Once upon a time the were no chicken wings.
That”s right, barhoppers looking for a snack had to reach for the pickled egg jar, the tin of smoked oysters packed in swampy oil or a bowl of briny anchovies.
Salvation came in 1964, at least according to the most widely accepted tale. Fifty years ago, the owners of Anchor Bar in Buffalo were expecting a delivery of chicken necks — bars back then served dishes that put hair on a man”s ears — but instead opened up box after box of useless wings.
Uncertain what to do with these throwaways, they decided to fry them up and douse them with hot sauce. The result?
“It”s a good appetizer,” said Jack McCormack, owner of the newly reopened Jack”s Gaslight Grill in downtown Lakeport.
“Good” is perhaps an understatement.
According to the National Chicken Council, Americans pluck 1.25 billion wings during the Super Bowl alone. Domino”s spent more than $30 million rolling out their wing menu back in 1994. Wingstop, which launched that same year as a standalone for the once despised chicken part, rakes in $450 million in annual revenue — far short of Buffalo Wild Wings, fluttering within reach of the $1 billion mark.
More than 80 percent of adults eat wings during the average year.
Most people still prefer the original. The Anchor Bar created a rich and spicy sauce from butter and Tabasco. Yet it”s possible to find such flavors as honey mustard, teriyaki and tongue vaporizing “atomic” versions.
Jack”s Gaslight serves just one version, a battered and fried wing with a little raspy heat mixed into the crust, but no sauce.
“Each has their own,” McCormack said of the favorites. “I want them to be nice and crispy.”
He also bucks the boneless trend.
“So many are basically just chicken and you don”t know what part,” he pointed out. “I like dark meat.”
McCormack introduced wings to the downtown spot when he took over, more than 20 years ago. After a break from the business, he begain renovating the dining room and quietly opened his doors again last week with a menu of burgers, sandwiches and, of course, America”s favorite bar snack.
Wings are not the focus of Jack”s Gaslight Grill, but McCormack admits that it is difficult to imagine a casual place without them. Indeed, national shortages reportedly occurred several times over the past five years as demand exceeded supply.
There are a finite number of birds, after all. The National Chicken Council counts 8.4 billion chickens slaughtered … make that “harvested” — sounds nicer … annually, leaving just 13.5 billion wings for the bar crowds.
It doesn”t add up, I know, but keep in mind that some birds are sold whole. Blame the rotisserie chicken fans.
Anyway, that”s the story. From an unfortunate accident depriving hungry Buffalonians of their chicken necks to a multi-billion dollar food industry and a ”must-have” menu at little downtown joints.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
