Well, I found something but I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I couldn’t find that guy’s web page—it looks like it’s gone. But I did find somebody who had reprinted the same information on another web site:
http://www.fantasyweavers.com/range.html
This is definitely it. I clearly remember the story about the homeless guy who sold the recipe for a bottle of booze. This is definitely where I got the recipe from. The problem is that this recipe is substantially different from mine. So I don’t know if the person who put the recipe on this Web page changed it, or what. There was also more information on the other Web page—he went into great detail about how the wings should be drained, for example, and he gave an elaborate explanation of why overcooking the sauce ruins the flavor, rather than just saying that it does. So it may be impossible to ever get a definitive answer to this question. Suffice it to say, however, that my wings are the best I’ve ever tasted—period. Every time I eat at a restaurant that has wings I order them to see if they’re as good as mine. Nothing even comes close.
I have an idea: since your husband lived in Buffalo, then he’s been to the Anchor Bar and knows exactly what the Anchor recipe tastes like. Why don’t you make a batch using my recipe, and see if he says that they taste the same? That would at least give us some indication of whether or not we’re even close. Follow the instructions to the letter—I’ve found that making even small modifications drastically changes the flavor. For example, the exact 1:1 ratio of vinegar to Tabasco seems to be very important. Every time I’ve experimented with different ratios the results were not as good. Also, there’s something I forgot to mention. The source I got my recipe from stated that it is important to drain the wings over the hot oil. After they come out of the fryer, you should hook the basket over the oil and let them drain into the fry vat. He stated that this is also critical for flavor. I let them sit there for a few minutes, until the temperature indicator lights up, indicating that the oil has risen back to the set temperature. Then I put them in the pan and set them in the warming oven.