My Perfect Wings

What's better than hot wings during the Super Bowl?  I can think of no other dish to eat during the big game (and this year's was a very big game).  Here's what I do to make the perfect batch wings...

10lbs wing pieces...usually frozen
1 Gallon Cold Water
1.5 Cups Cajun Spice (depends on the salt content; you want ~1.25 cups salt in the brine)
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
1 Bunch (small) Parsley
2 Lemons, juiced
3 tablespoons black peppercorn
2 tablespoons thyme
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and smashed
10 bay leaves

2 parts favorite hot sauce
1 part butter

First, make the brine.  In part, it was inspired by Thomas Keller's brine for fried chicken.  I made some adjustments, including no honey, more pepper, less bay leaves, and substituting cajun spice for salt (it adds some heat, and depending on the spice, will have a large amount of salt content; if you get nervous about too much salt, then limit it to about a cup or so).  You want to make the brine by mixing all of the ingredients listed thoroughly, to ensure equal dispersion of spice.  Subsequently, put the defrosted wing pieces in it, and store it for at least 4 hours in the fridge (picture shown was after they were taken out).  Overnight is preferred, but the lack of meat (and thus flesh to penetrate) is a key difference between brining wings and normal chicken pieces.  I used the bag that the wing pieces came in because it was easy and you can seal it.  Less oxygen = quicker, more effective brining.

 

Second, heat the fryer.  I used a small batch fryer (~10 wings at a time), with about 3/4 gallon of vegetable oil.  I prefer peanut oil, but vegetable oil has a good smoking point.  The fryer should be eated to about 360-365.  Mine has a radial knob, so I put it slightly past 350.  It'll do the trick.  I usually wait 15 mins for it heat effectively.

Third, rinse the brine, pat the wings dry, and put them in, making sure they don't overlap or they'll stick together (if you don't mind breaking up melded chicken flesh, then be my guess).  The amount of wings will depend upon size of the fryer.  Like I said, I fit about 10-11 wings depending on size and type of piece (I can fit more drumstick type pieces).  Cook for approximately 13 minutes, or until golden brown with fringes of deeper brown.  I prefer my wings to be very crispy, mostly because I just adore the taste of crispy chicken skin.  So sue me; I know it's not healthy!

To serve, I present the wings, sans sauce, with a sprig or two of rosemary.  I prefer to put the sauce on very late, so as to preserve the crispiness of the skin and the taste of the flesh.  For the sauce, put the 2 parts hot sauce with the 1 part butter in a pan, and simmer until mixed.  I add a few drops of Blair's Ultra Death Sauce for good effect.  The amount of sauce I usually make is ~3 cups, so you're looking at a 2C:1C ratio of hot sauce:butter.  Do NOT buy the premade wing sauce; the fake butter will kill you, or at the very least, make your wings taste like burnt silicone.  Simply toss a few wings in sauce, and then serve on a separate plate with a sprig of rosemary.  These wings are so good that you don't need a sauce, so don't feel threatened or pressured.  Enjoy.