Hi everyone…
I opened a pizza shop about a year ago in a more urban/downtown area and we are doing great! But All I hear about is chicken wings! I think its something I can put on the menu and it can probably take over allot of my business. There are people that want something almost instant and with Pizza’s there is a wait… So I wanted to ask a few questions for the guys that have done wings on a big scale.
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- Where’s the best place to buy them in bulk? Is there a place better then just the “Sysco’s” Restaurant Distrubtors? If your buy allot of them?
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- Whats the best temperature to set you fryers to make a perfect wing?
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- How long is the best to fry to get a perfect wing?
*** Because this is something that comes to a bigger point, the speed of getting them in and out… if your cooking from a raw wing - in a safety issue: Can you “Half Cook” the wings in the fryer and have them sitting for 20 minutes to an hour on a tray, then dunk them for lets say 3 minutes? Is there any saftey health problems with that?
What would you say is the best sollution on speed or anything else I should know, if your doing them on a major scale.
Distributors are the best place to buy them, I happen to buy mine from Roma since they just seem to be a more consistent size. If you are using Canola or something similar to fry them in I think 350 is the best temp., but if you are using peanut oil you can go to 375. If using peanut oil though be sure to make it clear to all that you are because of allergies. I like my wings fried at least 10 minutes and think they are best around 12 or 13, cooking from a thawed state. Size will of course make a difference in cook time, I am using a Jumbo wing. You can blanch your wings ahead of time but I have never really spent too much time on that because I feel that quality suffered by doing so. Good luck!
The ideal way to serve wings is to precook them. Ask any wing sauce manufacturer that has been in the business for a long time.
You can buy a precooked wing from sysco. They come frozen. They fry at 350 for 9 minutes or you can thaw them and fry them at 350 for 5 minutes.
You can also buy a fresh wing and bake them completely and fry them to order at 350 for 5 minutes. This is messy and you usually bake off about 13lbs. of a 40lb. case.
You can definitely par-fry the wings to 160F, chill down, then finish. Big volume wing places often od just that for their peak hours. My shop did wings . . . size is absolutely important in this discussion and we iused 6/9’s . . . in cheap canola oil at 325 for 7 minutes or until 160F thermometer reading in thickest drum. Cool at room temp about 30 minutes (down to 85F or so), then into food tub and refrigerate . . . lid when down to 50F. To serve, set temp at 360G to 375F and fry 3+ minutes until crisp.
Our customers demanded a drier wing texture, so this was the bomb. Never more than 6 minutes from enough wings to serve, unless some enormous order came in. We fried all at 350F as the apps and chicken fritters all fried at 350F. Standard holding days as for any other cooked poultry. 3 days is outside for quality, really. You’d really prefer doing them for each day, then hold what you have left to next day at most.
Very Nice thanks guys I appreciate the help and information! 