How To Smoke Chicken Wings - And A Delicious Dry Rub Recipe Too! (2024)

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If you are looking for a simple and delicious way to smoke chicken wings – this is it!

Have you ever walked outside when someone is grilling and felt instant envy?

That smell of charcoal? Or even better – wood chips smoking gently?

We used hickory wood for our smoked chicken wings this week.

Over this past weekend, we finally had a couple of extra hours at the house that we could dedicate to our home project list.

We decided to take advantage of that opportunity to heat up our gas smoker. We began to search our freezer for what we could smoke and found several pounds of chicken wings and drums just waiting to be used.

And in an instant, we had the perfect dinner planned – it was time to smoke chicken wings!

The key to smoking any type of meat is “low and slow”. This is especially true with chicken wings since it isn’t a thick cut of meat and the wings can become dried out quickly.

Using a smokeradds so much natural flavor and keeps the meat nice and juicy. So juicy that traditional wing sauces aren’t even necessary.

That definitely saves on the amount of calories consumed and also the amount of napkins needed.

With our easy how to smoke wings instructions below – you can create amazing wings for any party, tailgate – or like us, an amazing dinner!

The recipe for the dry rub below combines a variety of blends of spices which can be adapted to your individual preference.

Add more cayenne pepper for additionalheat, or add more smoke paprika for more of a barbecue flavor.

The possibilities are endless – and they all let you smoke chicken wings perfectly!

Easy to make dry rub – adjust the seasonings to your own taste

Racks of wings cooking low and slow.

Check the temperature with a thermometer to ensure a safe consuming temperature

No barbecue sauce is necessary, but if you would like additional flavor add it during the last 30 minutes of cooking

Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken wings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

How To Smoke Chicken Wings:

*If wings are frozen, thaw.

1. Place approximately 3 cups of wood chips in a large bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least one hour prior to heating.

2. Rinse wings with water and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid.

3. Place wings in a large bowl/plastic bag and rub olive oil evenly into each piece.

4. Combine all seasonings in a bowl.

5. Sprinkle half of the season mix onto the chicken wings and rub in. Flip wings and sprinkle remaining half onto wings and rub in.

6. Let the dry rub sit on the wings for at least 30 minutes.

7. Preheat smoker to 250 degrees.

8. Place chicken wings on the racks, placing the largest pieces (usually the legs) closest to the heat source.

Basket of wings right off the smoker – they won’t last long in our house!

9. Add water-soaked wood chips to the box/tray on your smoker

Keep that temperature steady…

10. Smoke/heat wings maintaining a 250 degree temperature for the 45-60 minutes.

11. Flip wings and add more chips if desired (not necessary). After 90 minutes, check internal temperature of wings. Heat to 165 degrees.

12. Increase temperature to 375 degrees F and crisp the outer edge for approximately 20-30 minutes.

13. Remove from heat and cover until served.

**If wing sauce is desired, brush on the wings for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.

Enjoy!

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Mary and Jim

Dry Rub Smoked Chicken Wings

How To Smoke Chicken Wings - And A Delicious Dry Rub Recipe Too! (7)

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken wings
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. If wings are frozen, thaw.
  2. Place approximately 3 cups of wood chips in a large bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least one hour prior to heating.
  3. Rinse wings with water and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid.
  4. Place wings in a large bowl/plastic bag and rub olive oil evenly into each piece.
  5. Combine all seasonings in a bowl.
  6. Sprinkle half of the season mix onto the chicken wings and rub in. Flip wings and sprinkle remaining half onto wings and rub in.
  7. Let the dry rub sit on the wings for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Preheat smoker to 250 degrees.
  9. Place chicken wings on the racks, placing the largest pieces (usually the legs) closest to the heat source.
  10. Add water-soaked wood chips to the box/tray on your smoker.
  11. Smoke/heat wings maintaining a 250 degree temperature for the 45-60 minutes.
  12. Flip wings and add more chips if desired (not necessary). After 90 minutes, check internal temperature of wings. Heat to 165 degrees.
  13. Increase temperature to 375 degrees F and crisp the outer edge for approximately 20-30 minutes.
  14. Remove from heat and cover until served.

Notes

If wing sauce is desired, brush on the wings for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
Recipe courtesy of Old World Garden Farms

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Unsaturated Fat: 0g

How To Smoke Chicken Wings - And A Delicious Dry Rub Recipe Too! (2024)

FAQs

Do you add dry rub before or after cooking wings? ›

I definitely highly recommend that you do because this helps air circulate around the wings so they get crispier. Do you add dry rub before or after cooking chicken wings? Before! This allows the flavor of the spices to adhere to the wings.

