So, How Did I Get This Recipe? During 1982, I visited Buffalo on business, and the guy I was visiting first introduced me to Buffalo Wings (or as the natives call them, just "Wings") by actually taking me to the original "Anchor Bar", then still owned by Frank and Teresa. The above recipe was supposed to be a "Trade Secret", so nobody who worked in the Anchor Bar would tell me a thing. After dinner, on our way to the parking lot, we were accosted by what is now referred to as a "homeless person" looking for a handout. But this guy, unlike most, seemed to be quite articulate. He said his name was Bubba, and that until recently, he had been employed by the Anchor Bar as the "wing cook." He said he got drunk too many times on the job, and was fired. I asked him for the wing recipe. He said it would cost me - two bottles of Night train!! There was a liquor store down the street, so I grabbed Bubba, took him to the liquor store and bought him THREE bottles of Night Train.

I got my little dictating machine out of my briefcase, and Bubba dictated the recipe, and answered all of my questions, so I could be sure I had it all down clearly. I never saw Bubba again, but I still have the little tape from the dictating machine.
About three months after this incident,I again was in Buffalo on business. Again, I went to the Anchor Bar for dinner.With me I had a typewritten transcription of Bubba's recipe. I presented it to Teresa Bellissimo, the inventor of Buffalo Wings and one of the owners of the Anchor Bar, for her comment. I wasn't prepared for her response. She was REALLY upset, and wanted to know exactly where and from whom I had gotten the recipe. I just told her I had gotten it from some bum on the street. She wouldn't say, for sure, whether or not it was her authentic "trade secret" recipe, but, from her reaction, I had no remaining doubts.
Here is what I believe to be the original recipe, as I learned it in 1982 from "Bubba", an ancient, little black man who said he actually used to make the wings at Frank and Teresa"s Anchor Bar, in Buffalo, New York, where the original Buffalo Wings were invented during 1964. Today, the Anchor Bar is said to serve up in excess of 70,000 lbs. of these wings EACH MONTH.

The Sauce
(makes enough for about 30 wings).
6-Tablespoons (3 oz) of FRANKS Louisiana Hot Sauce,(also sold as DURKEES)
1/2 Stick of margerine (not butter!!)
1 Tablespoon of white vinegar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon of garlic salt
a dash of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat (and I do mean LOW) until the margerine is completely melted, then stir until everything is blended into the sauce. Then get the sauce off the heat!! This last step is quite important, as any additional heating tends to kill the flavor.

THE WINGS
(use about 30 wings).
Use completely defrosted wings - cut off the tips.
Use a deep fryer (or a pot deep enough to hold the wings covered in oil).
Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil.
In a deep fryer, put in about a quart of peanut oil (yes, I said PEANUT OIL. Other types of oil don't seem to develop quite the same exquisite flavor).
Heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F., and drop in half (15) of the wings, one at a time.
Doing it one at a time is important, as you don't want to lower the temperature of the peanut oil too much (less than about 325 degrees F.), by dumping in the whole load of cold wings all at one time.
Fry the wings for 12 to 15 minutes, then take them out.
Place the other 15 wings in the deep fryer, then drain the hot, cooked wings for a few minutes through a strainer, preferably placed over the deep fryer.
If you don't use a strainer, the residual oil will congeal on the wings, making a rather greasy mess.
When all the wings are cooked, put the wings and the sauce in a container with a cover. Vigorously shake the container until the wings are thoroughly coated.
Serve with celery and blue cheese salad dressing.

This page updated December 28, 2003