What's the one food I crave more often than any other edible in the world? If you aren't my fiance, my brother, or one of my very best friends; the answer will likely surprise you. Not gourmet or interesting in the slightest, my greatest weakness is without question, a big mound of buffalo chicken wings. My goodness how the fried 'til crispy, buttery hot-sauced beauties turn me into a gluttonous fiend. In my world, the spicy and oh so messy treats have been known to cure hangovers, terrible moods, and probably 20 cases of allergy-induced sniffles. Quite frankly, I'm obsessed. Just ask Chris about my buffalo wing love affair and there's a good chance you'll get an eye-roll.
While I don't really need a good excuse to justify eating a dozen calorie-ridden wings dunked into an inordinate amount of chunky bleu cheese, I can't think of a better occasion to indulge in them than while watching a big football game from the comforts of home. Enter: Superbowl Sunday- the day when the National Chicken Council estimates Americans will consume 1.25 billion wings. Crazy, right?!? But truly what could be more American than football and wings? I mean the two really just go hand in hand.
Even though it's the hot buffalo sauce that I generally crave when ordering wings (fried extra crispy and no drums please), I do sometimes like to venture out a bit and try different concoctions when I'm cooking them myself. And I must say, my new favorite chicken wing concoction definitely comes from my brother's kitchen (and glorious smoker). Patrick made these insanely flavorful babies just recently and soon, I will be making them....and devouring them, again.
If you have a smoker, I strongly recommend you use it. Words can't describe the depth of flavor you'll get with this cooking method. Otherwise, fry them up and still, they'll be pretty darn delectable; rest assured.
Cajun Smoked Wings
Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken wings, divided at joints
Cajun seasoning (your own blend, or try Chef Paul's Poultry Magic)
1/2 cup Crystal hot sauce
1/2 cup butter
Directions:
1. Rub wings with Cajun seasoning and smoke over Pecan wood for 2 - 2.5 hours at 225 degrees
2. For sauce, heat Crystal on medium-low heat and whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time. Add 1/2 tbs Cajun seasoning. Shake wings in sauce.
Cajun Fried Wings
Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken wings, divided at joints
1 tbs Cajun seasoning (your own blend, or try Chef Paul's Poultry Magic)
1/2 cup Crystal hot sauce
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp hickory liquid smoke
Directions:
Fry wings in 375 oil for 12-19 minutes depending on crispiness desired. Shake in wing sauce.
For sauce, heat Crystal on medium-low heat and whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time. Add cajun seasoning and liquid smoke.