I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to wings. When a craving hits, it is usually calling for the classic Buffalo-style wing. Bone-in, deep-fried and slathered in a butter and Frank’s Red Hot sauce mixture served with a side of celery, carrots, blue cheese, and ranch. Occasionally, I will dabble in garlic-parmesan or mango habanero but more often than not I just want the classic – perfectly executed. However – over the last few years, I have gotten into smoked wings. I love the smoky flavor, combined with the juicy chicken and a good punch of spice – all coupled with the notion that these wings are “healthy.” Well, I’m not sure about healthy – but healthier than their deep-fried counterpart.
I have been making traditional wings at home for years, but I finally decided to tackle a smoked version on my Pit Boss Pellet grill over the 4th of July weekend. And am I glad I did! The wings came out all the perfect things. Tender, juicy, smoky, spicy. Umami.
I paired them with some homemade Greek yogurt (there’s that healthy thing again) blue cheese dressing and some vegetables for dipping. Happy Birthday, America!
Smoked Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of chicken wings
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce (I prefer Tabasco Chipotle Pepper sauce)
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce (I prefer Tabasco Chipotle Pepper sauce)
Directions:
- Place chicken wings in a large (or two) Ziploc bags.
- Add the oil and chipotle hot sauce, seal the bag and shake to evenly distribute the oil and hot sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
- Open the bag and add the spice mixture. Seal bag and shake well to evenly distribute the spices.
- Place the bag into refrigerator and let the wings marinate for at least an hour, up to 12.
- Remove the wings from the fridge and let rest on the counter while you prepare the smoker.
- Heat your smoker to 225 degrees (or set up your charcoal grill for indirect heating with a woodchip packet).
- Place wings over indirect heat and smoke for 2 to 2 ½ hours, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes before eating. You can also toss in your favorite sauce at this point, but I opted to have mine dry.
Tagged: 4th of july, cayenne pepper, chicken wings, chili powder, cumin, dry mustard, garlic powder, grilling, hot sauce, onion powder, paprika, smoker
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