Today we’re going to be learning about some amazing smoked chicken wings. Otherwise known as party wings. Anytime you’re cooking for a big crowd. wings are a favorite. I love to do these party style because they’re big and they go great at tailgates parties. They’re awesome on the smoker, you can put those deep fryers to the side, fire up the grill and get some smoke rolling. In this ultimate guide, we’re going to turn out some awesome wings.

Let’s get started. So the first thing we’re going to do with these wings today is getting them in a marinade. You’re going to need a couple of hours at least (minimum) for these wings to get some flavor into them. It’s not going to hurt if you go overnight. I’ll do that a lot of times if I’m going to tailgate early. I’ll get them in the fridge the night before that way I can smoke them the next morning.

When you buy party wings you really want to see giant sized wings first and second the joint section. No flappers if you can help it. They have some meat on them but not really a lot. Party wings typically come frozen. So you will have to let them thaw out. It’s best to let them thaw in the refrigerator slowly. You can put them in some water. I wouldn’t recommend setting them outside or putting them in the sink. Put them back in the fridge and if you to then use water. That’ll speed them up just a little bit, but give yourself plenty of time to let them thaw.

The Party Wings Marinade

When making party wings I like to do a batch of 50 or 60. When I make the marinade I always make sure I have a two and a half-gallon bag at the ready. Firstly you should make the marinade. To begin with, you should get a bowl big enough to mix the marinade without making a mess. You will begin with a bottle of Italian dressing. I like to use zesty Italian dressing but maybe you have a different taste. Then you should pour in a little soy sauce, a little Worcestershire sauce, then you can add a big dose of hot sauce. You want to get as much air as possible out of the bag. Work the marinade all over the wings to make sure everything is covered and put them in the fridge.

You should aim to keep the wings in the marinade for two to three hours. If you can leave them to marinate overnight then even better!

When this time is up, take the wings out of the marinade and you can really tell if they’ve soaked up that marinade and you can see the soy and the Worcestershire in them. You will see the bits of the seasoning from that Italian dressing and you will know that the hot sauce has put some flavor right to the bone.

You should line these up on chicken racks and this makes cooking large amounts of chicken wings easy. Now we’re going to get some flavor on the outside and we are going to keep it pretty simple today. You are going to create a seasoning. For this, you will start with some salt, pepper, and garlic. Because they will be smoked party wings you should also add some barbecue rub. You don’t want to go heavy because you may want to layer some more on there at the end. Flip them over and add the same to the other side.

The Smoke

It is time to get these wings in the smoker. Add a chunk of cherry wood and also a chunk of hickory wood to a good bed of hot coals. Shut up the smoker and let these wings cook. You should be looking at getting the smoker temperature up to about 250 to 275 because you want the skin to get a little crisp on it. You don’t want it to be rubbery so it is good to cook a little bit hotter.

About an hour later give the wings a check, You really don’t have to do a lot to wings. It’s not rocket science. You are just getting them cooked till they’re done. At this stage, you should give the wings a flip. Once you flip them all just give them a sprinkle with a little more rub. Shut the cooker again and in about thirty minutes they should be done. You’re looking for an internal temperature with white meat of at least 165 degrees, but a wing can go to 175, 180, 185, it’s not going to hurt it. When they are done they will have a beautiful color on both sides and be ready to take inside.

If these are not ready for some tailgating I don’t know what is, but make sure you wear some insulated gloves when removing the rack. The rack is going to be smoking hot. Get these party wings inside. Get them plated up but most importantly dive into one to check out how good it is.

You might decide at this point that they need some extra hot rub on top, just to kick them off. Just give them a light sprinkle so you get some of that heat. You might also decide now is a point to sauce these wings. You could make a wing sauce or hit them with the lemon pepper seasoning. However, you like them!

You can serve these with ranch dressing. Personally I like a big creamy blue cheese dressing but go with whatever you really enjoy!