Behind the Seasoning: Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce
The recognizable flavor of buffalo can be found on much more than wings. Why the popularity? It probably has something to do with our love of big, bold flavor and (of course) hot sauce.
Many of our seasonings are inspired by popular condiments and sauces. For example, our Tarragon Citrus Shallot Seasoning is basically a dry form of a classic béarnaise sauce. And Harissa Spice Mix is our rendition of the spicy condiment found on most Moroccan tables. So it made sense that we took the same approach with one of America’s favorite condiments—Buffalo sauce. Below is a brief history of Buffalo sauce as well as the behind-the-scenes inspiration for Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce.
What is Buffalo Spice?
For two centuries, maybe longer, Americans have loved hot sauces. By the late 1800s, Tabasco® had become the first mass marketed hot sauce. Many other purveyors got in on the action and in 1920 one of these men, Jacob Frank, created a sauce that would become inextricably linked to Americana.
While myth, hearsay, and legend shroud the creation of some favorite foods, there is a consensus that buffalo wings were created in (where else) the city of Buffalo, New York. There are a few variations of the story but they all converge at the Anchor Bar in 1964, where proprietor Teressa Bellissimo cooked up some chicken wings and tossed them in a mouthwatering combination of butter and Frank’s® RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce.
While they were an instant hit with Buffalonians, it took nearly two decades for these blue-collar bar snacks to catch on in other parts of the country. But, eventually, they caught on…big time. During the Super Bowl each year, Americans consume buffalo wings at the staggering rate of more than 1 billion servings. And that’s only during one weekend!
What Does Buffalo Seasoning Taste Like?
Three words: tangy, spicy, buttery. The popularity of Buffalo chicken spice just might stem from the fact that it touches on competing tastebuds. Tangy vinegar touches our sour flavor receptors while cayenne adds that spicy tingle of heat. Worcestershire hits all the umami notes and, of course, there's some salt too.
What spices are in buffalo seasoning?
We've mentioned that Buffalo wing sauce is typically made from hot sauce and butter. Many Buffalo chicken wing sauce recipes will also include Worcestershire Sauce as well as additional seasonings like garlic or cayenne. Our Buffalo chicken spice blend contains a dry hot sauce powder, dry white wine vinegar powder, and a dry Worcestershire sauce. We call it Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce because it's all of the flavor of buffalo sauce packed into a powdered seasoning. For maximum flavor, we also add a few more spices - including a little extra garlic.
Buffalo sauce spice level
You might be wondering, "How spicy is buffalo wings spice?" That really depends on who is making it. The level of chiles or hot sauce can vary. Generally speaking, buffalo is medium hot and is rarely the hottest of hot wings. You can always make it spicier by adding more cayenne or other chiles and both ranch dressing and bleu cheese dip have cooling effects.
How to Use Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce
You can easily transform our Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce back into a wet buffalo sauce. Simply mix equal parts spice, oil, and water. For a more authentic version, use melted butter.
But that's definitely not the only way to use Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce. Savory’s founder, Mike Johnston, was the mastermind behind it shared his enthusiasm:
“Having a dry form of Buffalo sauce opens up a bunch of opportunities in the kitchen. Using our Buffalo seasonings you can now add that one-of-a-kind, tangy, and zesty Buffalo flavor to snacks like popcorn, fries, or even garlic bread without worrying about making them soggy. What’s more, if you’re craving a liquid Buffalo sauce for your wings and don’t have one on hand, you simply reach into your spice rack and make your own by mixing our Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce with equal parts oil and water.”
Where & How to Buy Buffalo Chicken Spice Rub
Making your own Buffalo Sauce is easy. After all, the original version is just hot sauce and butter. But packing all of those flavors into a dry seasoning is a little trickier and takes more ingredients than most home pantries have. Don't worry! We carry both Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce both online and at your local store.
What Spices Go Well with Buffalo Sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a ready-to-go flavor. You don't really need to add anything to this balance of spices and tangy flavor. But if you want to customize the flavor of Buffalo Wing Dry Sauce, here are a few possibilities...
- Garlic Parmesan Buffalo Sauce: Add a generous amount of parmesan cheese and Garlic Powder to taste
- Smoky Buffalo Sauce: Add Smoked Spanish Sweet Paprika (or Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika if you want to kick up the heat)
- Honey Buffalo Wing Sauce: Add Honey Powder to taste
What spices go with buffalo chicken?
Buffalo spices, or rather buffalo chicken wings, are notoriously paired with either ranch or bleu cheese.
Recipes Using Buffalo Seasoning
Food & Wine says, "With a little bit of ingenuity and a lot of hot sauce, you can buffalo anything you want." We completely agree. The benefit of these seasonings are they they are powdered, so they don't add liquid to anything you're seasoning...making them even more versatile. So get creative and consider these ideas for buffalo chicken spices.
Buffalo Chicken Spice Recipes
Buffalo Spiced Snack Recipes
Buffalo Flavored Comfort Food Recipes
Craving Buffalo wings yet? Try our Red Bell Ranch or other Dips & Dressings with your wings. Want to go beyond Buffalo? We put together a more expanded list of Spices & Seasonings for Chicken if you want to explore more.
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