Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the smoker to 225°F.
- Wash chicken wings and dry thoroughly prior to cooking.
- Season wings liberally on both sides with Kinder's Woodfired Garlic Rub, ensuring even coverage.
- Place wings in the smoker and cook for 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove wings from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with sauce on the side for dipping. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- Pat them bone-dry — Any surface moisture steams in the smoker and softens the bark before it sets. Paper towels only. Pat until the surface looks matte, not tacky.
- Season both sides hard — The Kinder's Woodfired Garlic Rub can take aggressive coverage. Press it in rather than just sprinkling. You want full contact, not a dusting.
- Hold 225°F, don't rush it — Higher temps render the fat faster than the smoke can penetrate. A steady 225°F is what gives you bark and a real smoke ring.
- Use hickory or oak — Fruitwoods are too soft for a garlic rub this forward. Hickory or oak carries the weight. Cherry blended with hickory works if you want to soften the smoke edge slightly.
- Pull at 165°F internal, not by the clock — Wings at 225°F can run 55 minutes or 80 minutes depending on size and smoker consistency. Use a probe thermometer at the thickest part of the drumette, away from the bone.
- Rest five minutes before serving — The juices redistribute. Cut into a wing right off the smoker and the first bite is dry. Wait five minutes and it's not.
- Set out sauces and let people work. Ranch cuts the smoke cleanly. A Carolina-style vinegar sauce sharpens it. Hot honey hits in a way most dipping sauces don't — the garlic bark is already doing half the work. A squeeze of lemon right before serving brightens the whole plate without covering the garlic.
- For a cookout plate, pair with coleslaw and cornbread. The slaw's acidity cuts through the fat, and cornbread handles anything that runs off. For a game-day table, these sit comfortably next to smoked queso or jalapeño poppers without competing.
- Serve straight off the rest. Don't sauce the wings before plating. The bark stays crispier with sauce on the side, and people can dial their own heat.
- Let the wings cool to room temperature before storing. Stacking them hot traps steam and softens the bark. Move to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, run the oven at 250°F for 10 to 15 minutes on a wire rack over a sheet pan. The rack keeps airflow around the skin. A flat sheet pan steams the bottom and kills the texture.
- For a smaller batch, an air fryer at 375°F for 4 to 5 minutes gets the skin close to where it was. Skip the microwave.