The Secrets To Amazing Smoked Chicken Wings Every Time
Smoked chicken wings … really? Yes. Heartedly YES! Emphatically YES!
Why Smoke Chicken Wings
One of the first and most basic secrets about delicious chicken wings is that you can, indeed, smoke them. Most people will either fry or bake their chicken wings and they, more often than not, are good. There is nothing wrong with a plate full of fried wings.
But if you’re interested in an entirely new flavor profile for your wings and want to blow away your guests at the next get-together at your house, please read on.
I guarantee that if you follow these basic steps, you will amaze them and have them clamor for more. It’s so easy—it’s like magic.
The steps are easy to make your smoked chicken wings: Apply the rub, smoke the wings, and eat.
So, let’s get to it.
Applying The Rub
The first thing you want to do is prepare your wings and add the rub.
We usually buy whole wings, separating the wing, drumette, and tip by cutting them between the joints.
We toss the tips and pat down the drumettes and wings, removing the moisture. Then, we put the wings in a large mixing bowl or zip-lock bag.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then pour the oil over the wings, mixing it around to coat all the wings.
Next, pour some of your rub over the wings and mix it around. Keep adding and moving the wings around to be equally coated with the rub.
Once complete, set them aside in the fridge for a few hours, at least one hour.
Smoking The Wings
This recipe calls for pecan wood for the smoke, but hickory will also work well. You can use any wood you like, but know your flavor profiles.
If this is your first time, I recommend running up to Lowe’s or Home Depot and picking up some pecan wood. It is a milder smoke than hickory. If you use hickory, I would only smoke the wings for about an hour and finish them without smoke, as its profile is much stronger.
You can use a charcoal or gas grill with indirect heat or a smoker to make these wings.
You will need to heat your cooker, whichever you use, to 225-250 F.
If using a charcoal grill, push all your coals to one side or along the edges, as you want your wings to cook on indirect heat, not directly over the coals.
Once your cooker is at temperature, place your wings on the grill, toss in your wood chips, and close the lid.
How Long To Smoke Chicken Wings
Keep an eye on your grill temperature, keeping it between 225 and 250 degrees F.
You also want to ensure that smoke is pouring out at your desired level. I smoke the wings for a full two hours.
Doesn’t that look amazing? Smoked chicken wings just like that!
The wings are ready after 2 1/2 hours. If you want to make sure, use a meat thermometer and cook your wings to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The wings will be cooked, but we like ours with some char and crispy, so we put them over high heat for about 5 minutes on each side to get them really crispy. Finish them in the oven if you can’t do that on your smoker. This will prevent a rubbery skin on these tasty smoked chicken wings.
Eating The Wings
Once done, pull them from the grill and let them rest for a few minutes on any baking pan or cutting board. At this point, you can apply a sauce if desired. Just toss them in a small bowl, add your favorite sauce, and give them a toss to apply evenly.
I urge you to eat a smoked wing BEFORE adding the sauce. You may find that you want to eat them plain.
This is because they’re amazingly good with just the smoke.
Adding The Perfect Sauce
If you want to put the proverbial cherry on top of these smoked chicken wings, you need to make up a batch of Alabama White BBQ Sauce. The sauce pairs so well with these wings. I recommend trying it at least once!
There is something about a slightly vinegary peppery sauce and the smoke of the wings that makes it all come together to form a perfect ‘whole’.
Of course, they will be amazing with a favorite wing hot sauce or barbecue sauce of your choice.
We love wings at our house. We love them this way and that way—baked, fried, smoked—it doesn’t matter. I will say, without reservation, that this is the most surprisingly delicious.
I will make this recipe 2-3 times more than the standard baking or frying method.
We hope you give this recipe a try, and we would love to hear what you think. Thanks, and happy smoking!
Other Amazing Chicken Wing Recipes
The Secrets To Amazing Smoked Chicken Wings Every Time
Ingredients
- 6 LBS Chicken Wings
Rub
- 2 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons Fresh Ground Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne
Instructions
- Separate wings into drumettes and wings, if necessary.
- Pat wings dry.
- Combine spices to form the rub.
- Place wings in a container, add and mix rub and olive oil over chicken.
- Let wings rest for at least an hour.
- Heat the smoker or grill to a temperature between 225-250 F.
- Place wings over indirect heat.
- Add wood for the smoke to coals.
- Smoke for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, maintaining a constant smoke for at least 1 1/2 hours, the chicken should have an internal temperature of 160.
- Place directly over coals to crisp, approximately 5 minutes each side.
- Remove from heat and let rest for approximately 10 minutes.
- Serve
Holy cats, this one is pure gold. Thank you so much for posting this, the family loved it!
That’s so awesome to hear. Thanks, Chase!
Made these for a party last night. They were awesome! Everyone loved them and the Alabama BBQ Sauce is great with them! I have a new electric smoker and this was my first time using it. The pecan wood chips and rub worked so well together. Very good!
Excellent recipe. Added a little brown sugar and did 3lbs on a pellet smoker.
