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I love smoked and fried Buffalo wings. The flavor and the crunch just cannot be beat. I had a dream of making a ‘wing flight’ the other night. Yep, that’s the kind of stuff I dream of. Kind of like a beer flight but with smoked and fried Buffalo wings 4 ways. Like Cincinnati chili even. You can get it 1 way, 2 ways… 4 ways… even more ways! It’s like wing heaven!
Smoked Just Right
I start out smoking a big batch of wings. Nothing fancy here. Just some Buffalo seasoning. Then onto my smoker for 2 hours. I’m not aiming for crunchy skin here. I won’t get that at the low temperature I smoke at. I’m not looking for completely-cooked wings either. Just get them to 140 F or a little more.
I can fry them after they are smoked. But I always make sure I make enough to freeze for another day. I vacuum pack them for maximum flavor and freshness. Nothing beats the ease and flavor of taking a pack of smoked wings out the freezer, thawing them, and deep-frying them.
This Is The Way. Or Ways.
After the wings are smoked it’s time to heat up the deep-fryer. The wings are fried ‘naked’ or ‘coated’. The ‘naked’ ones are just that. No coating. Nothing. Just into the hot oil until the skin is crispy and the wings done. It doesn’t take long. The ‘coated’ ones just get tossed in a simple flour/seasoning mix. I could go crazy and make a complicated mix for them. But I don’t this isn’t the time for that. These aren’t those wings.
Finally it’s time to sauce the wings. Or not. I end up with 4 different styles (or ways) of wings:
1 fried naked, un-sauced
2 coated, fried and un-sauced
3 coated, fried, tossed or brushed in sauce
4 coated, fried then double-dipped in sauce
I could’ve squeezed in a 5th way: fried naked and sauced. I’ll have to save that for the next dream!
Also try my twice-fried air fryer wings.
Smoked and Fried Buffalo Wings 4 Ways
Equipment
Ingredients
For the smoked wings
- 3-4 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
- Buffalo wing seasoning
- vegetable oil for frying
- Your favorite Buffalo wing sauce for serving, see below
For the wing coating
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Buffalo wing seasoning
Instructions
For the smoked wings
- Fire up your smoker for 225 F. Use any wood you like. I used Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel chunks because I wanted a good, noticeable smoke flavor. Use a lighter wood if you want your wings to be a little less smoky.
- Toss the wings with plenty of the Buffalo wing seasoning. When you think you've added enough, add more. This is not the time to be shy.
- Place the wings onto the smoker and smoke for 2 hours. No need to rotate or flip them.
- When done, remove from the smoker. You can deep fry them immediately or freeze them for thawing and frying later.
- To fry, heat canola oil to 350 F. Fry the wings based on whether you are making them 1 or 2-4 ways, below.
Smoked and Fried Buffalo Wings 1 Way
- Working in batches, add the wings and fry for 1-2 minutes or until they are the desired color.
- Remove from oil and let drain and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve wings naked, without sauce.
Smoked and Fried Buffalo Wings 2-4 Ways
- Combine the wing coating ingredients in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
- Lightly toss the wings in the mixture.
- Working in batches, add the wings and fry for 1-2 minutes or until they are the desired color.
- Remove from oil and let drain and cool on a wire rack.
- If serving 2 ways, serve the wing naked, without any sauce.
- If serving the wings 3 ways, toss the wings in your favorite Buffalo sauce.
- If serving the wings 4 ways, toss the wings in your favorite Buffalo sauce. Pour some more sauce into a small glass and dunk the wings, coating well.
- Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.
