When cooking buffalo wings, one of the most common questions is whether to put the buffalo wing sauce on before or after cooking. There are good arguments on both sides of this debate, and it often comes down to personal preference. In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of putting buffalo wing sauce on before or after cooking so you can decide which method you prefer.
Putting Sauce on Before Cooking
One of the main benefits of putting buffalo wing sauce on before baking or frying is that the sauce has a chance to cook into the chicken wings. This allows the flavor to permeate the meat, seasoning it from the inside out. The high heat caramelizes the sugars in the sauce, resulting in wings with a richer, deeper flavor. Pre-saucing also cuts down on time since you don’t have to wait for the wings to cool before tossing them in sauce after cooking.
Here are some of the reasons why you may want to put the sauce on before cooking:
Sauce Flavors Permeate the Meat
When you coat the wings in sauce prior to cooking, the sauce has a chance to penetrate the skin and meat of the wings. As the wings cook, the sauce essentially bakes into them, infusing them with buffalo flavor from the inside out. This can lead to buffalo wings that taste more intensely saucy and buffalo-y.
The Sauce Caramelizes in the Oven or Fryer
The high heat of the oven or fryer causes the sugars in the buffalo wing sauce to caramelize. This imparts the wings with nice char or crisp bits along with richer caramelized flavors. Pre-sauced wings often develop a deeper mahogany color too.
Less Mess and Easier Application
Trying to toss cooked wings in sauce can be messy, with sauce splattering everywhere. Putting the sauce on beforehand contains the mess to just the baking sheet or fryer. Applying sauce before cooking is also faster and easier since you can directly coat every wing when they are raw. With cooked wings, it can be tricky getting even sauce coverage.
Faster Prep Time
Since you don’t have to wait for the wings to cook and cool before saucing, pre-saucing saves you time. As soon as the wings are done cooking, they are ready to serve! Making buffalo wings for a crowd or party is much faster when you sauce them beforehand.
Putting Sauce on After Cooking
While pre-saucing has some advantages, there are also good reasons to sauce buffalo wings after cooking. Many people feel that post-cook saucing results in a fresher, crisper coating and prevents the sauce from burning. The wings also absorb less oil this way. Here’s a look at the benefits of saucing buffalo wings after baking or frying:
Prevents Excess Oil Absorption
Raw chicken wings have a tendency to absorb oil or butter when cooked. If the wings are pre-sauced, all that oil and butter in the sauce gets absorbed too. Post-saucing helps keep the oil content down since the wings won’t absorb as much from a cool sauce tossed with already cooked wings. This can result in a healthier end product.
Sauce Won’t Burn
When wings are cooked at high heat with sauce already on them, the sugars in the sauce can burn. This gives the wings a bitter, acrid taste. Post-saucing prevents the sauce from burning by applying it after the high heat cooking is done. No more charred, burning sauce flavor.
Hot Wings Stay Crisp Longer
Saucing wings after cooking helps keep them ultra crisp. The sauce isn’t baked on, so the skin stays crackling and crispy longer, even on hot wings. Cold or room temp sauce on cooked wings preserves the crispness better than hot sauce baked on.
Fresh, Bright Buffalo Flavor
While saucing before cooking does make the buffalo flavor permeate the meat, some argue it dilutes the fresh taste. The buffalo wing sauce doesn’t get cooked and reduced down when applied after cooking. This can result in brighter, fresher buffalo flavor with cooler sauce on hot wings.
Prevents Soggy Skin
Loading raw wings with sauce before cooking can sometimes make the skin soggy. The water content in the sauce steams the skin, making it less crispy. Keeping the wings dry before cooking helps set the skin so it stays ultra crispy.
The Best Saucing Method for Crispy Wings
If your top priority for buffalo wings is ultra crispy skin, saucing after cooking is likely the better way to go. The hot sauce or buffalo sauce won’t have a chance to saturate and steam the skin when it’s applied after frying or baking. The wings also absorb less oil when cooked dry versus coated in buttery buffalo sauce.
Tips for Post-Cooking Saucing
If you opt for the post-cook saucing method, here are some tips:
– Let the wings cool slightly before saucing so they don’t overcook. 5-10 minutes is usually enough.
– Use a thick, gloppy sauce that will adhere nicely to the wings. Watery sauces may slide right off.
– Toss the wings in a bowl with the sauce to ensure they’re all evenly coated.
– For a crisper coating, let the sauced wings sit for a few minutes before serving so the sauce sets up.
– Fried wings hold up best to post-saucing since the skin is extra crispy. Baked wings can get a little soggy.
– If you want the sauce flavor baked in a bit, quickly broil or grill the sauced wings after tossing to caramelize the sauce while preserving crispiness.
