Bourbon Street Buffalo Wings

I have to confess as much as I try to follow the directions I seem to screw them up every once in a while. I totally left out the buffalo wing sauce. I did stir it in later after I took pictures and we where eating them. I knew it was missing something, and thought it lacked a little spice, but they where still really good without the wing sauce. I even used the sauce on some ribs the next day that we smoked and it was good. Oh well, it all worked out and I loved it both ways so gotta love a recipe you can do little tweaks too.

Bourbon Street Buffalo Wings
(Adapted from Drew Cerza via Bobby Flay’s Throwdown)

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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup bourbon, plus more for serving
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup honey
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 cup chili sauce
⅓ cup prepared buffalo wing sauce, such as Texas Pete or Frank’s
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
3 pounds chicken wings, split at the joint, wing tips removed and discarded
kosher salt
Prepared blue cheese dressing, for serving

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the bourbon, brown sugar, and honey and heat through, 2 minutes.

Whisk in the ancho chile powder, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, and wing sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Keep warm while you fry the wings.

Heat 4 inches of oil to 350 degrees F. in a deep heavy-bottomed saucepan or a deep fryer.

Season the wings with salt. Fry, in batches, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the wings from the oil and drain on a platter lined with paper towels. (We sprinkled a little Cajun seasoning on them and grilled them instead of frying them.)

Put the wings in a large mixing bowl, add the sauce, and toss well to coat. Serve wit blue cheese dressing and half shots of bourbon, on the side, for adults to sip.