other kinds of sauces: Traditional hot wing sauce, and a killer honey mustard sauce.

Melt your butter and mix it in with your hot sauce. This will give the sauce a little extra flavor. Don’t worry if the butter solidifies. It will melt right away when it hits the hot wings.

NOTE: I’ve tried to make my sauce from scratch using tomato paste, hot sauce, etc… but at the end of the day Frank’s wing sauce is pretty damn good. Just go with it and save yourself some time.

There is one more sauce we need to make, which is:

In a small sauce pan, sauté your onions in the butter until they turn translucent, then add your chili pepper and cook for a few more minutes until your onions start to brown. Add your mustard, honey, salt and pepper, and cook on low for 10 minutes. Then remove from the heat.

Remember those wings in the milk? Excellent. You haven’t lost your mind.

Take them out of the milk and give them a quick dip in flour. No need to spice up the flour because we are going to coat these guys in sauce at the end.

After you flour the wings, fry them in the oil of your choice. I prefer canola. You want enough oil to completely submerge the wings, also known as deep frying. If you’ve never deep-fried anything before, maybe you should spend some time re-evaluating your life choices.

When frying, work in batches depending on your pot size. You don’t want to overcrowd the wings. Wings like their room.

It will take about 10 minutes per batch and as soon as the wings come out sauce them in whichever sauce you want.

I served the honey mustard next to the dry rub and the standard hot wings on their own. They were all eaten equally.

The consensus among the crowd was mixed. My taste-testers all had different favorites, but at the end of the day, all of them were eaten which means they must have been good.

So remember, when you are called upon to host a sporting party (possibly this weekend) be sure to supply the crowd with some good wings to even out the gallons of beer they will be consuming. It is the responsible thing to do.

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