These crispy wings are coated with sweet waves of cherry wood smoke.
Use your gas or charcoal grill.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
There are more ways to prepare chicken wings than I have fingers.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
My favorite is with only a few spices and the ultimate addition: smoke.
This allows the collagen in the meat to slowly melt.
Some recipes apply baking powder on the wings and refrigerate them overnight, uncovered.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Its a great way to get crisp wings.
When smoking wings, I stick to a simple dry rub.
If I want a sauce, I dip the cooked wings into them right before serving.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
To accomplish this, I do the heavy lifting during prep.
A sturdy pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife makes the process a breeze.
There is a joint at the point where the drum and the flat meets.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Snip right through ityou wont need much force.
I remove the wingtips and add them into a freezer bag for mynext batch of chicken stock.
It also paints the wings a beautiful mahogany.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
You will taste these with your mouth and your eyes.
Chicken also goes well with pecan and hickory wood.
Experiment and use the one you like, or even use a combination of woods.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Grilling wood chips and chunks are readily available at most grocery and big box stores.
A Smoker or a Grill, Both Work!
It is incredibly convenient and rewarding; however,you do not need a dedicated smoker to smoke wings.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Youll get indirect low heat over the burners that are kept off.
Create smoke with a dedicated smokebox that sits directly over a lit burner.
A makeshift aluminum foil pouch pierced with holes and stuffed with wood chips is an easy alternative.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
On a charcoal grill,indirect low heat is obtained by pushing unlit coals to one side.
To do this, light some coals and place the lit coals on top of unlit coals.
Low heat is maintained as the lit coal slowly heats downwards towards the fresh coals.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Chunks of wood, added to the lit coals, provide waves of smoke.
There, they cook for 15 more minutes.
Just Wing It!
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
For a gas grill: obtain indirect low heat by turning on one burner to high heat.
Youll grill the wings over the unlit burners.
For a charcoal grill: obtain indirect low heat by pushing unlit coals to one side.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
Light some coal and place the lit coals on top of unlit coals.
terminate the vents to reduce airflow.
Add wood chunks directly to the lit coals for smoke.
Simply Recipes / Mike Lang
For a dedicated smoker: Add 3 to 4 wood chunks to the smoker.
If using a water pan or kamado grill, place the chunks directly on the coals.
If using a pellet smoker, use cherry wood pellets.
With a sharp knife or poultry shears, remove the wingtip and separate the flat and drum.
Flex each joint to visualize its center, then cut through it.
Save the wingtips for another use, likechicken stock.
Place the wings on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and pat dry.
Discard the paper towels.
Brush the wings with a light coat of olive oil.
Season the wings all over with the rub.
Note: I got 28 to 34 chicken wings in 5 pounds.
If your chicken wings are large, with less than 28 wings, smoke them for 15 minutes longer.
Cook for 15 minutes with the lid on, then transfer onto a serving platter and serve.
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