Wing at 76 degrees: Soy-garlic wings · 400

Three joints with a high ratio of skin and collagen to actual meat. That is precisely the point: skin crisps, collagen turns sticky, and the bones give the sauce something to cling to. It is the cheapest part of the bird and the one entire restaurant categories are built on. Unlike breast, wings improve above the safe minimum — the collagen needs the extra heat to melt and the skin to render.

Size consistency matters more than a grade mark — mixed sizes cook unevenly in one batch. Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Soy-garlic wings.” Use 76 degrees and 76 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat.

At the counter, read the use on Wing before the photograph. 76 degrees is the internal heat, “Soy-garlic wings” is the dish, and 76 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. Dry the skin thoroughly before it meets heat. Surface moisture is the difference between crisp and leathery.