Buzz
Whether you steam, sous-vide, or parboil your wings before frying, I usually prefer to cook them twice. Similar to pouring boiling water over chicken thighs, partially cooking wings before their final fry helps remove excess fat and breaks down the connective tissue, giving you juicy meat and crispy skin. While most par-cooking techniques involve water, these wings are 'trashed,' and they’re absolutely fantastic.
Trashed wings, also known as 'dirty wings,' originate from St. Louis. They earn the name 'trashed wings' because the fry oil takes a hit during preparation, and the process is relatively simple: fry the wings once, coat them in sauce, then fry again. The initial fry cooks the wings, rendering out fat and transforming collagen into silky gelatin. The second fry crisps up the skin even more, while browning and/or caramelizing the sauce.
When I first attempted to make these wings, I underestimated the importance of the sauce step, but I quickly realized I was mistaken. I prepared several batches: par-boiled and fried, fried twice without sauce, and double-fried with sauce. The wings that were boiled and fried had the least crispiness, but I was surprised by how distinct the two double-fried batches turned out.
The plain twice-fried wings were decent. They were slightly crisper than the wings that had been boiled and fried, though not by much. The trashed wings, however, were much crispier, almost as though they had been lightly battered, with a darker, rusty, orange-red tint.
Get yourself ready for frying success:
A deep-walled Dutch oven, to avoid hot oil splashes
A clip-on digital thermometer, so you can always know the precise temperature of your oil
A spider, to scoop out your crispy wings with ease
The crispy texture of the wings comes from the sauce itself, which is a classic Buffalo sauce made by combining 1/3 cup of melted butter and 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot sauce. Butter, rich in milk solids, browns easily when heated, while hot sauce contains ingredients like peppers and garlic that also brown or caramelize. When this blend of butter and sauce hits the hot oil, the water evaporates, leaving the solids to darken, giving the wings an extra layer of crunch.
However, the fried Frank's sauce didn't add much flavor, beyond a simple 'browned' taste, which isn't necessarily bad. The heat from the capsaicin was subdued by the frying oil, and the subtle flavors in the sauce were lost. But don't worry – you can always add more sauce, and that extra coating will help preserve the crunch. You can experiment with different sauces too, especially ones with sugar, as they caramelize and alter both flavor and texture compared to unsweetened versions.
Trashed Wings
Ingredients:
2 pounds of chicken wings, separated into drums and flats
1/3 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup of Frank's hot sauce
Neutral oil for frying (at least 40 ounces, typically a gallon)
Pour the oil into a high-walled, non-reactive Dutch oven or pot, making sure not to fill it more than two-thirds full. Heat the oil to 375℉, but be cautious not to let it dip below 350℉, as the temperature will naturally drop each time you add cold wings. If needed, let the oil return to temperature between batches.
Fry the wings in batches if needed, flipping them as necessary to crisp both sides, until the thickest part of the wing reaches 170℉. This higher temperature aids in breaking down the fat and collagen. Once done, use a spider or tongs to remove the wings and let them cool on a wire rack for five minutes.
To make the sauce, whisk together the butter and Frank's until fully blended. Coat the wings in the sauce, then return them to the oil for about a minute, or until the skin becomes dark and crispy. Drizzle a little more sauce over them if desired, and serve immediately.