How long should you season wings before smoking? ›

Marinate the wings in a refrigerated, sealed plastic bag. Our go-to is Italian dressing, and we marinate for 12 to 24 hours. Set your Traeger (or other smoker) to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, and use cherry wood pellets.

How do you get dry seasoning to stick to wings? ›

The biggest key here is to make enough dry rub to heavily coat each wing (this recipe makes the perfect amount for that). It's also important to pat your chicken wings dry before tossing them with the spice blend so that it sticks to the wings rather than becoming wet and goopy.

Is it better to marinate or dry rub chicken wings? ›

One of the best ways out there to make them truly sing is to use a dry rub. Especially when compared to marinade or a simple sauce, a dry rub is going to give chicken wings a deeper flavor, a crisp exterior, and save you all of the time waiting for them to marinate.

Do you oil chicken before dry rub? ›

Once you've removed as much moisture as possible, cover your food with the sticking agent of your choice, like egg, olive oil, or mustard, to help the rub bind to the meat.

How long can you leave dry rub on chicken before cooking? ›

There's no set rule, but it's a good idea to cook the chicken as soon as possible after applying the rub. Otherwise, it might get mushy and slide off, or you could lose some of the flavor. Try to leave it on for no more than 4 hours before you start cooking.

How do you get crispy skin when smoking wings? ›

After smoking you will need to increase the heat to really crisp that skin. If you're using a pellet smoker, you can simply turn up the temperature. If your smoker can't jump up in temp quickly, your best bet may be to move the wings to a preheated oven.

Should you use a water pan when smoking wings? ›

Use a Water Pan

As the water heats up, some of it will evaporate into steam. The steam will then fill the interior of your smoker to promote even cooking temperatures. A water pan will essentially stabilize the temperature at which your chicken smokes so that it doesn't suffer from hot and cold spots.

Can you overcook wings on a smoker? ›

Smoke the wings for 2 hours. By this time the wings should have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. If they're slightly over 165, that's fine. Any internal temp up to 180°F means the wings will still be juicy and tender when cooked low and slow on the smoker.

Should I oil wings before seasoning? ›

Pat the wings dry, then place them in a bowl. Drizzle the cooking oil over top, then toss until the wings are coated in oil. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture, then toss to coat again. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup, then place wire cooling racks on top.

Is dry rub or sauce better for wings? ›

You dip the wings into your seasoning, which can be any mixture of sweet, savory, spicy or umami spices. That step yields better flavor: A dry seasoning sticks a whole lot better to chicken wings than any marinade or sauce can. It's baked (or fried!) right in.

When to add dry rub to wings? ›

The best way to apply a rub to your chicken wings is the night before cooking. This allows much more time for the spices to blend into the chicken. We also recommend adding the spices by hand, rubbing the rub on all sides of the wings.

What is the best technique for chicken wings? ›

Food stylist Richmond Flores' go-to method is marinating the wings and then steaming them before frying. This method, he says, imparts tremendous flavor and tenderizes the meat, but more importantly, the steaming helps render the fat from the skin which then allows the wings to crisp up perfectly.

How long and at what temperature to smoke chicken wings? ›

Regardless of what smoker you use:
  1. Maintain 250-275°F (a little higher temperature ensures better textured skin)
  2. Cook for about 1.5 hours or until the meat reaches 175-180°F.
  3. Apply smoke for at least 1 hour. I used cherry wood on these but any good smoking wood will work well.

Do you put dry rub on before or after? ›

You can apply a rub right before you cook or a few hours ahead of time for basic grilling or up to 24 hours ahead if you're hot-smoking.

Do you season chicken wings before or after frying? ›

Tip #3: SEASON THE WINGS WITH SALT IMMEDIATELY AFTER REMOVING FROM THE FRYER. I always season fried food with a sprinkle of salt right after I pull them out of the fryer. It adds more flavor and the salt will adhere better when while the food is hot.

Are dry rubs rubbed onto the meat prior to cooking? ›

A dry rub combines spices and herbs that you generously sprinkle on the meat you will cook, giving delicious, sometimes quite complex, deep flavours. A rub works on the meat's outer layer, often producing a heavenly crust of flavour on the finished product.

How do you cook with dry rub? ›

A dry rub can be rubbed directly into the meat and massaged until it sticks to the surface. We recommend patting your cut of meat dry using paper towels. From there, you can season directly onto the meat or apply a small amount of oil over the surface before coating generously in the dry rub.

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