SmokeBarbecue
Smoked crispy wings
Smoke for flavor, then a hot finish so the skin shatters. 165°F is safe; 185°F is why they eat right.
Made it?
1 hr 20 min · 20 min hands-on · pull 185°F · rest 5 min
Ingredients
3.5 lb on the fire · ~1.9 lb to the table · 4 plates at 8 oz
- chicken wings, flats and drums split, tips discarded3 1/2 lb
- kosher salt2 tsp
- baking powder (aluminum-free)1 tsp
- paprika1 tsp
- garlic powder1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 1
Pat the wings dry. Toss with salt and baking powder (not baking soda). Rest uncovered in the fridge 1 hour, or overnight.
- 2
Dust with paprika, garlic, and pepper. Smoke at 250°F for 45 minutes until the skin looks tan and they sit around 160°F.
- 3
Crank to 425–450°F, or move to a hot grate, until 185°F and the skin is crisp, 15–25 minutes more.
- 4
Toss in sauce off the heat, or serve dry with a dip. Rest 5 minutes so you do not burn your mouth.
If you don’t have it
- Party wings (flats and drums) → Whole wings, or drumsticks. Whole wings take longer. Drumsticks want 185 too, and more time.
- Baking powder → An extra hour of fridge-dry only. The powder helps, it is not magic. Wet wings will not crisp.
- Apple → Cherry or a little hickory. Wings are small and take smoke fast. A 45-minute smoke is enough.
Same cook, different day
0-400 pellet
You forgot to preheat. Wings on a cold pellet, set to 400°F. They smoke on the way up, then crisp. About 50 minutes. Watch the first time.
Buffalo finish
Game day. Crisp first, then toss in hot sauce and butter off the heat so the skin stays thin, not soggy.
Dry rub only
No sauce. Salt, pepper, paprika, a little cayenne. The smoke is the sauce.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making vinegar slaw.
Anytime. Better after an hour in the fridge. Cabbage, carrot, cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper. No mayo if the meat is already rich.
20 min
- With this dish, try making potato salad.
While the meat rests. Waxy potatoes, salt in the water, mustard-mayo, pickle, celery. Fold when the potatoes are still warm.
45 min
- With this dish, try making skillet mac.
In the oven while a roast rests, or the last stretch of a smoke. A real béchamel, cheddar, a breadcrumb top. Do not start it at the same time as a packer and expect timing to match.
40 min