How to Make Real Buffalo Sauce (Better Than Store-Bought)
I’ve been seeing a few stockists selling so-called “buffalo sauce,” but when I look at the ingredient lists, they don’t resemble anything of the sort. So, I tend to make mine from scratch.
That said, I like to add a bit of honey, which moves it slightly toward a honey BBQ-style sauce. If you’re a buffalo purist, just leave the honey out of the recipe.
I’ve gone with Frank’s as it’s the traditional choice and the most commonly used base. I’m currently working on my own cayenne sauce, but it’s not quite where I want it to be just yet.
Ingredients
- 148ml bottle of Frank’s Redhot Original Sauce
- 3 tablespoons of honey
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter or margarine
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Optional
- 1 teaspoon of cornflour (for a slurry)
Method
- In a saucepan, slowly melt the butter or margarine over low heat — make sure it doesn’t get too hot.
- Once melted, whisk in the garlic powder.
- Add the buffalo sauce and honey.
- Add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
- Keep the pan on low heat and whisk until everything has fully combined.
That’s your base buffalo sauce done.
The next step is optional, depending on your preference.
If you like your sauce a little thicker (as I do), mix 1 teaspoon of cornflour with an equal amount of water in a small bowl until smooth, then add it to the sauce. Increase the temperature slightly so the cornflour can activate, but be careful not to bring it to a boil — boiling can cause the emulsion of butter and hot sauce to separate.
If the emulsion does break, don’t panic. Pour the sauce into a NutriBullet or any high-powered blender and pulse a few times to re-emulsify it. This will smooth out the texture and make the sauce beautifully velvety.
If you prefer a little more heat, add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder, or prefer it a little more tangy, add a splash of white vinegar.