Wow what a delicious recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I will must try to home.
Let us know what you think! 🙂
Tried the recipe and just cut back on the cayenne and than when they were done I put them in an air fryer to get the skin crispy. Did that so I didn’t have the oil in them from a deep fryer. Perfect
Have you smoked and then fried wings to all of that crisp? I’m going to try that but wondering if I should not rub them until after they come out of the fryer.
Hmm .. not sure, Dave. Only one way to find out! Let us know if you do it and what you found out.
Wings came out perfect on my Kamado. Used exact seasoning, then tossed them in some lemon pepper after they were complete. 10/10!
My first time smoking wings and this was so easy and AMAZING!! I have a charcoal grill and placed the wings opposite the coals for indirect heat.
I used mesquite chips that I already had and tossed them onto the coals dry. I smoked them for a couple hours and Shazam!
Awesome, Tony! Glad you liked them. Did you try them with the Alabama White BBQ sauce or just on their own? Both ways work!
I’ve been doing something similar to what you do for about 10 years but I made one change that really helped the wings. It was to marinade them in something like a Goya product (i.e. Mojo) overnight in the fridge. What it does is keeps them from from being temperamental when it comes to drying out. You don’t have to watch them like a hawk as even if the temp is a bit high and you crisp them up a bit over the coals (which is easy to overdo), you get really moist meat. It is a great thing to do if you need to reheat them when you make a bunch and then go to a party.
That’s a great idea and I think I am going to try that next time! Thanks for the tip!
Hello John, do you only do the Goya liquid marinating, then just cook them up? Or do you also add all that spicing as listed?
I just wanted to say that a great way to “crisp” up your wings is to line a cooking sheet with foil and put a wire rack on It. Set your oven to broil. Then put your wings on the wire rack and put into oven for about 2-3 mins each side of wing. It makes for a crispy smoky wing.
I just finished eating. i made these wings, some polish sausage, and a few whiskey Chuck burgers. Everything was excellent but these wings stole the show. Make the recipe as is, don’t change a thing. You taste buds will be doing somersaults!
Glad to hear it, Tom. Whiskey Chuck burgers??? Tell me more!
Just wanted to send a thank you for sharing this recipe! Just made a batch of wings for my wife and I, fifty of them to be precise, and only have fifteen leftover for lunch tomorrow!!!! Could not stop enjoying them!
Hey, Tony! Thank you so much for coming by to let us know you enjoyed the wings!!!
I have an electric smoker and want to try this so bad sounds good can I use air fryer after to crisp them thanks
You sure can. It’s recommended that you find a way to crisp ’em up. Either toss them in the oven, the air fryer that you mentioned, or toss over a high heat. All to crisp up that skin.
I made these today. I added some honey. They were great. Thanks!
Smoked these with mesquite (all I had) and they turned out amazing! Wonderful combination of spices in the rub.
Great recipe but the skin turned out tough . Any suggestions on what I did wrong. I think maybe I didn’t grill over coals long enough.
Hey Brian,
The smoking on the wings WILL give the skin a bit more of a ‘chew’ than just straight up grilling or frying. You definitely want to finish them off over the hot coals will as this will crisp up the skin, making it much easier to bite through. I think your observations are correct, a bit more time over that direct heat is the perfect fix.
I put them on a cookie sheet and crisp them on broil. I flip and crisp the other side as well
Awesome recipe, Smoked them with pecan wood in the offset smoker. I brought some to work everyone loved them!
Do you use a water pan in the smoker for the wings when using the smoker or grill?
I know some people that do, Mark. I, personally, do not.
Wings cook so quick a water pan isn’t really necessary. They won’t dry out unless you over cook them.
Could I do the oil and rub the night before?
You sure could!
What kind of wood do you use in this recipe?
Jim, I used a 50/50 mix of pecan wood and hickory.
Wonderful recipe! Another option to get the crisp skin is instead of putting the wings over direct heat, just flash fry them in a deep oil fryer for about half a minute. Finish with a sprinkling of the rub afterward. Still has the smoke, color and the spiciness.
A few seconds not half minute
First time I’ve smoked wings. Awesome recipe! The wings were a little spicy for my 4 year old, but he still polished off 5 of them. I may reduce cayenne for people who can’t handle the spice as much, but keep it the same for my batch. I will make them again. Thanks!
Thanks, Danny! Glad you liked them. I was really surprised myself the first time I made them. Awesome that your progeny killed off 5 of em!! That’s a healthy portion for a 4-year-old. 🙂 Yeah, cut back on the cayenne to reduce the spiciness for those that are sensitive, it’s always a safe bet. We’re getting geared up for the grilling season this year, so check back!
g’day. looks great. have been smoking jerky and fish. now ready to try some chicken. i live in australia and was wondering if your temperature is in F or centigrade. eg is it 225-250f or 115-125 c. thank you
G’day mate! It IS in Fahrenheit, not Celsius. Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix the post to indicate which.
