I love wings cooked any way, any time. Sauced. Dry. Just give me wings. Smoked chicken wings are way up on my list of my favorite ways to prepare wings. These aren’t ready-to-serve wings as they are. They need another step or two after they are smoked if I am to enjoy crispy skin (see my note below, because there is an exception to this). I make a huge batch of these wings. Then they’ll go into the deep-fryer, onto a grill, into an oven, into an air fryer… Somewhere else to finish them off. Then I’m in wing heaven. They have fantastic smoky flavor that brings that little something to each bite no matter what I do with them next. Sauced. Dry. Just give me wings!
Made For Later. Or Now.
After my smoked chicken wings are done on the smoker I let them cool for a bit. Then, unless I’m going to devour them immediately, I put them into baggies and vacuum seal them. They go into the freezer for another day. Nothing beats grabbing a bag out the night before I need them and letting them defrost in the fridge. My preferred next step is 2-ish minutes in a deep-fryer, then sauce, but they’re great no matter how I prepare them.
Now, as with everything in life, there are exceptions. My smoker is a barrel smoker. It loves to hang out at around 225-250 F. To get the crispy skin I love, I need a higher heat. A lot higher. Now yeah, with some extra work and time I can get my temp up a bit more, but really for that perfect skin my wings are heading to another place to crisp up. Some smokers (such as pellet smokers) let you adjust the heat in just minutes. You can go from 250 F to 450 F or higher and get that perfect skin. If that’s your smoker, go for it and enjoy. Me, I’m happy with my smoked wings as they are, usually destined for a deep-fryer.
- Material Type: Steel
- The Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker helps…
Try my smoked and fried Buffalo wings, 4 ways!
Smoked Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the seasoning
- ½ cup chili powder
- ¼ cup paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons dried sage
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the wings
- 24 chicken wings flats and drumettes separated if desired, tips saved to make stock
Instructions
For the seasoning (may make more than you need)
- Combine all of the seasonings in a large bowl.
For the wings
- Fire up your smoker for 250-275 F. Use a fruit wood or hickory for smoke.
- Place the wings in a large bowl and add the seasoning. You may not need all of it. You can season them however you wish, light or heavy.
- Transfer wings to the smoker and smoke for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until the wings reach 165 F.
- Remove wings and let cool.
- For crispy wings, finish the wings on a hot grill, under the broiler, or in a deep fryer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.