The Best Method for Extra Saucy, Juicy Wings
If your top priority is wings bursting with the most buffalo flavor, applying the sauce before cooking is likely the better choice. The sauce will penetrate into the meat, seasoning it from the inside and building more flavor than surface saucing done after cooking.
Tips for Pre-Cooking Saucing
If you prefer to sauce your wings before cooking, here are some tips:
– Use a thick, gloppy sauce that will adhere nicely to the raw wings. Thin sauces may drip off.
– Make sure every wing is evenly coated for consistent flavor.
– Let the sauced wings sit for a few minutes before cooking so the sauce soaks in.
– Bake the wings at a high temp like 450°F on a rack over a baking sheet so the excess sauce drips off.
– Fry at 350-375°F to crisp the skin while baking in the sauce’s flavor.
– Keep an eye on heavily sauced wings while cooking to prevent burning.
– If wings start to burn, tent them with foil while finishing cooking.
– For baked wings, broil briefly after cooking to re-crisp the skin.
Should You Put Sauce on Before or After Cooking Boneless Wings?
The saucing debate also applies to boneless wings. Because they don’t have skin or bones, boneless wings react a bit differently when sauced:
Sauce Before
– Allows sauce to permeate the meat for great flavor
– Can lead to soggy, oversaturated meat
– Requires higher oven temp to crisp outside before inside overcooks
Sauce After
– Keeps interior moist and tender
– Exterior stays ultra crispy
– Fresh, bright sauce flavor
– Messier tossing cooked wings in sauce
For most even cooking and ideal texture, saucing boneless wings after baking or frying is best. Their insides stay juicy while their outside gets crispy. But you can experiment to see which method you prefer!
What’s the Best Sauce for Buffalo Wings?
While traditional buffalo wing sauce contains just hot sauce and butter, there are many tasty ways to customize your own sauce:
Basic Buffalo Wing Sauce
– 2/3 cup hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot or similar)
– 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
– 1/4 tsp garlic powder
– 1/4 tsp paprika
– Dash cayenne pepper
Custom Mix-Ins
– Brown sugar or honey for sweetness
– Extra garlic, onion, or shallot
– Vinegars (white, cider, red wine, etc.)
– Spices like cumin, cinnamon, chili powder
– Blue cheese crumbles
– Ranch seasoning
– Melted cheese
– Pureed fruits or veggies
The possibilities are endless for inventing your own signature wing sauce!
What to Serve with Buffalo Wings
While buffalo wings are a snackable favorite on their own, having some sides makes for a more complete meal. Here are some classic pairings:
Bleu Cheese or Ranch Dressing
Cooling dipping sauces like chunky bleu cheese or herb ranch dressings balance the spicy heat of buffalo wings. Offering both satisfies fans of either style!
Celery Sticks
Crisp, fresh celery sticks provide texture contrast and also help tame the heat of spicy wings. They give your mouth little breaks between buffalo wing bites.
Carrot and Celery Sticks
For more veggie options, carrots are another cooling, crunchy dipper that pairs nicely with buffalo wings. Offer cut celery and carrot sticks in a single dish.
Crudités
Take the veggie pairing up a notch by serving an array of chill-worthy fresh vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and snap peas along with the usual carrots and celery sticks.
Dipping Sauces
In addition to dressings, provide other dip options like guacamole, hummus, and even extra buffalo sauce. This adds more flavors to dunk all the vegetables and wings in.
Cubes of Bread or Dinner Rolls
If you want to offer a carb alongside buffalo wings, cubes of bread or soft dinner rolls are great for dipping in dressing or sauce. They soak up extra flavor.
Coleslaw
For a lighter take, tangy coleslaw adds crunch and works nicely as a buffalo wing side dish. The vinegar cuts through the rich sauce. Offer creamy or vinegar-based slaw.
Potato Wedges
If you’re already making buffalo wings, rounding out the meal with crispy potato wedges baked in oil takes little extra effort. Potatoes complement wings well.
Mac and Cheese
For ultimate comfort food, a side of ooey-gooey macaroni and cheese is a hearty addition to buffalo wings. The creamy pasta cools off spicy wings.
Pasta Salad
Chilled pasta salads with veggies, cheese, and dressing make a nice light pairing for wings. The starch and seasoning contrast with the fried wings.
Cornbread
Warm cornbread muffins or squares along with some honey butter give you a hint of sweetness with buffalo wings. The bread’s crumb soaks up sauce deliciously.
Conclusion
Whether to put buffalo wing sauce on before or after cooking comes down to personal preference. Pre-saucing lets the flavor permeate into the meat fully but can make the wings greasier. Post-saucing helps maintain ultra crispy skin and bright fresh flavor but doesn’t quite bake the sauce in. Weigh your priorities and try wings prepared each way to see which you like best. And don’t forget sides like dressing, veggies, breads, potatoes, pasta, or slaw to make it a complete buffalo wing meal. Now get saucy!