Introduction: Easy and Amazing Roasted Garlic Hot Wing Sauce

By Darren Landrum dot Com
About: I was born in 1976 in the town of Atascadero, California, which translates to "mud hole." It's an apt description, believe me. It was after moving to Colorado that I got interested in the sciences, and in musi…

As everyone around here might know, I'm a total wing nut. But the other thing I am is a tightwad, so instead of shelling out too much money for the inferior wings at a certain national chain just so I can have their roasted garlic sauce, I decided to try it myself at home. This is the result.

Clearly, my food photography skills need a little work. I even have a nice new DSLR camera. Still, you should be able to get the idea. And it is a very easy recipe.

Step 1: The Players

This is literally a six-ingredient sauce:
  • Anywhere from 18 to 24 ounces of vinegar-based hot sauce. I use various Frank's knock-offs and store brands. No sense using the expensive stuff here.
  • Some honey to take the edge off the sauce and add a bit of sweetness.
  • 8 to 10 heads of garlic, depending on their size and how little you care about your breath.
  • Some salt for roasting the garlic.
  • Some oil, again for roasting the garlic. I use olive oil.
  • 1 stick of butter, cut into pieces, though you don't need to do that until later.
For tools, you need a food processor, though a blender should also do the job. You'll also need a skillet or other pan for simmering, a whisk, and a spatula.

Step 2: Celebrity Roast

The first step is the hardest part: roasting the garlic. A great deal of you probably already know how to do this, in which case, you can skip to the next step, but if not...

Really, all you need to do is cut the tops off of the heads, being careful not to waste too much, drizzle the remainder in oil and salt, wrap it all up in a foil burrito, then bake at 400 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes or so. It should look like the fourth photo when it's done.

Step 3: Cast Iron Man

While the garlic is cooling down after the stint in the oven, let's deal with the hot sauce and honey. Just dump all the hot sauce in the skillet or pan, squeeze in a bit of honey (how much is up to you - I don't like a lot), and bring it to a good simmer. I let it simmer down for 10-15 minutes while the garlic cools.

The heat from this step is essential in the next step, where we blend it all together with the butter.

EDIT: There might be some confusion as to how much honey to add. I add no more than about two tablespoons, and usually less than that.

Step 4: Blend It Like Beckham

Squeeze the roasted garlic into the food processor bowl. This part looks a little gross, but it tastes wonderful. Roasted garlic really has a nice character to it. Once that's done, get the butter ready, then pour the "just off the stove" hot sauce and honey mixture into it. We need all that heat to melt the butter while the food processor spins.

After you pour in the hot sauce mixture, start up your processor, then drop in the butter, one pat at a time, waiting for each one to incorporate into the sauce (it doesn't take long). Keep going until it's all in there. You might want to wipe down the sides and lid of the bowl once to make sure everything's mixed together.

Step 5: You Are the Sauce Beneath My Wings

After that, it's just a matter of letting it cool, and putting it in a container in the fridge. Use it like you would use any other wing sauce. You can even dip fries in if you want.