Smoked Chicken Wings

Add wings to a gallon Ziplock bag then add pickle juice, seal and remove all the air, and then squish to combine. Refrigerate anywhere from 2-8 hours – the longer the wings sit in the pickle juice, the more “pickley” they’ll taste in the end. (See notes section for a non-pickle juice brine alternative.)

Drain wings in a colander then pat very dry with paper towels. Add wings to a large mixing bowl then sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning and baking powder on top and mix with your hands to evenly coat. Place wings on a cooling rack set atop a baking sheet then refrigerate while you prepare the smoker.

Prepare your smoker or charcoal grill to smoke over indirect heat (ie, create a hot zone and a cool zone) then bring the temperature to 250 degrees as measured by a digital thermometer clipped into the cool zone. Add wood chips, if using (we use one pice of cherry wood and one piece of oak wood) then place wings on the grate over the cool zone. Shut the lid then smoke for 30 minutes – heat should stay between 225-250 degrees.

If your smoker also functions as a grill, raise the temperature in the hot zone to 450 degrees – alternatively you can heat a gas grill over medium-high heat. Transfer wings over to the hot zone then grill, turning often and moving wings to the cool zone if scorching occurs, until the internal temperature reaches 170 – 190 degrees (180-185 makes for some very tender wings!)

Let wings rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. If you choose to toss the wings in sauce before serving, make sure the sauce has been warmed up first. These wings are DELICIOUS “plain”/served as it.