Onion Rings of Fire

When my husband and I were engaged, we went to my parent's house on the Fourth of July to do some fireworks in the front of the house.  My dad, beaming with an ear-to-ear smile, brought out this big ol' package of fireworks that he got at Sam's Club for a great price.  We just couldn't get over how cheap these big fireworks were.  Well, my brother lit the first one, and it was smoke... nothing but smoke.  We thought, "Hmm... that was a pretty cool smoke bomb.  It let off quite a bit of smoke.  We lit the next one.  Smoke.  Curious, we looked at the package and sure enough they were nothing but big smoke bombs.  We were a bit disgusted at first, but once we lit the rest of them all at the same time, we laughed hysterically as the whole street filled up with a plethora of colored smoke.  It still, almost ten years later, is one of my favorite fourths. 

Speaking of fireworks, I love me some Johnny Cash.  His music is great.  "Ring of Fire" is a classic of his, and although it generally reminds me of firework displays since you can't watch a firework show without that song popping up, I think it will from here on out remind me of these onion rings.  These were so tasty!  They were crunchy.  They had some good flavor.  They clear your sinuses.  They are hot!  Good golly!  The 1/4 c of hot sauce really comes through, so if you don't like heat, keep it out or keep it down.  If you love heat, you're in luck.  These are amazing.

Onion Rings of Fire (originally called "Rojo Onion Rings")
source: Guy Fieri Food

1/4 c hot sauce (If you can't handle heat, take it down to 1-2 T of hot sauce.)
1 T garlic powder
1/2 c ketchup

1 c buttermilk
1/2 c flour
2 c panko bread crumbs

fire extinguisher ;)

Canola oil

1 large sweet onion, cut into 3/8 inch slices, separated into rings, centers discarded

Soak the onion slices in the buttermilk for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare three bowls.  In the first, combine the hot sauce, ketchup, and garlic.  In the second, put the flour.  Put the panko bread crumbs into the third.

Once the onion slices are ready, place them in the flour, then the hot sauce mixture, then the panko bread crumbs.  Place them on a plate.

Once they are all dipped, put them in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.  Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 360 degrees. I used my deep fat fryer, but you can also heat them oil until a panko breadcrumb sizzles when you place it in there.

Fry the onion rings for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain a bit.

Serve with ketchup, ranch, or fry sauce.