The Momofuku recipe for chicken wings starts with a warning – “This is the world’s longest recipe for chicken wings. Sorry. But they’re very, very good chicken wings”.
The writing in this cookbook takes this tone often, but I like it. It’s straight forward, and often admits that some things are ridiculously tedious, whereas the Ad Hoc cookbook casually mentions that one tiny step in the recipe will take you three hours. That Ad Hoc cookbook is deceivingly time consuming.
I started by cutting off the wing tips and brining the wings. I left the drum and the flat attached. No idea why.
The sauces starts by browning the wing tips.
Then sake, mirin, and soy sauce is added. This sake is Koji Sake, the inexpensive name brand from the local sake master. I went to a tasting where Koji discussed sake and let us taste a variety of styles – I learned a lot and got a nice sake buzz. He does these throughout the year, I recommend trying to find one.
The sauce reduces for almost an hour, or until you can scrape a rubber spatula across the bottom and it leaves a trail. That’s a good measure of moderate viscosity.
The wing tips are strained from the sauce. No one else was around, so I popped a few of these in my mouth and enjoyed the collagen/salty/sweet flavor for a few moments. I’d do it again.
After the wings had brined, they are covered by the reserved pork fat and they cook in the oven for 30 minutes. I don’t really understand how 30 minutes at that low of a temperature is enough time to confit the chicken, so I gave them an extra 30 minutes in the oven.
At this point the chicken can be reserved in the fat for a number of days. When it’s time to serve, the fat is warmed up, the chicken wings are removed and drained, then the wings are seared in an cast iron skillet. I had two cast iron skillets going at once.
Once there is nice color on a side, the wing is flipped and pressed again.
Finally, the wing is tossed in the tare sauce and garnished with pickled habaneros and scallions.
ZOMG! For real, Chang wasn’t lying. Everyone was moaning over these. The sauce was deliciously salty and sweet and sticky, but any sauce could rock with this chicken, which was a crazy combination of crispy and tender that I’ve never had in a wing. They easily fell apart, like a smoked wing, but they weren’t dry. I imagine I have the brine and the confit to thank for that.
This was a pain the ass, but when I do it again, I will brine then confit a boat load of wings, and save them in the fat and eat them throughout the week, lessening the blow of spending this much time on one fourth of a meal.
Please try this dish if you like wings.
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