Pluckers: Fire in the hole!

So recently in the Wingdom there has been a lot of big talk among some members of the royal court about being able to join those of us who are members of the Pluckers Wall of Flame.  What does this mean exactly?  To achieve this level of greatness, one must eat 25 wings at Pluckers tossed (i.e. drowned) in their famous "Fire in the Hole" sauce; the hottest sauce they offer.  Not only is it their hottest sauce, but Pluckers also boasts some of the largest wings available just to make things a little more fun.  Since there was some serious trash talk being exchanged about who could or could not accomplish this feat, when it was decided that the Queen's entourage (her work buddies) needed to go out for a well-deserved cocktail after work on Friday, the decision was made to roll out to Pluckers for a test run.


For those of you who are unaware, Pluckers is a wing bar started in Austin and found around Dallas, Austin, and a few other scattered locations.  I happen to be a proud member of the Wall of Flame down at the original location in Austin (accomplished back in 2004, who knows if the picture is still there).  If you ask anyone from Austin about hot wings, they will be quite offended if you suggest anything could come close to Pluckers when it comes to wings; similar to if you mention Rudy's BBQ, Chuy's mexican food, or Round Rock donuts (regardless of how awesome they might be, these are not even up for debate with the Austinites I know).  Pluckers is a great place with great wings, but I still think Sauced is better.  Pluckers has big wings (naked), they make them crispy, they have a wide variety of flavors (19 from my count), and are decently priced.  Mondays are all-you-can-eat wings for 15.99.  Its a smallish location, so getting a table for a big crowd can be tough during the busy hours.  We had a group of about ten, and luckily it was one of the three nights of the Texas summer where it is very pleasant outside, so we sat on the patio.  As usual, we split 20 wings across four flavors, and here they are.

Our first flavor was Spicy Lemon Pepper.  We weren't sure what to expect upfront, and what these actually are are lemon pepper wings tauced in one of their spicy buffalo sauces.  This is a great tangy combination with a bit of heat to it, but not overpowering.  The two flavors go together very well, and these were probably my second favorite of the bunch.  They were somewhat crispy, but not as much as the others due to the wings being double sauced.  I really enjoyed this, but as always, I wish for more heat when something is advertised as spicy.  This probably had a mixture with their medium sauce, and I wish they would give you the option to kick it up to the spicier buffalo sauce.


Spicy Lemon Pepper
Heat: 5
Flavor: 8.5
Overall: 8


Our second flavor of the evening was Spicy Ranch.  These were the next crispiest of the bunch, and they had some type of ranch seasoning added on that was almost like a dry rub added after being sauced.  They weren't really spicy at all, which is a downer, but they had a great flavor.  The Queen liked the flavor better than the Spicy Lemon Pepper, I think I preferred the lemon pepper over these, but it was close because they were both good.  Same as above, I wish there was more heat to something advertised as spicy, but I'll still take it.


Spicy Ranch
Heat: 3
Flavor: 8
Overall: 7.5


Our third flavor of the evening was Cajun.  These were the crispiest wings of the bunch, which makes me all happy inside.  The Queen and I both thought these were the best of the bunch.  We had a very tough time picking out individual flavors for the seasonings.  I think it was likely a secret blend of Cajun magic with bits of real gator and bayou water.  The other possibility is that it was a blend of generic cajun seasonings applied and then the wings being tossed in some type of flavored oil.  Like I said, hard to say, but the flavor was fantastic.  These weren't spicy at all, which is the only downfall, but still absolutely great.  We will be getting these again for sure.


Cajun
Heat: 2
Flavor: 9.5
Overall: 9


Our final flavor was FIRE IN THE HOLE!  This was the reason we came ladies and gents.  Those members of the royal court who have been talking the trash were able to gauge their abilities before committing to such a task.  One member described it as "like some kind of Mexican sauce".  I think the sauce might be buffalo based, but it is easily overpowered by the peppers.  You can see in the photo there are lots of pepper seeds, along with diced up bits of jalapeño and habanero pepper.  One member of the court had to go for the milk, and the early reports were that some members had a rough night after partaking in these wings (maybe why they call them Fire in the Hole?).  Others of us are the King of the Wing and find them delicious.  These are easily the heaviest sauce, but I think they likely do that as an extra kick in the crotch for those who want to have their hottest wings.  As I recall, when doing the challenge they sauce them up even heavier.   These wings are definitely hot, so don't be fooled.  These are probably the hottest wings of the handful I've reviewed so far, but the flavor of the peppers isn't lost in the spice at all.  Stay tuned, because we will be fully documenting any and all attempts to get a picture on the Wall of Flame by members of the royal court of the United Wingdom.


Fire in the Hole
Heat: 8.5
Flavor: 7
Overall: 8


If you haven't been to Pluckers, it is a must for wing destinations in DFW.  In fact, it has earned a new seal of approval from the King of the Wing: SAUCESOME!!!*


*Saucesome courtesy of new member of the royal court Daniel.  Thanks Daniel.