New Years day this year I had a craving for some chicken wings. Problem is though, there isn’t any place that you can have smoked chicken wings delivered. So, browsing the internet I went. I happened to come across an interesting recipe here: How to Smoke Chicken Wings – Dry Rub Recipe Included. However, I did add my own twist to it. In addition to step 5 I applied brown sugar on top of the dry rub by letting clumps fall on the wings and patting it down. Also, for step 6, I let the wings set for an hour at room temperature. This allowed the brown sugar to soak up the olive oil. Another trick that I like to do is keep some type of moisture in the smoker with any meat or poultry, usually water or apple juice or cider. I should have removed the pan of water for step 12. To crispen up the wings I placed them in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Spices mixed together (already used)
Spices on the chicken with the brown sugar on top
Right out of the oven, pretty much gone already…
My full dinner!
- 3 lbs Large Chicken Wings
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Paprika Sweet Smoked
- 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt Kosher
- 1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Fresh Ground
- 1 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper Optional
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar Optional
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Optional: Before getting started you may want to soak your wood chunks or chips in water for at least an hour. This will add some additional flavor and allow the wood to burn longer. I personally don't do this unless I am doing a recipe that takes longer.
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Grab a mixing bowl and mix all spices except for the brown sugar together.
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Take a paper towel and pat dry the chicken wings. This allows the olive oil to cover the skin as much as possible without having the excess water create a barrier.
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Place the wings on a large enough surface to accommodate as many as possible bottom side of the wing facing up. I used a 15 x 10 inch pyrex container. This should be large enough for about 3 lbs worth.
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Coat the bottom side of the wings with olive oil. Then turn them over and coat the top side as well.
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Sprinkle half of the spice mix over the top of the chicken wings and then literally rub the spices in.
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Take half of the brown sugar and sprinkle it over the wings. Press the clumps down on the wings gently. We want this so that it makes a nice spotty sweet glaze.
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Turn the wings over and repeat the previous two steps. Leave the bottom side of the wing face up.
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Now it's time to let the wings come up to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Don't be scared doing this as any bacteria that may grow will be cooked off.
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Go get your smoker started and bring the heat to 250°F, ensure that you maintain this temperature as close as possible through the whole cooking process.
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This is one of the most important parts of smoking meats, place a small pan of either apple juice or water to the far side of the smoker box or on the coolest portion of the grill.
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Once the smoker is up to temp grap the wings and put them on with the inside of the chicken wing facing down with meaty side towards the heat source.
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After 60 minutes flip the wings.
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After another 60 minutes flip them back over and rotate them so that the furthest are now closest to the heat source and the ones that were closest are now the furthest.
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Wait about 30 minutes and check the internal temperature of a few from the heat source side to the cooler side. If the wings are 165°F or higher it's time to take them off! If not then repeat the previous two steps in 30 minute intervals.
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Once the wings are done remove them and cover with foil so they can rest, this is another crucial step. This allows the muscle to relax and reabsorb the juices.