Hot wings have become such an incredibly popular food, it's hard to believe that they really haven't been around that long. Supposedly, the creation of this delicious appetizer was in 1964, just over 50 years ago. The best BBQ restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks has our own, special way of creating the tastiest wings in town, but here is how they are believed to have first come about.
As with most legends, there are conflicting stories about the origin of the hot wing. They do all agree that it was introduced in Buffalo, New York, lending to the popular name of "Buffalo Wings." In the 1960's, the chicken wing was considered the least desirable part of the bird. If it wasn't automatically thrown away, it was only good to use for stock.
- The most popular origin stories revolve around Teressa Bellissimo, a Buffalo, New York restaurant owner. One account chalks the appetizer creation up to a mistake. She and her husband Frank were expecting a delivery of necks, which they used to make spaghetti sauce for their establishment, the Anchor Bar. Frank convinced her to get creative rather than waste the shipment. Teressa chose to deep-fry the naked wings, toss them in some hot sauce, and serve them up with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks.
- Their son, Dominic, remembers the story a little differently. He says that his mother created the wings after he asked her to make up something special late on a Friday night. Most of their customers were Catholic and weren't eating meat on Fridays. Since they had been spending lots of money in the bar that evening, Dominic wanted to offer them up a special treat at midnight as a thank you for their patronage.
- One last twist on this tale was that Teressa came up with her amazing wings one night when Dominic and his friends from college came in hungry. The one thing that all of these stories has in common is Teressa and her creative use of a throw-away meat.
- There is one story that does not involve Mrs. Bellissimo. John Young says that he grew up eating chicken wings, and he created a special "Mambo Sauce" to go with them. His wings were breaded before they were deep-fried, and the drummies and flats were not separated before cooking. He registered the name of his restaurant, Wings 'n' Things, in the mid-60's before he left Buffalo in 1970.
Regardless of the true origin, throughout the 1970's wings grew in popularity first through Buffalo, then through all of New York, and eventually beyond. Today hot wings are offered as an appetizer on most menus, and are probably the most popular food to have when you watch the game. They can be prepared smoked, fried, naked, breaded, or trashed (dipped in the fryer, tossed in sauce, then fried again), and the sauces available are endless.
Wobbly Boots Roadhouse chooses to coat our jumbo chicken wings in a dry rub before we slow roast them in our hickory pit. They are served up in orders of 5, 10, 20, or 30 with your choice of four incredible sauces: our House-recipe BBQ sauce, Original, Chipotle Buffalo, and Teriyaki. These tender, fall-off-the-bone wings are a favorite dish that you can get in our restaurant, and at our sister restaurants Dog Days Bar & Grill and Shorty Pants Lounge.
The best BBQ restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks knows hot wings. The next time you are craving this savory appetizer, head on over to Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Osage Beach. If the Bellissimo's or John Young could taste our version, we know they'd be proud.
Voted the BEST BBQ At Lake of the Ozarks by Lake Lifestyles Readers' Poll!!
Dining Hours:
11am - 10pm, 7 Days Week
Bar Hours:
11am - 1am, Mon-Sat
4717 Osage Beach Parkway
Osage Beach, MO 65065
573-348-2277
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