Before you gather around the big screen on Sunday to honor the gods of the gridiron, take a moment to consider the day's greatest element: the food. When your fellow football fans aren't moaning about the quarterback's lack of brain power, toasting a touchdown or sobbing over some lousy incomplete pass, you can hear their stomachs growling.
And it may come as no surprise: For many, it's all about the need for wings.
Just visit any sports bar on Sunday and you'll discover wings at most tables being gobbled away by fans ... men and women alike, licking their fingers, -- no napkins in sight as they finish off the last bit of sauce and reach for another.
Anne Braly"Wings are just ingrained in American sports," says Brandon Bellamy, general manager at Buffalo Wild Wings' Hixson location. "They go hand-in-hand and bring a tailgate feeling inside."
Most Sundays, Bellamy says his restaurant will go through 10 to 15 cases of wings. But on Super Bowl Sunday? "We'll go through 50-plus," he says. And few, if any, platters return to the kitchen with meat on the bones, he adds.
Wings will be flying across town at Bud's in Brainerd, too. Kitchen manager Mark Dillon will be doubling his order this week. "We go through about 18 cases on an average weekend, but this weekend I predict we'll go through about 35 cases." With an average of 270 wings in each 40-pound case, that makes 9,450 wings that they will parbake to remove some of the fat, then fry to a crispy finish and serve with celery and ranch dressing. Or blue cheese if you ask. "Ranch is by far the most popular," Dillon notes.
If you're staying home for the game or taking food to a party, there are many recipes from which to choose. Some call for frying the wings, others for baking them. Whichever way you make them, they're bound to go quickly, so be sure to make plenty to go around. Here's one recipe I've found that's hard to beat. It's the yin-yang of wings, with a touch of maple to add some sweetness to each spicy bite.
Maple-Beer-Chili Chicken Wings
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup dark beer
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 tablespoons chili powder
Cayenne pepper, to taste
3 to 3 1/2 pounds chicken wings and/or drummettes (about 15 to 17)
Canola oil
Hot sauce, blue cheese or ranch dressing, a celery sticks
Place ingredients from maple syrup through cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened and syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, add 3 to 4 inches of canola oil. Heat to 350 degrees or until a piece of chicken fat sizzle and float to the top of the oil, surrounded by bubbles. Cook wings in batches for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with sauce. Toss well and serve on a platter with bowls of dressing and celery sticks, along with a bottle of hot sauce on the side for those who like their wings extra spicy.
Note: If you prefer, you can bake the wings in a 350-degree oven or cook them in your rotisserie oven basket till they are tender, then toss in sauce.
Correction
Due to an editing error in last week's column, it sounded as if a wine tasting that takes place Thursday night at Easy Bistro & Bar actually was happening last week. Nope. It's this week. The tasting runs from 6-8 p.m. and features wines from California's Wedell Cellars. Two whites and three reds will be paired with hors d'oeuvres prepared by Easy executive chef and owner Erik Niel. Tickets are $35 per person, which includes the food and drink and complimentary valet parking; to buy them, call 423-266-1121.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.