ABCNews.com posted an article a few weeks ago about Jack Melnick’s Corner Tap in Chicago, IL, a pub that claims it has the hottest wings in the world:
| “Visit Jack Melnick’s Corner Tap, where the neighborhood pub in Chicago is serving up chicken wings, and you might be surprised to hear a range of expletives.
They’re so hot that patron Dave Brooks equated them with ‘torture.’ … What sets these wings apart is what Melnick’s claims is an extract from one of nature’s spiciest peppers, the Red Savina. It’s imported from India. Kelly says that when he buys the peppers, he has to sign a waiver saying ‘that we are going to be responsible — that we are chefs, it’s a culinary-driven purchase.’ … Level of Spiciness Just how hot is the Red Savina? To find out, “Nightline” sent a vial of pepper extract to the Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico. Experts measured the level of spiciness on the scientifically tested Scoville Scale and found Savina measured twice as hot as a Habanero pepper and 65 times spicier than a jalapeno. In fact, the Red Savina’s oils are so irritating to the human body that they’re used to make pepper spray. Back at the restaurant, Kelly showed “Nightline” the secret recipe. The recipe starts by mixing pureed habaneros with a house sauce. “All by itself that’s plenty hot,” Kelly said. He then carefully added five drops of the Red Savina extract and poured the mixture into a blender before finally adding it to the chicken wings. |
Those in the know can tell you that an extract doesn’t necessarily have the heat level of the particular hot chile from which it comes. In fact, it can be much, much higher – the red savina’s scoville heat units can be in the neighborhood of 350,000 to 550,000 – so it’s currently unknown if the sauce Melnick’s uses is comparable to the pepper or if it would leave the red savina in the dust. I would be curious to know how it would fare in a scoville heat test. Hardcore chileheads have heard of and eaten wings cooked with sauce in the one million scoville units range and beyond, so would Melnick’s claim hold up as being the hottest wings in the world? Nonetheless, Jack Melnick’s Corner Tap is probably a destination all adventurous chilehead travelers through the Windy City should visit.
Article Link: You Are What You Eat: Spicy Chicken Wings