About half a year ago I was introduced to Duff’s Famous Wings. How I didn’t know about it before is pretty shocking! A friend of mine offered to take me and pay for dinner if I could finish off their hottest wings. Those being their Armageddon Wings which they claim to be 850,000 Scoville Units. Without hesitation I took him up on his offer and we made plans to do it. I was nervous at first because I knew what I was getting into and top of that I said I was going to do it without any type of buffer like milk.

If you want to read some history about Duffs Famous Wings you can read it here: www.duffsfamouswings.ca/home.html

But for a quick breakdown of their heat levels it is as follows:

So we get to the place and it was packed. They could easily double the size of the restaurant and still have a line-up – their wings are that famous. We sit down and go over the menu and I choose the Armageddon wings and my friend goes for Death Wings. Throw in some celery sticks, dill and blue cheese dressing and a pitcher of beer.

The waitress warned me about the Armageddon wings and I told her not to worry. After about 15 minutes a siren goes off and flashing lights are spun over head. My hot wings were ready. As soon as they were placed in front of me, my nose cleared out and my eyes watered up. The wings were a generous size and they smelt and looked great. Now the first bite. My friend was filming it and hoping for some great reaction. I chomped in and was pleasantly surprised by the texture and taste. These wings were perfectly cooked. It wasn’t until the second wing that the heat really took hold. These were some seriously hot wings. After the fifth wings I had to take a break, regroup and refocus. It took some time – lots of tissues and another pitcher of beer but I ate them all. Much to the surprise of my friend who thought I would be on the floor convulsing.

This is where I question their Scoville Rating. I asked what was used for their ingredients and they refused to tell me. Apparently it is a close guarded family secret. I asked if they used any extract and they said it was just peppers used. No extract. I believe what they do is total the combined heat rating of their peppers to come up with the 850,000 Scoville rating. Unless they have acquired the mysterious Indian Tezpur there is no way that 850,000 can be achieved without the aid of extracts. I honestly think that their Armageddon wings are more in the 300,000 – 400,000 range. They are brutally hot but not 850,000 hot. As for their death wings which are rated at 500,000… well I could eat them without breaking a sweat. Even my fiance had no problems trying the Armageddon sauce and she actually enjoyed the Death Wings.

If you are ever in Buffalo or Toronto I would suggest paying a visit. The wings are huge, meaty and delicious. If I could actually consume 40 of these wings I would no doubt be added to their wall of pain. Perhaps there is some here willing to take that challenge.