Tom (chef) has been very kind and told us how he makes our wings, so you can create them when you get back home and relive your trip to BeerCraft...
Step 1 – Prep the wings
First and most importantly we need to marinate our wings in a slightly
acidic solution (this helps break down the proteins in the meat so we
get a tender and juicer finish). We do this by mixing together buttermilk, a splash of lime juice then adding a good pinch of crushed chilli
flakes, mix till homogenous and then drop you wings in and thoroughly
mix them around. Your wings should be fully submerged in the marinade.
Keep this in the fridge overnight.
Step 2 – Prepare the Korean Sauce
Now for the fun part, making the funky and spicy sauce that will coat
our wings once they’ve been cooked in the fryer.
For this I use Gochujang, a fermented red pepper paste hailing from the Korean
peninsula. Its an incredibly common cooking ingredient in Korean cooking
and will give a good punch of spice with an amazing funky, fermented aftertaste.
Mix together a very generous couple of tablespoons of the Gochujang
paste (you can find this in most Asian supermarkets) with a healthy glug
of Soy sauce (use light soy sauce to keep the deep red colour of the gochujang), another healthy glug of sesame oil (toasted or blended, either works fine here) and a small dash of lime juice (usually the juice of about 1 medium sized lime). Add a pinch of red chilli flakes.
Mix this together with a whisk and thin down with cold water to make a paste like ketchup, Adding water at the end helps the sauce to thin so it can easily coat the wings but also lighten the colour of the sauce so the red really pops off.
Once done place the sauce on the side and let it come too room temperature, this is important as you don’t want your hot wings to hit a cold sauce and immediately drop the temperature.
Step 3 – Cook them wings
After your wings and marinade have got too know each other, take them
out the fridge and drop each one into a bowl of flour.
Now comes Tom's secret ingredient, so we cant tell you exactly, but this is what makes our wings so awesome!
The flour mixes with the buttermilk and makes a kind of batter, so when they get dropped into the fryer, it makes a crust that will crisp up.
Tom's secret ingredient keeps them super crispy, even after you coat them from head too toe in your Korean sauce.
After you coat your wings in your flour, drop them into a
fryer or hot oil at 170-180 degrees and cook until a dark golden brown.
Too ensure the chicken is cooked, put them on a tray lined with baking
parchment and put them in the oven (200°C) for 10 minutes or until the
internal temperature reads over 73 degrees.
Step 4 – WINGS ASSEMBLE!
Once the wings are cooked through put them into a large bowl and cover
with your sauce, you’ll want too get your hands dirty and give them a
good mix around making sure every nook and cranny is filled (if your
still having trouble with a thick sauce add a splash of cold oil, hot
water or melted butter to thin down. Serve in any bowl you deem
suitable, cover with sesame seeds, finely chopped coriander and spring
onions.
Serve with a lot of napkins.
