Yes, that's the question today - Turkey Wings vs Chicken Wings - who ya got? I keep seeing turkey wings at the grocery store and thinking, couldn't you turn that into a Buffalo style wing? I consulted chowhound.com and started a thread for some tips, some insight, and some courage, I was off to see if this giant poultry piece could be the ultimate wing.
I went out and got turkey wings and chicken wings and decided to do a battle of the wings to see which was best. Actually, I was scared to try the turkey wing, thinking it just might not taste right. So I made sure I had a bunch of chicken fryers just in case. AND I was going to Buffalo style them, but I changed my mind and went for a flour dusted wing with an attempted killer suicide sauce.
So, who ya got????
I went to 3 grocery stores looking for turkey wings specifically. Funny, I see them when I'm not looking for them, but when I want one, no where in sight. I had to ask the meat department lady and she said they only had 4 packages left. Well I only needed one, and it had drumsticks that I didn't really need (I'll bake those another day).
Here is the turkey wing being rinsed: massive. The giant blue veins were a little off putting I have to admit.
Dusted in flour. It took 3, 10 lb bags of flour to coat just one. Ok I'm lying. Or am I? 
My attempt at a 'killer-suicide' sauce. Frank's, margarine, red chili pepper, sirachi sauce, cayenne pepper, vinegar and love. Or hate? It's hard to tell when your talking about a KILLER-SUICIDE sauce.
Deep frying the turkey wings. Turkey wings that fit in the deep fryer at a time: 2.Chicken wings: 6.
"Todao" on the thread mentioned: "You might also want to tie them prior to frying - turkey wings tend to have a mind of their own when dropped in a fryer" I had no idea what he was talking about, until I checked back in on the wings, they were swimming around the basket all on their own. Crazy!
Size comparison. 'Wimpy wimpy wimpy . . . hefty, hefty, hefty"
Look at that - 1 pile of chicken wings = 1 turkey wing. Ok I know what your thinking: "we get it, the turkey wings are big". Well, ok then, as long as you get it.
So, the turkey wings smelled like chicken wings, they looked like chicken wings, but man, they were not chicken wings. The skin was nice and crispy, salty, tasty and the sauce on them was good. But, what I feared the most - the meat itself just didn't taste right.
Not that there was anything wrong with them, but have you ever taken a drink of something, like Coke, and it turns out it's Diet Coke, and it just isn't right? You expect one thing and get another. That's what happened. I don't want to say it was 'gamey' but, the flavour was, well, not chicken. I know that sounds stupid, but I just didn't enjoy it.
My chicken wings were far superior all around. The 'killer-suicide' was not killer. It was good, a thicker Buffalo-inspired sauce, but my mouth was not in pain after eating it - despite all the attempts to kick it up a notch or several notches.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY? Not using turkey wings again. The skin was good, the sauce was good, the look was good. The meat was not. They just aren't for me I guess. But I'm glad I settled that question.
As for the 'killer-suicide' not living up to it's heat potential, I'm floored. It's been suggested I've burned away all my pain receptors in my mouth . . . well, it is possible I guess. I'd hate to think so though.
15 comments:
They all look delish!
I've never had turkey wings ... they just seemed soooo HUGE!!
I still can't get over how big they are!
I do buy turkey wings from time to time...for a change. I agree the taste of chicken wings is superior....but for a real meal I like turkey slow baked in BBQ sauce.
I dont know why, but turkey wings ONLY taste just right when pulled off a whole roast bird....falling apart and crispy.
for the individual wings, I agree, chicken is the winner, turkey is missing something. except you need to eat 20 of 'em!
Sharptooth999 - Turkey slow baked in BBQ sauce does sound good! A turkey wing off a whole roasted bird is always tasty!
I rub my turkey wings with salt, juniper and orange zest, then sous vide them at 75C for 12 hours then grill them till they are golden. Family favorite! I got my sous vide of www.sousvideaustralia.com
@Dale - sous vide wings is an interesting idea. And the rub sounds really good too!
Try a salt /sugar brine for 2days
Then season and dust and fry,you'll want to smack your MaMa they are so good.
@Anonymous - that sounds good!
You have to change the sauce. We use Sriracha hot sauce and butter and much prefer the turkey wings to the chicken.
@Anonymous - yes I totally agree with you - I use sriracha all the time; its my go too sauce for basic heat and flavour. But thanks for pointing it out for others who come to this page :)
LOTW, if you are serious about your heat and your flavour I strongly suggest a good Bhut Jokia sauce (ghost chili). It does not have the dirty flavour of some other chilis, but caution a little dab will do!!! If you add it to your sauce and then heat it the heat can grow by a factor of 10. I use the Rooster sauce (sriracha) when I make pad Thai and my 12 year old eats it lol.
Try turkey wings in 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar + sliced onion + salt + pepper + paprika + oil + any hot sauce, leaver in fridge overnight and throw over charcoal fire. You'll thank me later.
@anon - thanks for that tip - I've done Bhut Jokia wing challenges but I've never cooked with it myself - I will admit it kicked my butt!
@CZ-Sniper - that sounds so good and hope I can try it out!
Turkey wings are a favorite around here. They're cheap as dirt, I sous vide them for about 10-12 hours and then throw them on the grill to crisp them up.
I save the juice in the bags, save the bones and when I have a freezer bag full of the bones I render them down into broth. A little bit of money for these goes a long way.
@anon - sounds very cool - how does the sous vide work on the wings (never had them done this way)? S
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