Smoked Chicken Wings

Smoked wings finished over high heat for tender meat and crisp skin.

Ingredients

• Chicken wings
• Wet brine, formula not yet recovered
• Seasoning rub
• Light coating of cornstarch or non-aluminum baking powder
• Sauce, optional

Instructions

1. Wet-brine the wings.
2. Dry the wings uncovered in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.
3. Apply a light coating of cornstarch or non-aluminum baking powder, then add the rub.
4. Smoke the wings. During the August 2026 cook, the smoker was at 275°F for about 45 minutes.
5. Raise the heat to 425°F and crisp for about 8–12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
6. Sauce at the very end, or return the sauced wings to the heat for only 2–3 minutes to set.

Notes

• If the cook starts at 225°F for only about 15 minutes, treat the wings as essentially raw: raise the smoker to 375–400°F, cook for roughly 30–45 minutes, and flip once halfway through. Start checking at 30 minutes and pull at 185–195°F internal. If the skin needs more crisping, finish at 425–450°F for 5–8 minutes. Sauce only during the last 5–7 minutes or after cooking, and do not spritz.
• First cooked version recovered from December 27, 2025: start at 225°F, then finish around 375°F for 35–45 minutes or 400°F for 30–40 minutes. An optional 425–450°F finish for 5–8 minutes adds crispness.
• More developed version cooked August 9, 2026: wet-brined, refrigerator-dried, smoked at 275°F for about 45 minutes, then crisped at 425°F.
• The original target for especially tender wings was roughly 185–195°F internal temperature.
• Brine and rub quantities were not recoverable.