Starting Lineup

All Star Hot Wings
7537 Highway 64
Memphis, TN 38133
(901)388-1047

A routine stop to a place we have never been left my brother and I in amazement. We were surprised that we had never been here and that they had some extremely hot wings. All Star Hot Wings is on Highway 64, in the same shopping center as East End Grill, close to the Appling intersection. It's only a 5 minute drive from my home which would make it one of the closest places to get wings on any given evening. It was a Saturday night that we dropped in after discovering the place a few weeks earlier and discussing a visit sometime.

The dining area was a good size and they had a TV in the back with Sportscenter on. They weren't very busy, although people were picking up their take-out orders frequently. We reviewed the menu where I saw several choices of sauces; the usual selection. What I did notice different from other places, however, is that they had a "hot", a "xtra hot", and a "suicide". Most places don't have sauce in between their hot and the hottest that they've got. My brother asked the lady at the register if their suicide wings were the hottest they can make. She looked at us in shock, was taken back and didn't have an answer right away. Apparently that has never been asked and after a long pause and a short "ahhhhhh, yeah", we placed our orders. I got a 5-piece of whole wings with Suicide sauce and fries while my bro got the same but dry seasoned. It was then told to us that they were out of ranch dressing, carrots and celery. I thought, no big deal. I won't need anything to cool them down because they won't be what I consider "suicide". As it turned out, I was very wrong.

They gave us our order to go but I assumed they might do this for all orders, then you decide if you are dining in. We sat down and as I opened up my container, I was instantly taken back. The wings were heavily coated in a thick, dark red, paste-like sauce that was completely smothered with some type of crushed pepper flake. I grabbed the first one and took a bite. I instantly began to sweat and knew I was in for a very long, painful experience. During the first one, I took in the texture of the wing and the flavor of the sauce before my tongue went numb. The wings were a tad overcooked, fairly dry. The sauce was so hot that it was hard to really taste it. It had lots of black pepper, not a whole lot of butter, and what appeared to be an extract of some sort. I could be mistaking, however, but one thing I am not incorrect about is the heat of these things. They were HOT! After my long pause, I looked at the four remaining wings and did what anyone should do when consuming super hot food: eat it fast. I got the hiccups after the second one that I barely controlled throughout the continuing torture. After I was completely finished, I was in pain. My fingers were stained red and there was nothing that the thin napkins supplied to us would do about that. After departing, it took a good 30 minutes for the feeling to come back to my lips but it took a few hours for my tongue recover. It was a good topic the remainder of the evening in which I concluded that these wings are within the top 3 of what I have had on the heat chart around Memphis thus far. Go burn your mouth on some!

Cha Ching!

Ching's Hot Wings
1264 Getwell Rd
Memphis, TN 38111
(901) 743-5545

As I continued my search around Memphis for the ultimate hot wing establishment, my finger clicked on several links that spoke of Ching's Hot Wings off of Getwell. This place is apparently very popular, although they don't have a website and aren't much for advertising. I was hesitant for a while about driving out there because it's out of the way for me and not in the best area of town. I finally sucked it up and went, determined that the best food is always found off of the beaten path. As it turned out, I was correct, but only to a certain degree.

I ventured there on a Tuesday evening, around 7:30, and almost called my order in beforehand. At first glance of the packed parking lot, I started to wish I did. The outside of the place was very unique. Each window was completely covered by blown up pictures of customers over the years, happily indulging in their plates of wings. I couldn't wait to be the next person with a wing sauce-covered smile from ear to ear. When I walked in, I was taken back by the amount of frying oil smoke that filled the tiny sitting area. They apparently cook more food than their vents can handle in the kitchen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was rather distracting for anyone dining in who had never been there before. There were about 25-30 people in the dining area that was no larger than my living room at home. Tables and seats took up every square inch possible. Several flat screen TVs lined the walls with nothing but basketball on. Instead of rooting for the hometown Grizzlies who were playing that night, this crowd was more entertained by watching the Miami Heat game.

I reviewed the menu that consisted of nothing outside the normal fried food found in wing joints. There were several options of seasonings and sauces but my eyes were focused on what every menu always puts at the bottom of the sauce list: the hottest of the hot. Ching's calls this their "suicide" sauce. Their wings were available to order in a variety of numbers, either whole or what they call "party" wings (drummies and wings). I wasn't able to mingle with the ladies working the register due to the amount of people coming and going but they were extremely friendly and professional to every customer. I placed my order for a 10 piece of party wings, coated in suicide sauce. I found one last empty seat and waited for what I predicted to be at least 20 minutes, due to the amount of business that night.

To my surprise, my name was called within 10 minutes. I debated on eating the wings there but the crowd and smoke lead me to taking them out the door with me. They were still warm by the time I got home, so I got busy right away. My first impression was the overall size of the wings. These were not your skimpy chain-style wings and they were coated heavily with sauce. I then noticed the crispiness which they clearly have perfected over the years. So many places fail with the frying times of hot wings, ruining the entire meal. Ching's clearly does not. I then began to critique the sauce. Basically, I wasn't blown away with the flavor. They tasted very average to me, with just a little bit more kick than the rest. After my 10 piece was consumed, I noticed I used at least a dozen napkins to wipe my fingers and sweat off my head. The perspiration ended moments later and I dried myself off one last time. My tongue was slightly numb even 30 minutes after my meal so it became evident to me then that this sauce was actually pretty warm. Although I lived through the Ching's suicide experience, I do warn anyone with a weak tongue to beware before they place their order. To conclude, I overall believe that Ching's Hot Wings are above average compared to other local establishments and if you're in the area, I recommend seeing what the hype is all about for yourself!