Larry Sahr’s Buffalo Wings

                                                                                                

Here is what I believe to be the original recipe, as I learned it in 1982 from “Bubba”, an ancient, little black man who said he actually used to make the wings at Frank and Teresa’s Anchor Bar, Buffalo, New York, where the original Buffalo Wings were invented during 1964. Today, the Anchor Bar is said to serve up in excess of 70,000 lbs. of these wings each month.

 

The Sauce - makes enough for about 30 wings

       o 6 Tablespoons (3 oz.) of FRANK’S Louisiana Hot Sauce (also sold as       DURKEE’S) \/o 1/2 stick of margarine (not butter!!)

o   1 Tablespoon of white vinegar

       o 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper powder

o   1/4 teaspoon of red pepper

o l/8 teaspoon of garlic salt                                                                                                            

o A dash of black pepper

o 1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

o   1 to 2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce

o   Mix all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat (and I do mean low) until the margarine is completely melted, then stir until everything is blended into the sauce. Then get the sauce off of the heat!! This last step is quite important, as any additional heating tends to kill the flavor.

The Wings - use about 30 wings

o   Use completely defrosted wings

o   Cut off the tips

o   Use a deep fryer (or a pot deep enough to hold wings covered with oil)

o   Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil.

o   In the deep fryer, put in about a quart of peanut oil (yes, I said peanut oil. Other types of oil don’t seem to develop quite the same exquisite flavor.) Heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F., and drop in half (15) of the wings, one at a time. Doing it one at a time is important, as you don’t want to lower the temperature of the peanut oil too much (less than about 325 degrees F.) by dumping in a whole load of cold wings all at one time.

o   Fry the wing for 12 to 15 minutes, then take them out.

o   Place the other 15 wings in the deep fryer, then drain the hot, cooked wings for a few minutes through a strainer, preferably placed over the deep fryer. If you don’t use a strainer, the residual oil will congeal on the wings, making a rather greasy mess.

o   When all the wings are cooked put the wings and the sauce in a container with a cover. Then vigorously shake the container until the wings are thoroughly coated.

Serve with celery and blue cheese salad dressing.