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We recently got a smoker and let me tell you, we’re having some fun working on recipes! Our first attempt at smoking meat was chicken wings. We thought, let’s start small, see how this thing works, and not spend a lot of money on meat in case it doesn’t turn out…. The result was Hickory Smoked Buffalo Wings. They were phenomenal!
We used hickory wood chips and the flavor really came through in the chicken wings. The smoker is electric and does require you to add additional wood chips throughout the smoking process. Perhaps next time we’ll try mesquite. The whole process was pretty easy. You basically smoke the chicken wings as is, then toss them in the sauce and smoke again, so the smokey flavor will also absorb into the sauce a bit.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by adding the hickory wood chips to the smoker according to manufacturer instructions. Then preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F. There seems to be quite the range to smokers and how hot they will get but 250 was the sweet spot for us. It was a little windy and overcast throughout the day and that will play a part in how fast the meat cooks and how well you are able to maintain your temperature. Do your best!
Add the chicken wings, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper to a Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and toss to coat the wings with the seasoning.
Bring the Ziploc bag outside and place the wings directly on the rack(s) of the smoker and smoke for 1 hour.
While the wings are smoking, make the buffalo sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the ketchup, buffalo wing sauce, and garlic powder. Whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the wings from the smoker and place into 1-2 disposable pans. We ended up using 2 pans for a few reasons. 1) our smoker is only deep enough to hold a 9×13 pan (but does have multiple shelves) so we had to use aluminum pans that were approximately that size, and 2) we were making 4-5 lbs. of chicken wings and thought using one pan would overcrowd the wings and they wouldn’t smoke evenly.
Pour the sauce over the wings and toss to coat. If using 2 pans, divide the sauce evenly between the 2 pans.
Place the aluminum pan(s) in the smoker and continue to smoke for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove the wings and serve immediately, while hot. Ranch or blue cheese works well as a dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!
The recipe can be found here.
The chicken is tender and perfectly flavored, the buffalo sauce is tangy and spicy without being overpowering, and there is enough food to feel a crowd (can you say leftovers?). It was worth the wait and didn’t take too long to become comfortable with the smoker. We’ll definitely be smoking more meat soon!
One plus about our smoker, all the racks and components are dishwasher safe so cleanup is super easy and everything comes out looking like new!
Happy Cooking!
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