Do you have to baste them at all during the smoking process to prevent the chicken wings from drying out?
We found no need to baste them during the cooking process. Some people would say adding a water pan in the smoker would help but honestly, they’re not in there long enough TO dry out. I have made these … so many times I don’t even remember and they are never dried out. If you watch the temp of the wings and pull them at the right time they will be perfect every time.
Delicious, I gone try it..
Tried it. Perfect recipe to follow. We just bought a kamado and this was the first thing we tried. The smoking and grilling worked perfectly. But the rub was WAY to spicy for our taste. Thats way its only a 3 star.
We are so happy you liked the smoked wings, Petra! If you try them again just cut back on the cayenne pepper and they should be to your heat level. Thank you so much for coming by to let us know! 🙂
Petra,
Leave out the cayenne and smoked paprika. Use regular paprika and add brown sugar. I use an electric smoker for 2 hours with apple or cherry wood. Both are mild and add good flavor. After 2 hours I throw them on the grill for some color and lightly coat with bbq sauce. Very good wings
Try red oak. Pecan is also great but red oak is awesome imo.
I like that recipe, thanks. What do you think about simmering wings in water for 30 minutes first. Be more tender?
Not sure about simmering them, Paul, but you could certainly brine them. Many people do that. Add a cup of salt to a gallon of water and add your wings to that for a couple of hours. There is a whole lotta science on how this helps keep the meat moist. I kinda talk about it here -> https://www.dontsweattherecipe.com/dry-brined-spatchcock-turkey/#why-should-i-dry-brine-turkey
It’s for turkey but you’ll get the gist. Hope this helps!
If using a pellet smoker, what are your thoughts on just cranking up the temp to 450 at some point to crisp them? Not sure how long that would take, or if it’s even hot enough?
I think that would be a perfect idea, Jered. Crank up the heat as high as it can go, you only need to crisp it up. If 450 is the max, perhaps 5-7 minutes should do it.
What king of smoker do you recommend?
Hey Jeff,
Wow .. that is a question! If you’re only planning on SMOKING, I would recommend a cylinder style smoker. They’re very affordable and do exactly what it’s designed to do: smoke the meat.
I personally use an offset firebox style smoker. This gives me the versatility of being able to grill AND smoke. I have also used my Weber to smoke by setting my charcoal to one side. This is good for when you’re smoking a very small amount of food that cooks rather quickly, such as poultry.
In the end, it rather boils down to getting good at what you have. I use my offset firebox and use charcoal, but you can also use a standard grill that runs off of gas (with a wood chip box).
Here is a link explaining different types, but in answer to your question “What do I recommend?” Use Charcoal … run away from gas.
https://www.smokegrillbbq.com/smokers.html
Ugly drum smoker is the way to go. You may be able to find one for sale but most people build them.
I use a meat locker when it comes to my smoker I like it cause it’s versatile for you can either smoke bake and grill And you also have a drip Pan to put water in that add moisture to help it smoke more And add better flavor other thing I do difference is I use Cajun so it’s not as spicy as the original Cayenne so gives it more of like that mild sweet taste with the good amount of smoke
I can’t stress enough how much I love Traeger smokers. They’re easy to use, and it keeps the temperature regulated really well. The first time I had meat off a traeger, I ran out and bought one myself and have been happy since.
what is the ingredient “fresh” on the grilled smoked chicken wings?
Sorry about that, Debi! It was just an error, corrected now. Thank you so much for bringing it to our attention.
Such a yummy idea and those wings look scrumptious! This recipe is Featured at the Merry Monday party right now! So glad you party with us!
Thank you so much, Shirley!
If using a vertical smoker how do u crisp them?
Hey Tad,
You’re gonna have to get them into a high heat situation. If you can’t toss them onto a grill, the oven works great. Toss it on broil and (watching them closely) crisp up each side of the wings.
I smoke around 30#’s of wings at a time. Your recipe and mine are nearly identical. Cook time and temp also pure match… cooking so many we freeze them in pkgs of 15 and then thaw them as we want and once thawed, put in air fryer to crisp them up… just like the day they were made!
I did pick up an ingredient from your rub that I don’t use… will try it on next batch! Cumin… in case you were wondering. 😎
That’s great, Chuck! Yep, Costco had a good sale for wings this last weekend. Loaded up for the season!! 🙂
This man looks like he knows 😂 2nd the comment i use a vert smoker as well just put on 4 packs of wings
Toss the wings in 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder per pound. This causes a chemical reaction which will crisp the wings’ skin without the need for higher heat. I also use a paper towel to dry them before adding the baking powder and dry rub, then I put them on my smoker rack in the fridge for an hour or two then finally smoke them for 2 hours at 225.
Yes, this will work as well. We do this for our oven-baked wings, and it works great (baking powder)!
I think it’s supposed to be baking soda, no?
No, it’s baking powder. Baking soda would be too bitter. Thanks!
I like to throw them in oil and fry them for about 3-5 minutes after smoke.