www.sausagemaking.org

I'm not sure I have this recipe exactly where I want it, but it's close, so I'll post it as a bookmark for me. In their simplest incantation Buffalo chicken wings are fried, then tossed with a mixture of Frank's Red Hot sauce and butter. They are only slightly hot from the sauce (which is nowhere close to the heat level many wings are served at). The main characteristics are the crisp texture of the fried chicken skin, which the wings have an abundance of, and the strong "chicken" flavor these produce. To capture this in a sausage I did three things: I added chicken stock to the sausage along with breadcrumbs to modify the texture. I cooked the skins that were on the thighs to the point of crispy and ground them. This added a noticeable boost to the chicken flavor with no effect on the texture, probably because they cooked down to such a small amount. If you don't fancy raw chicken skins ground up in a chicken sausage, try cooking them to render the fat, then adding the crispy bits. Third, I neutralized the acid in Frank's Hot Sauce to a bind friendly pH of 6. Salt, pepper and a bit more cayenne pepper for additional heat rounded out the recipe. More hot sauce and cayenne are possibilities, though I wouldn't want it at the expense of the chicken flavor.

Chicken thigh meat and fat 1750 g
Chicken skin cooked 60 g
(The skin was 250 g from 12 thighs; seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne then cooked 20 minutes at 350 F on a Silpat, followed by 10 minutes on a rack).

Breadcrumbs 100 g
Chicken stock 200 g concentrated to 100 g

Frank's Red Hot Sauce 100 g
Baking soda 4.58 g
(Stir together in a deep bowl)

Kosher salt 25.3 g
Black pepper 8.4 g
Cayenne pepper 3.25 g

Add and mix into the course ground chicken meat







Not much but big flavor




Link them as they come out if you want cocktail sized sausages (tip from tristar).

I will be giving this one a try soon. Thanks for posting it.

Jen

Thanks Paul, the fried skin and baking soda ideas are something I want to try for sure.
And fYI , none of your pictures come up for me.

I can't see the pics Paul?

Phil

I can't get them to come up either now.

Yay, they're there now!

Ok I got to ask, whats the advantage of linking them as they come off the horn?

If you try to put as much twist in the casing as small cocktail sausages need, it makes the casing so tight that it is likely to burst.

These were good with a bit more hot sauce and blue cheese dressing before the Super Bowl (better than the game).

Got ya, I usually stuff small caliber casing a little loose and then tighen up the links when twisting. I just got some 18-21mm sheeps, so I might give your way a try.

Paul, the Anchor Bar original recipe added a little garlic powder and onion powder to the Frank's. Of course, like everyone else, the Anchor has gone nuts with the flavors, now, but I did the original recipe for a catering gig for a couple from Buffalo. Simple and delicious. Would never have thought to reduce the acid like that.

Gonna try your recipe with a touch of garlic and onion, and going to deep-fry the cocktail sausages for a twist on the crispy...

I'll try that the next time I make these, great ideas.

Hey Paul, Any updates or changes to your original formulation? This is one of the next ones on the list for me. (next time I see thighs on sale)

I'd take Tom's suggestion and add a bit of garlic powder to them. Also know that I'm pretty light on heat so you could give them a shot of Tabasco if you're inclined. I add a bit more Frank's when they're done cooking. I hope you enjoy them.

I just made some. Based on the above comments I added about 1 stick of grated salted good quality butter (I want that hot sauce & BUTTER taste), an extra dash of Frank's, 1tsp garlic powder and 1tsp of onion powder to the mix.

They taste delicious, very juicy - definitely not overpowering or dry.

I will be serving them with some blue cheese dressing and hot dog buns for the super bowl.

You'll be a legend. Enjoy.