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Cooking Wings for Your Football Party

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Wings Know How

Few things in life say football and party like chicken wings. Hot wings are a staple menu item in sports bars all over the US and deep frying or roasting are the most popular methods of cooking wings. Some BBQ joints offer smoked wings.

I think wings have been relegated to sports bars and wing shops for far too long—wings are amenable to many flavor profiles and cooking methods. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t braise them and let them crisp up in the pan! I don’t follow a recipe but boldly mix flavors and techniques to achieve wings that are specialized beyond the humble sports bar wings. Here are some ideas to fix wings your own way.

Rubbing and Marinating

The great thing about chicken wings is they can take more intense flavors. You can easily use rubs and marinades that are designed more for red meat and pork rather than poultry.

Rubs

Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning  is what I use the most for a wing rub. It has great flavor, no MSG, and it is always in my kitchen. Also carried here at Wheatsville, The Paleo Powder is a no-gluten no-MSG product made here in Texas, and the Salt Lick makes a couple of rub options. Lemon Pepper is another great flavor.

Marinades

Like rubs, you can use just about anything for marinating wings. Try one of the Wheatsville Marinades like Teriyaki or Mojo. Howard Miller, S. Lamar Meat Dept. Supervisor, likes to mix ranch dressing or buttermilk with Yellowbird Sauce.

Sauce

I like to make a kitchen sink sort of sauce, but Sriracha is pretty much always an ingredient. Vinegar is always a good addition, along with some sort of fat. I usually use a mild oil like canola, but butter is the traditional way to go. I then add a little mustard and honey and start adding hot sauces like Yellowbird.

If you don’t want to make your own sauce, there are plenty of excellent premade sauces. I really like the Stubb’s Wing Sauce. The Texas Texas Dang Good Sauce is an all around good sauce for anything and goes well with wings.

Bringing It All Together

If you are deep frying wings, use a rub, fry them, and then toss them in sauce,
but I usually roast them. I rub them and put them in the oven without sauce until they start to dry out, about 10 minutes, then I start basting them. I remove them from the oven and toss them in sauce several times during cooking. 
You can also dredge them in a flour and rub mixture and just let them be in the oven. The flour gives them a nice crust that is like fried chicken. The rub added to the flour kicks up the flavor.

I cook them for no less than 45 minutes at 375°– 400° F, but I open the oven four times to baste and my family likes a little carbon on their wings. If you leave the oven closed, use the lower temperature for a few less minutes.

Sometimes having loose suggestions rather than a set recipe is intimidating but wings can be a great way to stretch out and share some adventure with your family and friends—especially with beer and sports!

Howard’s Yellowbird Buffalo Wings

1 lb chicken wings, separated at joints, discard the tips
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup ranch dressing
several squirts of Yellowbird Habanero Sauce
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

Mix the butter, ranch dressing, and Yellowbird sauce. Coat the wings and let the wings marinade in the mixture for a couple hours in the fridge in a large storage bag.

Preheat Oven to 425°F.

Coat wings with with seasoned flour (flour, salt,  black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder) and arrange a single layer of wings on a lightly greased baking sheet. Adorn each wing with a little melted butter.

Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 35-45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

Local Vendor Focus: Thunderbird Energetica/EPIC

I recently interviewed Taylor Collins and Kate Forrest, founders of Thunderbird Energetica and EPIC.As well as producing healthy, nutritious foods, they are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet!—Adrienne

Tell us about how Thunderbird Energetica got started.

The first Thunderbird Energetica bar was created to help Katie heal from a serious inflammatory injury of her knee. She was training for the Kona Ironman World Championship race and unable to run or bike due to pain. We took a step back and considered what types of food we were consuming and how this might contribute to inflammation. We ended up eliminating inflammatory foods from our diets and created the Cherry Walnut Crunch bar. We loaded it with natures most potent anti-inflammatory ingredients (Turmeric, Cherries, buckwheat) just for Katie. Within a few weeks her knee was significantly better and she was 100% back to training. We were so excited about this amazing creation that we decided to start selling the bar locally.

What is your favorite flavor?

Katie’s favorite flavor is Bison Bacon Cranberry. Taylor’s  favorite flavor is Almond Cookie Pow

How did Epic Bars get started?

The EPIC bar idea came to us during an extended camping trip in West Texas. After days of eating only sugar based, high carb camp food, we were craving something savory and high in protein and fat. We were frustrated that all the “protein” bars we carried were made of heavily processed isolates and syrups. We wanted to make a high quality, portable protein snack that was made of whole foods. We decided that the best way to do this was through grass fed animal protein (just like our ancestors ate). We started experimenting with making bacon jerky for 100 mile bike rides and we really liked the way our body felt. It was clear that we needed to invent this bar that could only be described as EPIC.

