With Moon Over Buffalo opening soon, we thought it appropriate to talk about Buffalo—not really Buffalo, New York, but Buffalo Wings! The play is not about football, or Buffalo Wings, but what can we say…we got hungry. The show’s director and a few of our staff were asked for their thoughts and/or recipes for hot wings or other foods that are just right for a cold, January night.
A Recipe from Jasmine S. (Director of MCT’s Moon Over Buffalo)
I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to Buffalo wings, but I do enjoy a honey BBQ or a Parmesan garlic wing! As for the recipe, unfortunately my creative mind does not translate to cooking. I will say that Buffalo Wild Wings has BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I took advantage of a lot when I worked there for two months.
A Recipe from Adam C.
As the resident Buffalo, New York transplant at MCT, I feel obligated to share a few survival tips for ordering wings should you ever find yourself in the greater Buffalo area. First, use the proper terms: “drums or flats”. You can ask for any mix and ordering them extra crispy is perfectly normal. Most importantly, never, and I mean never, ask for ranch dressing. Buffalo may be the “City of Good Neighbors,” but ordering ranch instead of blue cheese is a fast way to test that reputation.
With that settled, here is a recipe for another Buffalo classic…
Beef on Weck**
Ingredients
- 2–3 lb. top round or eye of round roast
- Salt and pepper
- 6–8 kummelweck rolls (or Kaiser rolls with Weck topping; see below)
- 3 cups of beef broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- Egg white, coarse salt, and caraway seeds (for Weck topping)
- Prepared horseradish
Instructions
1. Roast the Beef
- Season roast with salt and pepper, sear on all sides, then roast at 325°F until 125–130°F internal temp.
- Rest, then slice very thin.
2. Make Au Jus
- Simmer beef broth, Worcestershire, and any drippings.
3. Make the Weck Rolls
If you do not have real kummelweck rolls:
- Brush Kaiser rolls with egg white, sprinkle with coarse salt + caraway, bake 3–5 minutes to set the topping.
4. Assemble
- Warm sliced beef in the jus.
- Dip the top roll lightly in jus (optional but traditional).
- Pile beef on roll, add horseradish, and serve with extra jus.
**”Weck” most commonly refers to the kummelweck roll, a seeded bread roll with coarse salt and caraway, famous as the foundation for Buffalo, NY’s iconic Beef on Weck sandwich (rare roast beef, au jus, horseradish).
A Recipe from Amy E.
Step 1, go to “Despo” (a Missoula IFKYK).
Step 2, Order Wings!
A Recipe from Amy H.
Gasoline Wings
Soak wings in salt water for at least 1hour
Fry or Bake (chef didn’t offer temp or time………you’re on your own)
Combine:
1 stick of melted butter
½ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
5 or 6 large cloves of fresh garlic, minced
Microwave wing sauce for 1 minute
Toss wings in sauce
(Editor suggestion: have a glass of cold milk nearby to put out the fire!)
A Recipe from Eric P.
Hot Chicken Wings (Not Buffalo Wings per se-I don’t know how they do it in Buffalo)
You will need:
10 lbs. of Chicken Wings
4 Sticks of Salted Butter
2 Bottles (12 oz.) of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (No other kind will do!)
Other Hot Pepper Sauces (Such as Tabasco, Louisiana, Others) to add heat. In smaller amounts, to taste. Added to Frank’s but not substituted for Frank’s!
1.) Melt the butter in a very large saucepan or stew pot.
2.) Add Frank’s and all other hot sauces.
3.) Cut each wing into 2 pieces (separate at the joint)
4.) Put cut wings into the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes.
5.) Preheat oven to 400 F.
6.) Arrange wings in a single layer in roasting pan or baking sheet and bake for about 20-30 minutes.
7.) You can also grill the wings, but I don’t like this method because the sauce drips through into the charcoal and what good is that?
8.) Serve with Sour Cream, Ranch, or (my favorite) Blue Cheese dressing.
A Recipe from Carlyn S.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded chicken (or canned chicken)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temp for about 20 minutes
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
Optional: 1/2 cup blue cheese or cheddar cheese
Chips for dipping! (Frito’s, tortilla chips, pita bread, etc.)
Directions:
Mix all above ingredients in a bowl. Warm up in your favorite way – either oven or slow-cooker! If using the oven, put the mixed ingredients into a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, till warm and gooey. Or, heat it up in the crock pot for a few hours! I love to dip it with Frito’s, with tortilla chips, or with celery.
HAD ENOUGH TALK OF BUFFALO? HOW ABOUT 1950’S COMFORT FOOD RECIPE:
A Recipe from Terri E.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole (throwback to the time period of the play)
2 lbs. frozen, shredded hash browns
1 pint of sour cream
2 cans of cream of chicken soup (or make from scratch…it’s easy)
8 oz. Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¾ stick of melted butter
Salt (a couple of shakes)
Mix all ingredients together and spread into 13 x 9 pan
Next, mix the following together and spread over the top:
2 and ½ cups crushed corn flakes
¾ stick of melted butter
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour & 15 minutes.