Blasphemy Buffalo Chicken Wings

Wings are a hugely popular dish made from a part of the chicken that once upon a time was considered scrap. Heck, even chickens can’t use chicken wings. Buffalo wings were invented in Buffalo, New York, at the fabled Anchor Bar, which can still be found at 1047 Main Street, although its ownership has changed. The new owners tell this tale: Late on a Friday night in 1964, Dominic Bellissimo, son of owners Frank and Theresa, was working at the Anchor when some of his buddies showed up with the munchies. Theresa was shutting down the kitchen, so she looked for something quick and easy. She had a box of wings to use for making soup, and, thinking on her feet, she tossed them into the deep fryer, which was still hot. When they emerged, she sprinkled them with hot sauce and some melted margarine, and to make sure the boys had a well-rounded meal, she added a side of celery and blue cheese dressing to dunk the celery into. The boys dipped both the celery and the saucy wings in the blue cheese dressing, and an international sensation was born.

True Buffalo wings are deep-fried, but I love the flavor and convenience of cooking them on the grill. Sometimes I smoke them first. Blasphemy, I know. But tasty blasphemy.

Makes 4 to 6 appetizer servings

Takes 45 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook

• Blue Cheese Dip (see Notes)
• 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon Simon & Garfunkel Rub (page 168)
• ½ cup half-and-half
• ¼ cup sour cream
• classic Buffalo Hot Sauce
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• ½ cup Frank’s RedHot sauce (see Notes)
• The Rest
• 24 whole chicken wings (about 4 pounds)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 celery stalks, cut into 4-inch lengths

1. Prep. To make the blue cheese dip, in a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, blue cheese, and Simon & Garfunkel Rub. Mix in the half-and-half and sour cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (The dip can be made and refrigerated a day or two ahead.)

2. To make the Buffalo hot sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and let the mixture simmer for about 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown. Add the hot sauce and let it get to know the butter mixture for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. For the rest, cut the wings into 3 parts (see page 304) and freeze the tips for making stock. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fire up. You can start the wings on a smoker if you wish, but I usually grill them. Set up the grill for two-zone cooking. Try to get the indirect side in the 325°F range. If you wish, add wood to the fire to create smoke.

5. Cook. Place the wings on the grill in the indirect zone, close the lid, and cook until the skins are golden, 7 to 10 minutes per side. By then they are pretty close to done. You are shooting for about 140°F, but because they are so thin, it is really hard to get a good read. The good news is that wings are hard to overcook.

6. Get the direct-heat side as hot as possible. Add more lit coals or turn the dial to 11. Open the lid, move the wings onto the direct-heat side, and stand there, turning the wings frequently, until the skin is dark golden to brown but not burned. Keep a close eye on the skinnier pieces, moving them to the indirect zone when they are done.

7. Put the hot sauce in a big bowl or pot and put it on the grill to warm it. Stir or whisk well. When the wings are done, chuck them in with the sauce and toss or stir until they are well coated.

8. Serve. Slide the wings onto a serving platter. Put the celery sticks next to them, and serve with the blue cheese dip on the side.

Notes: When I’m feeling lazy, I just use Marie’s Blue Cheese salad dressing, which you can find in the refrigerator section of the supermarket.

Frank’s RedHot is the classic base for Buffalo wing sauce, and its charm is its fresh red pepper flavor. But if you want more heat, try Sriracha. For a change of pace I will often forgo the hot sauce and use D.C. Mumbo Sauce (page 195) or KC Classic (page 175). Not authentic, but mighty tasty.

Anatomy of a Chicken Wing

There are 3 distinct pieces of the wing, each with different thicknesses and ratios of skin to meat: the tips; the wingettes (or flats) in the center; and the drumettes on the end that attach to the shoulders. These pieces cook at different rates and finish at different times. The best thing to do is separate them into their component parts. I serve only the drumettes and wingettes and freeze the tips for use in making stock.