The Ingredient That Makes Buffalo Wild Wings Taste So Good

There's a wide and fascinating world of chicken wings out there, rich with history. From being used predominantly for stock or thrown out because nobody wanted them, to the Buffalo wing boom of the 1960s, to today's friendly competition between America's best Buffalo wings.

One of the bigger names in the chicken wing game is Buffalo Wild Wings. While every chicken wing place does something to set itself apart, such as Wingstop's quick grab-and-go style or Hooters... well, you know what they offer, Buffalo Wild Wings does more than most when it isn't embroiled in chicken nugget v. boneless wing lawsuits. Besides the wall-to-wall TVs playing every sports event possible and the nearly 30 flavors of wings, they also use a special frying substance to add that special touch. That substance is beef shortening, and Buffalo Wild Wings uses it to add a touch of meaty, umami savoriness behind their wings without altering the flavor enough to clash with any of its sauces and dry rubs.

Beef shortening is essentially beef tallow, with beef tallow being the rendered fat from various cuts of beef, such as ribs and rump roast. It's similar to suet, in that suet is fat from around the kidneys. However, beef shortening can also refer to beef tallow that has something added to it, such as preservatives, or it could also refer to the definition of shortening, which is any type of fat that's solid at room temperature. Which brings us back to "essentially beef tallow."

Regardless of the technicalities and etymology of all these ingredients, the effects and how you use them are essentially the same. For effects, it offers that light meaty umami flavor that isn't strong enough to overpower your main flavors. As for uses, besides deep frying, as Buffalo Wild Wings does, it can take the place of most oils or fats. You can melt it in a pan instead of butter or oil for cooking, you can mix it into crusts for savory pies, you can use it to make fries that taste like McDonald's used to, and you can even spread it on bread as a snack. Grab some at the supermarket if you can find it, or from a butcher if you can't, and give it a whirl yourself.