These smoked chicken wings on the Traeger are the perfect blend of smoky and sweet flavors, with a crispy texture we get by finishing them off with the sear gun! One of my all-time favorite smoking recipes.
Make these delicious smoked wings for your next backyard outing or football get-together!
How To Make Smoked Chicken Wings
We're firing up the Traeger for these smoked chicken wings, going 250 degrees for about two hours.
We're brining them in pickle juice for two hours ahead of time, then hitting them with our homemade smoked chicken wing rub.
Once they've hit 190 internal on the Traeger, we're pulling them off and crisping them up with our SearPro for a few minutes per side, to get that crispy chicken wing skin we all love.
Then, you can serve it with our homemade buffalo sauce and our homemade blue cheese dressing, or even eat 'em dry! YUM!
The Ingredients
- Chicken wings. We used two packages of Bell & Evans cut wings, which are really good.These totaled about three pounds.
- Pickle juice. We like to brine our smoked wings in pickle juice for two hours before we smoke them. This adds a tangy and salty flavor, while also helping to keep the chicken moist and tender. Don't skip this step!
- Rub seasonings. We love making our own rubs! We're going with our smoked chicken rub for this cook, which combines sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and celery powder.
The Directions
1. Place wings in a large resealable plastic bag. Add enough pickle juice to fully cover the wings. For three pounds of wings, we used 24 ounces of pickle juice. Place in the fridge and let them brine for at least two hours.
2. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F with the wood or pellets of your choosing. For this cook, I'm going with cherry pellets!
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and celery powder to make your rub. You can optionally add a tablespoon of baking powder for extra crispiness.
4. Add the chicken wings to the bowl—making sure to shake off any excess brine—and toss to coat evenly. Rest wings on kitchen counter for 15 minutes to allow the seasoning to adhere.
5. Place the wings directly on the grill grates and let them smoke with the lid closed until they hit 190F internal, about 2 hours.
6. When the wings are done, place them on a wire rack over a large baking sheet.
7. Torch them with a sear gun on both sides, until the skin gets nice and crispy. (If you don't have a sear gun, you can grill these over high heat on a propane grill for 3-4 minutes per side).
8. Let the wings cool for a few minutes. You can serve these dry with just the rub, or with your favorite wing sauce or even Alabama white sauce. For this cook, we made our homemade buffalo sauce and homemade blue cheese dressing. ENJOY!
Enjoy!
>>> If you're looking for another way to get crispy wings, check out my 0-400 chicken wings recipe.
Storage Tips
- To Store. You can store these wings in an airtight bag or container for up to 3-4 days. I like to eat the leftovers cold, but you can reheat them in a skillet for a few minutes until they're nice and hot.
Recommended Tools
- Traeger Grill. I love my Traeger 780 for all things smoking, but you can (and should) use your smoker of choice.
- Cherry Pellets. I've really been digging the pellets from BBQ'ers Delight.
- Sear Gun. I use this sear gun by SearPro to get my wings nice and crispy after they come off the Traeger.
The Best Pellet Smoker
The Traeger 780 is my go-to pellet smoker, and what I use to cook all my smoking recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
It should take you about an hour and a half to two hours to smoke your wings at 250F. Always remember, of course, that you should cook to temperature—not time—and chicken should be cooked to 165 internal.
Your smoked wings are rubbery because you're smoking at a low temperature. That's just the nature of smoking low-and-slow—you're not going to get a nice, crispy skin. That's why we use the SearPro! You can also crisp them up on a gas grill for a few minutes per side.
Yes, it's a good idea to flip your wings halfway through cooking. This will help ensure a more even smoke. That said, it's not totally necessary!
More Chicken Recipes To Try
Best Smoked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 24 oz pickle juice
- 1/4 cup seasoning
Instructions
- Place wings in a large resealable plastic bag. Add enough pickle juice to fully cover the wings. For three pounds of wings, we used 24 ounces of pickle juice. Place in the fridge and let them brine for at least two hours.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F with the wood or pellets of your choosing. For this cook, I'm going with cherry pellets!
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and celery powder to make your rub.
- Add the chicken wings to the bowl—making sure to shake off any excess brine—and toss to coat evenly. Rest wings on kitchen counter for 15 minutes to allow the seasoning to adhere.
- Place the wings directly on the grill grates and let them smoke with the lid closed until they hit 190 internal, about 2 hours.
- When the wings are done, place them on a wire rack over a large baking sheet.
- Torch them with a sear gun on both sides, until the skin gets nice and crispy. (If you don't have a sear gun, you can grill these over high heat on a propane grill for 3-4 minutes per side).
- Let the wings cool for a few minutes. You can serve these dry with just the rub, or with your favorite wing sauce and dipping sauce.
These look amazing! I never thought about using a sear gun before. Thanks!
Thanks, Samantha!
Can't wait to try these wings out on Super Bowl Sunday!
Thanks, Connie!
Pickle juice, I never thought of using that as a brine. Definitely will be trying on my next batch of wings.
Thanks, Jere!