Help me with my wing sauce!

[Jared_mizanin]

I work at a restaurant/bar and we have been buying a tasty wing sauce for years. However, the price per gallon is pretty high ($20/gallon). I have therefore decided to try my hand at making some homemade sauce. The sauce, by the way, is a mild sauce that is very sweet, with the thickness of barbeque sauce but without the barbeque taste (no smoke flavor).

Here's what I have done:

Tomato paste (about 50 oz.), to which I added plenty of water.
Plenty of brown sugar (2 standard boxes).
White distilled vinegar
Yellow Mustard--just a squirt
Light and Dark Corn Syrup
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Pineapple Juice--about a cup

It tastes pretty good; I just made it today so will let the flavors blend overnight. But I am wondering...what else could I add? I still think it needs something. I did some googling and certain sauces utilize orange juice or honey. Any suggestions?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Your wing sauce has no heat, try half a bottle of Crystal Hot Sauce and add more if it needs more zip.

 

[Dawgluver]

Yes, heat. Franks Hot Sauce would work too.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

How would you like the original Anchor Bar recipe?

 

[Cerise]

I was just getting the link from my collection for Anchor Bar's Buffalo Wings.

Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe - Anchor Bar Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe - Buffalo Chicken Wings

Another idea/suggetion is Bloody Mary Mix, worcestershire, Tabasco,

 

[pacanis]

...what else could I add? I still think it needs something.

What "something" do you think it is missing? Heat, texture, flavor? Something that other sauce has and yours does not?
If it were me, I would not add orange juice or honey with the pineapple juice already in it. I'm a big fan or honey to sweeten, thicken and give it that stickiness people expect from honey wings. I would play with one or the other first, until you hit on something.
And adding raw garlic is very different than garlic powder. That will change the flavor and also bring some bite to the sauce in the right quantity. Worcester will give the sauce some depth. Just don't add too much.
And I'm assuming you are cooking this, not just mixing it together and letting it sit overnight?

So many variables, especially without knowing what it is you are looking for.

 

[jennyema]

You've basically made sweetened ketchup.

Is that what you are after?

If so, it would probably be easier and cheaper to start with ketchup as your base.

But honestly I've never heard of ketchup as a wing sauce and would be very disappointed to be served something like that.

 

[GotGarlic]

There's no salt or fat in your sauce. Salt enhances the flavors in foods and some flavors are fat-soluble and so won't be apparent without fat. Maybe cook your spices in a little oil and then add the rest of the ingredients.

 

[Jared_mizanin]

Thanks for the replies, guys! I will add more info later--hard to type on my phone A problem I am having is the strongish scent/ taste of tomato paste. How do I rid of that?
And yes, I did cook the mix for quite a while to thicken. I will repost later with the official sauce's ingredient list which I am trying to replicate.

 

[jennyema]

Like I said, you have made ketchup.

Which obviously has a strong tomato taste.

IMO you'd be better off starting out with a bottle of ketchup rather than bothering to make your own.

Then add in other ingredients to temper the tomato taste. But it will always taste of tomato since that's the base ingredient.

Are you sure you want your chicken wings to taste like that?

Heinz Tomato Ketchup:
INGREDIENTS:
Tomato concentrate made from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, ("garlic powder" has now been omitted from the ingredient list here), natural flavoring.

 

[GotGarlic]

Thanks for the replies, guys! I will add more info later--hard to type on my phone A problem I am having is the strongish scent/ taste of tomato paste. How do I rid of that?
And yes, I did cook the mix for quite a while to thicken. I will repost later with the official sauce's ingredient list which I am trying to replicate.

Well, you have about 6 cups of tomato paste in the sauce. but you don't give the measures of the other ingredients, so it's difficult to give advice. What flavor profile are you trying to achieve?

 

[salt and pepper]

Your recipe sounds too sweet for me. I like the real thing.(hot wing sauce). Spend the twenty bucks. A gallon should go a long way. Also, the price of wings has gone out of sight. I use legs instead. For my sauce I like Franks Hot sauce.
1-cup Franks hot sauce
1/4 lb unsalted butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp celery seed

If you don't want it so hot use 1/2 cup Franks and 1/2 cup honey. Cook and blend till hot and mix in a large bowl and serve.
On the other hand, a good sweet sauce is just , honey mustard sauce.

 

[salt and pepper]

 

[Jared_mizanin]

Thanks again, everyone.

At our bar-restaurant, we have many flavors (teriyaki, bbq, honey mustard, garlic, garlic parmesan, frank's red hot, buffalo ranch, cajun, lime pepper, garlic pepper, etc). Three of our popular sauces are mild, hot, and lava (all made from Maw's sauce here in Cleveland). Below is the ingredient list for the mild wings:

Tomato Concentrate (tomato concentrate from red vine-ripened tomatoes, corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt, natural flavors), Brown Sugar, Water, Mustard (distilled vinegar, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, spices), Distilled Vinegar, Spices, Granulated Garlic.

And here is the hot:

Tomato Concentrate, Brown Sugar, Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Corn Syrup, Mustard Seed, Pepper, Salt, Onion Powder, Spices, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Turmeric.

Neither taste like ketchup, although the list of ingredients sure is similar. And neither have a strong tomato paste scent/flavor. How can I neutralize that?

Sorry everyone for the questions...I'm not a very good cook!

 

[Jared_mizanin]

 

[Jared_mizanin]

So now that I have added the ingredient list above, I have another question:

What is tomato concentrate? Was I correct to use tomato paste + water? Is there a tomato concentrate that has less of that "paste" taste to it? Or do I just add more vinegar. Does vinegar neutralize that taste? I have added about 1.5 cups of vinegar.

 

[Slitke]

I'd get rid of the corn syrup and use a dark amber maple syrup, or even b grade. I'd also skip the pineapple. You got too much sweet going on. Add some sea salt, white, black, and red pepper. And maybe swap out the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar. That might make it less tomatoey.

If you want heat, maybe some puréed jalapeño?

 

[Jared_mizanin]

Thanks, Slitke. I like your suggestion of the apple cider vinegar. I will have to try out the maple syrup, too, and add some pepper and salt.

 

[Vanitas]

If you don't want it so hot use 1/2 cup Franks and 1/2 cup honey. Cook and blend till hot and mix in a large bowl and serve.

I had to just ask my husband if he had joined the site - that's exactly how he makes them, using legs as well. It is one of the best wing sauces I've ever had! It also is a good compromise for us because he can't stand heat and I love my food SPICY!!!

Now, back to the topic at hand!

If the tomato taste is too overpowering, what if you simply used a little less tomato paste? Then to give it a more robust flavour add a little Worcestershire, cayenne pepper and/or hot sauce. Like has been said already, ditch the corn syrup and try using a bold maple syrup. What about some mustard powder?

Sauces are tricky things because you can just do SO many different things. Play around with it and keep us posted!!