National Culinary Review

Asian-Style BBQ Duck Wings

Ha Tran, Production Chef
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Ind.

Yield: 6 servings

“wings are simple, delicious, consistent in
sizing, texture and taste, and they are
universally loved." —Dean Corbett

2 lbs. Maple Leaf Farms duck wings
1 t. crushed red pepper
¼ cup oyster sauce
2 T. sugar
²/³ cup water
2 t. cornstarch
2 t. white vinegar
3 T. cooking oil
2 garlic cloves
1 t. fresh ginger
1 t. toasted sesame seeds
Green onions, thinly sliced

“When we first started, two years ago, we
had a bone-in wing that was deep-fried
and tossed in a hot sauce, like everybody
does,” Bowers says. “But we changed to
a boneless wing to cut costs. Now that
things have leveled off, we’re offering the
boneless and the bone-in jumbo wings.”
His version is smothered turkey wings,
and the recipe is used by the Washington,
D.C.-based National Turkey Federation
in its marketing efforts. The wings are
braised in chicken stock in a sauté pan.
Then, Stafford ladles housemade onion
gravy over them. “The gravy sticks to the
wings—it’s not a separate thing,” he says.

1) In deep fryer, fry duck wings 2½ minutes. Reserve hot. 2) Mix pepper, oyster sauce, sugar, water, cornstarch and vinegar. Reserve. 3) Put oil, garlic and ginger in saucepan; cook until fragrance released. Add sauce; cook until thickened. 4) Toss hot wings in sauce until wings are covered. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

At Big Daddy’s Burger Bar, Long prefers
bone-in because it keeps the meat moist,
“as long as you don’t overcook it,” he says.
“They get a nice crunchy texture on the
outside and are moist in the center.”
Long also serves jumbo wings, 9-11
wings per pound. “We always check the
biggest piece per batch to be sure they
are cooked,” he says. “When the wings are
floating on top, they are done.”
Duck wings are another alternative to
chicken wings. Ha Tran, production chef
at Purdue University in West Lafayette,
Ind., experimented with duck wing samples
from Maple Leaf Farms, Milford, Ind. He
created Asian-style duck wings, which are
now served at the international station in
the university’s dining court.

Tran says that while duck wings are more expensive, an advantage is that something different from chicken wings is being served. Also, duck wings are larger.

About eight or nine wings are in each serving. “I have found customers prefer the drummie presentation over the full wing,” says Corbett.

Stafford at Delta’s Restaurant serves three-part turkey wings—the drumstick, and the wing separated into two parts. “It’s nicer for presentation, instead of a crossed-leg turkey wing, which looks strange,” he says. Another reason the parts are separated is that the drumstick cooks longer.

Boneless wings also are served at 12 Baltimore Café, and Bowers says they are actually chicken tenders. They can be either coated with hot sauce or barbecue sauce, or served with the sauce on the side. Both types come in a six-wing serving.

WINGS OF A DIFFERENT BIRD
Delta’s turkey wings are vastly different
from chicken wings, says Stafford. “They
are larger than chicken wings, and cooked
differently. A lot of people ask for fried
turkey wings, but I find them a little tough,
as they come from a large bird. When
chicken is fried, you get different results.”
“Wings are huge with college students.
And we are serving a huge number of
international students who love to eat
duck meat,” he says. “We are serving
both chicken and duck wings, but I was
pleasantly surprised that the duck wings
were so tender and meaty.”