Pecan Smoked Chicken Wings

Recipe for Pecan Smoked Chicken Wings – The Thunderbird Method

– Buy jumbo whole wings…the bigger the better. The size will give you a leg up with keeping the meat juicy.
– Use Early Bird brine to impart savory deliciousness down to the bone and keep things juicy. The full container will brine about 50 jumbo whole wings, so you may very well be able to extend what you get from the bottle by using only half at a time. To make half the recipe, dissolve half the container in 1.5 quarts of boiling water, whisking a minute or two. Move from burner and mix in 2 quarts of ice to cool it down rapidly so it’s ready for your wings. Add brine and wings to a container or brining bag and place in the fridge for 18-24 hrs.

– You do not need to rinse the wings or blot off the brine once the brine time is up. You also do not need to allow the wings to air dry for a day, as some brines require.

– While the wings are still damp, rub them with Chicken Scratch or Chicken Scratch Fiery Hot! A light to medium dusting will do the trick. This rub has everything you want in a chicken wing seasoning.

– Set up your smoker or ceramic grill for indirect cooking at 250˚. You will want 3-4 tennis ball sized chunks of pecan wood on there too. Apple and cherry are great too.

– Smoke your wings about 3 hrs. You are primarily looking for the skin to have the color of mine in the video. If you are cooking over a plate setter, you may find it best to flip the wings at about 1.5 hrs to compensate for radiant heat.

– In the final 10 minutes of smoking, I like to lightly drizzle the wings with honey.