To the one reader in the United Kingdom and the one in Poland!
Good evening and thank you and this post is for you.
Disappointingly, a crockpot in the United States is also referred to as a crockpot in Britain and Poland. It's a wicked shame, really, because I've been belaboring all these years that people in Europe have really kick-ass names for things (i.e. jumper = sweater).
And, as it turns out even further, chicken wings here in America are just still chicken wings in England and Poland.
Bloody hell and niech to szlag trafi.
Anyway.
Chicken wings + crockpot = way easy
Yeah, I know this seems like a stupid post, right? I mean, there's not a whole lot you CAN'T put into your slow-cooker these days (same rules as a few days ago apply, readers, no shoes, no kids, no pets)...so why would chicken wings be any different? Of course, you can put them in your crockpot.
It depends on how you want them, of course. Slow-cooking is braising, at which you break meat and other meaty tissue down by cooking them in heated water over a long period of time. For roasts and tough cuts of meat, braising is the way to go. The moisture and heat and time tenderizes the meat wonderfully. Sure you can braise Chateaubriands, filets, loin and such, but why would you? They're already tenderlicious.
However, if I want a nice, yummy, sliceable roast beef, I do not opt for the crockpot. I want the brown, crusty crust on a roast...and I won't get that from a braise. I'll get meat that pulls apart very easily, and I certainly won't be able to slice it. Now...if I'm making a French dip, then yeah, crockpot all the way.
But, back to El Pollo. I assumed the same principle would hold true for chicken. Chicken wing eaters (the real serious ones) seem to prefer crispy wings...a result you'll get from frying or roasting. Not braising. I'll braise if I'm doing shredded chicken for enchiladas or soup or whathaveyou...but not for whole little chicken wingies. There's not much meat on those things anyway, and I don't want it disintegrating into the liquid.
Unless. You've buy the wings that's got the skin on (the opposite of skinless). Then, your meat-staying-on problem has been solved. Rinse your wings, season your wings, dump your glaze or sauce over the wings, and let the crockpot go for six hours. Magic!
I used a raspberry glaze, which is why the final result is so dark. I think I've got to continue playing with the glaze, because strangely enough, the fruity flavor of the glaze did not really come through. Nor did the jalapeño I added for heat as well.
And I don't mind testing these again (and again and again), because it's so wind-beneath-my-wings easy!
Good evening and thank you and this post is for you.
Disappointingly, a crockpot in the United States is also referred to as a crockpot in Britain and Poland. It's a wicked shame, really, because I've been belaboring all these years that people in Europe have really kick-ass names for things (i.e. jumper = sweater).
And, as it turns out even further, chicken wings here in America are just still chicken wings in England and Poland.
Bloody hell and niech to szlag trafi.
Anyway.
Chicken wings + crockpot = way easy
Yeah, I know this seems like a stupid post, right? I mean, there's not a whole lot you CAN'T put into your slow-cooker these days (same rules as a few days ago apply, readers, no shoes, no kids, no pets)...so why would chicken wings be any different? Of course, you can put them in your crockpot.
It depends on how you want them, of course. Slow-cooking is braising, at which you break meat and other meaty tissue down by cooking them in heated water over a long period of time. For roasts and tough cuts of meat, braising is the way to go. The moisture and heat and time tenderizes the meat wonderfully. Sure you can braise Chateaubriands, filets, loin and such, but why would you? They're already tenderlicious.
However, if I want a nice, yummy, sliceable roast beef, I do not opt for the crockpot. I want the brown, crusty crust on a roast...and I won't get that from a braise. I'll get meat that pulls apart very easily, and I certainly won't be able to slice it. Now...if I'm making a French dip, then yeah, crockpot all the way.
But, back to El Pollo. I assumed the same principle would hold true for chicken. Chicken wing eaters (the real serious ones) seem to prefer crispy wings...a result you'll get from frying or roasting. Not braising. I'll braise if I'm doing shredded chicken for enchiladas or soup or whathaveyou...but not for whole little chicken wingies. There's not much meat on those things anyway, and I don't want it disintegrating into the liquid.
Unless. You've buy the wings that's got the skin on (the opposite of skinless). Then, your meat-staying-on problem has been solved. Rinse your wings, season your wings, dump your glaze or sauce over the wings, and let the crockpot go for six hours. Magic!
I used a raspberry glaze, which is why the final result is so dark. I think I've got to continue playing with the glaze, because strangely enough, the fruity flavor of the glaze did not really come through. Nor did the jalapeño I added for heat as well.
And I don't mind testing these again (and again and again), because it's so wind-beneath-my-wings easy!
Then there's of us, that like the faux pas version of Breaded Wings. (I like the crunch and the fact that the sauce soaks in to the breading adding MORE FLAVOR)
ReplyDeleteOf course it gets worse, the sacrilegious thought, of going breaded/boneless so you can get as hot as you want, as yummy as you want, and you minimize the mess and the danger of serious Capsaicin burns!
Thanks, Ryan, for your post! I suspect I could do an entire post here about the different categories of wings-eaters! Thanks for reading!
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