Vendor Focus: Harvest Bay Coconut Water

In the past few years, coconut water has become one of the most popular beverages at Wheatsville. In this town where summer can start in March and last until

November, it’s the perfect refreshment for all of those hot and humid days. Naturally high in potassium and antioxidants, many sweaty Austinites appreciated the fast rehydration provided by the coconut water; nature’s sports drink. While coconut water is delicious through a straw in a fresh young coconut, they aren’t always available or convenient. Harvest Bay, along with many other beloved brands, offer two convenient sizes of tasty coconut water that’s 100% not from concentrate with no added sugar or flavorings.

Each brand seems to have a slightly different flavor profile based on the coconuts they source and Harvest Bay’s is naturally slightly sweet tasting with a hint of toasted coconut flavor.  Recently, Harvest Bay Coconut water was verified by the NonGMO Project to be GMO free! Drink it as is or try some of their recommended drink recipes like Harvest Bay Coconut Watermelon Juice! And if you ever wondered what happens to all of those coconut husks and shells, the Harvest Bay facility actually makes pellets from them to burn for energy to operate the machinery. Very cool!.  

Local Vendor Focus: Beanitos Inc.

One of the brightest rising stars in the natural foods world is based right here in Austin: Beanitos Bean Chips.  In 2009 brothers Doug and Dave Foreman set out to create a crunchy snack chip that was full of nutrition and great flavor. The Beanitos Original Bean Chip was born, gaining fast popularity in Austin and finding its way into co-ops and other stores across the country.

Vendor Focus: Just Coffee Cooperative

We love the abundance of local coffee roasters in Austin but let’s take a moment to focus on a special roaster in Madison, Wisconsin.  Just Coffee Cooperative is a worker owned co-op, roasting coffee beans that are always 100% Fair Trade and Certified Organic. They are committed to changing the global economy “into something that puts the needs of people before the profit margins of companies”. They roast in 70 pound batches using a hot-air roaster, which brings a clean full flavor to the cup. Learn more about air roasted coffee here. All Just Coffee in the Madison area is delivered by bike, which is a little far away for Austin delivery, but you have to admire their style when they deliver in the middle of a Wisconsin winter.

The most popular variety at Wheatsville is the Revolution Roast. Just Coffee's Tasting Notes tell us: The Revolution Roast is a rich, roasted coffee that tastes predominantly of chocolate and baked bread. It has a slight sweetness and low acidity. Enjoy the aroma of rose, whiskey and brown sugar as you savor a dark, revolutionary cup of coffee.

Just Coffee Co-op’s Mission Statement: Just Coffee Cooperative is a worker-owned coffee roaster dedicated to creating and expanding a model of trade based on transparency, equality, and human dignity. We strive to build long-term relationships with small-scale coffee growers to bring you a truly incredible cup of coffee.

Vendor Focus: Rudi’s Organic Bakery

Rudi's Organic Bakery Bread is so popular at Wheatsville! We have more space dedicated to it in the store than almost any other in the country, according to company representatives, because it is such a customer favorite. The 100% Whole Wheat Bread is by far the most beloved variety, with other favorites including Multigrain English Muffins, Potato Slider Rolls, Hot Dog & Hamburger Buns and their Mountain Sourdough Bread.

A little history   What is now Rudi’s Organic Bakery began in 1976 as Rudi’s Bakery, a small local bakery opened by Sheldon Romer in Boulder, Colo. Romer named the bakery after Swami Rudrananda, a spiritual leader of an ashram in New York who was instrumental in bringing Eastern culture and spiritual traditions to many Americans.

Rudi’s Bakery soon gained a reputation for nutritious, flavorful, preservative-free breads, rolls and buns. In 1981,  Rudi’s entire product line became certified Kosher, and Rudi’s products began to appear on supermarket and natural food store shelves. The increased demand for Rudi’s offerings meant several moves to larger baking facilities. Rudi’s Bakery became a leader in the organic industry in 1991, when the company started using organic ingredients. By 1998, Rudi’s was participating in an organic certification program, long before the U.S. National Organic Program was enacted in 2002. In 2001, Rudi’s Bakery became Rudi’s Organic Bakery, reflecting the company’s commitment to supporting and producing organic products.

Quality commitment Rudi’s Organic breads are made in small batches using a centuries-old practice that allows the dough to ferment for 12 to 24 hours before the mixing and baking processes begin. This ensures the integrity of every loaf while making the use of preservatives and chemical rising agents unnecessary. Extended fermentation also allows for the development of rich flavors and textures. Their bakers let the breads "proof" slowly which adds more flavor. Rudi’s Organic baked goods contain no artificial ingredients, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fat or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

And now Gluten Free Rudi's  In the frozen department look for Rudi's Gluten Free Bread, MultiGrain or Original, baked in their certified Gluten Free facility.

What's your favorite Rudi's product? Let us know in the comment section!
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