Good Eats Baked Buffalo Wings

I love buffalo wings, but not all the deep frying that is involved. I was watching "Good Eats" one day and Alton Brown's fool proof method to delicious buffalo wings was discovered! I did make a few adjustments to this recipe that helped me out... but stayed true to the original for the most part. This method may be a little time consuming, but the end result of crispy, fall of the bone, tender wings is well worth it. The cook time includes the 1 hour in which the wings rest/cool in the refrigerator before baking.

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 12  whole chicken wings (tips removed and cut at the joint)
• 3  ounces unsalted butter
• 1  small garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄4 cup  louisiana hot sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
•  bleu cheese salad dressing (optional)
•  celery (optional)

Directions

1. Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry.
4. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
6. Replace the paper towels with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with a little non-stick spray.
7. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.
8. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
9. If you are like me and like your wings a little browner and crispier, broil them for an additional 5-10 minutes.
10. While the wings are roasting, melt the butter in a small saucepan along with the garlic.
11. Pour this along with hot sauce and the optional salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.
12. Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce.
13. Serve warm with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks if desired.