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DIP IT OR WING IT: Two easy recipes



Quick Hot Ketchup Dipping Sauce


Prep time: 5 minutes

Makes: about 1 cup (or however much you feel like making)


Ingredients

  • 1 cup ketchup

  • 3 teaspoons hot sauce (tomato-based recommended like Retro Burn’s Heat in the Moment)

  • ⅛ teaspoon apple cider vinegar


Tomato-based hot sauces blend best with ketchup, but use whatever you like — the flavor will just shift depending on the sauce.


Instructions

  1. Add the ketchup to a small bowl.

  2. Stir in the hot sauce until fully blended.

  3. Add the apple cider vinegar and mix well.

  4. Taste and adjust as needed.


Notes

  • This is a starting ratio, not a rule. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous! 

  • Too sweet? Add more hot sauce or vinegar.

  • Too sharp? Add more ketchup.

  • Great for fries, nuggets, burgers, onion rings, or anything that needs a quick dip.




Simple but Traditional Wing Sauce


Prep time: 5 minutes

Makes: enough for about 1–2 lbs of wings


Ingredients

  • 5 oz hot sauce (Retro Burn’s Bizarre Luv Triangle makes a GREAT mild sauce or for something Spicy try Retro Burn’s Burnin’ 4 U!

  • ½ stick cold butter (4 Tbsp), cut into small chunks


Instructions

  1. Pour hot sauce into a small saucepan.

  2. Heat gently until warm. Do not boil.

  3. Remove from heat.

  4. Add cold butter a few chunks at a time, whisking until fully melted and smooth.

  5. Toss wings immediately or spoon over food while warm.


Always add butter off the heat to keep the sauce from breaking.


Why butter?

Butter adds fat, which softens the heat, balances the acidity, and helps the sauce coat the wings instead of running off. That’s what turns hot sauce into a true wing sauce. This same method works with other fats, but butter gives the most classic wing sauce result.


Other fats that work

Start with small amounts when using other fats — you can always add more.

  • Ghee (clarified butter): Similar flavor to butter, slightly richer, and less likely to break

  • Bacon fat: Smoky and bold; use sparingly so it doesn’t overpower the sauce.

  • Olive oil: Lighter and smoother, but won’t give the same classic wing sauce feel.

  • Neutral oils (avocado, canola): Mild and functional, but less flavor than butter.



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