Recently my boyfriend and I have made a discovery, and it’s called Buffalo Wild Wings. At least twice a week we are frequenting this dimly lit sports bar, and watching games together as we eat our saucy wings. Once on Thursday night when the boneless wings are only .60 cents, and again whenever the craving hits and we need a wing fix before Thursday hits.
As an on again off again vegetarian, you wouldn’t think that this would be one of favorite date spots, but it is. The feeling of empowerment I get when I order at the high end of the heat spectrum, and my boyfriend orders off the green part of the menu, is amazing. There’s something about being able to handle the heat that gives me rush of power and leaves me feeling like a queen. Sure he may beat me at arm wrestling, be better at video games and have a deeper tan, but I can eat fire.
My secret to this, well I have a few. My wing’s are on the spicy side of the menu, but in reality are fairly tame. Luckily, my boyfriend doesn’t know that, and he watches in awe as I eat wings that on paper should have me crying lava, and you can too with these Buffalo Wild Wings life hacks.
Tip 1: Balance It Out
When you order wings at Buffalo Wild Wings you have the ability to make your meal your way. You pick the sauces, the dipping sauces, and the veggies. For a well rounded meal, pick more then one wing sauce and mix it up.
On Boneless Wing Night Thursday’s, I like to get 3 serving of chicken, with 4 pieces a serving. On Wing Night you can get as many wings as you want per flavor, as long as you order at least 4, so I like to order a variety of my favorites.
4 Green or Light Orange like Teriyaki or Honey BBQ
4 Orange like Asian Zing (my personal favorite)
4 Dark Orange or Red like Thai Curry or Mango Habanero
To mix up the heat, I eat one wing from each flavor, hottest to mildest, to give my mouth a break (ie. Thai Curry, Asian Zing, Honey BBQ, Thai Curry, Asian Zing….). I like going hottest right off the bat when I can still handle the fire and can taste the flavors layered under the heat.
Tip 2: Go Sweet or Go Home
My boyfriend LOVES straight buffalo sauce, but with that flavor even Mild is packing a serious punch. If buffalo sauce is your jam too, you can work your way up the hotter end of the scale with Mild, Medium, Hot and Blazin Buffalo sauce to choose from. If your like however, you might need to cheat a little, and sugar is the way to do it.
To order higher on the heat scale, but not hotter, look for something with some sweetness to it. Honey BBQ, Asian Zing, Korean BBQ(limited time flavor and ridiculously good), Mango Habanero, Korean BBQ all have an undeniable sweet flavor that cuts through the heat. As a bonus the Mango Habanero is ranked the 3’rd hottest sauce on the menu, making you look like a wing pro when you order it.
(Be warned: I have a pretty good heat tolerance at this point, but Mango Habanero had my eyes and nose running like a faucet. I finished them though, cause you know, I’m a pro.)
Tip 3: Dip Like Your Life Depends On It
When you place your order, you are given the option of ordering Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing on the side. This dressing is crucial to numbing some of the heat, don’t skimp! Personally, I am not a huge fan of Blue Cheese on wings because I think the flavor is a little too overpowering so I stick with Ranch.
When I’m having a really hot night, like Mango Habenero hot, I go with the lesser known third option, Sour Cream. Sour Cream is the perfect accompaniment to a super heated wing, its thick creamy texture clings to the chicken and tames the flame. It acts like a puffy cloud protector, keeping the spicy sauce form your lips and protecting your taste buds from receiving the full brunt of the heat. Bless you Sour Cream for always being there to help me feel like a queen.
Tip 4: Smile
Your lips may be on fire, and internally you may be a blazing ball of wing sauce and chicken, but on the outside you are Rihanna, the embodiment of cool.
Pop that chicken in your mouth and smile like its no big deal. Listen to the conversation around you and laugh like it’s no big deal. Take a causal sip of water before carefully blotting your lips to get rid of that hot sauce. Act like the flames don’t bother you, and you’ll be conquering the heat in no time.
Get Empowered
Eating Buffalo Wild Wings may not be the end all be all when it comes to cool, but the astonished faces around you as you show off your amazing tolerance to wing sauce will be enough to keep you feeling like a boss all night. Just remember to mix it up, get something sweet, use lots of sauce and flash a carefree smile every now and then.
For a ranking of all the B-Dubs sauces check out fellow wing lover Kate Cook’s guide to flavor here!