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Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings are so easy and so worth the time it takes to make them. The smoky flavor combined with the spicy marinade and delicious spices make for irresistible wings.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek. The sponsors, Rainier Foods and Intensity Academy generously provided samples to participants to aid in the creation of the #BBQWeek recipes and prize packages to give away to the readers. However, all opinions are mine alone.

 

Ever since we got the smoker/grill combo I’ve been on a smoker kick. It’s almost an addiction to see what I can smoke. I was planning to smoke a burger, but I haven’t yet. It’s on my list of things to smoke. Eventually, I want to try to smoke everything we eat, if I can.

 

I’ve been thinking about smoking cheese, but you have to cold smoke that. I’m not sure I can do that with this grill smoker combo thingy I have. I think I can only hot smoke things. But don’t quote me on that. The jury is still out.

 

How do you smoke wings?

 

For me, the most important thing is to infuse flavor in these Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings before you smoke them. That means a delicious marinade and an even more delicious rub. The Garlic Goodness sauce infused so much garlic flavor and spice. It really made the wings taste super scrumptious.

 

Then I sprinkled the Honey Hype seasoning mix on the wings before I smoked them. This is a sweet and spicy blend that elevated the spicy garlic flavor in the marinade. And the honey in the spice mix created a deliciously sweet crust on the outside of the wings.

 

 

Then there’s the wood type. Since it’s chicken, I went with an applewood. It adds a sweet smoke to the wings. The Honey Hype seasoning enhanced the sweetness of the applewood smoke. And the applewood smoke enhanced the smokey goodness of the garlic marinade and honey seasoning blend. All the flavors just make a total wing party that is super delicious.

 

Once the Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings marinate sprinkle them with the seasoning and let them sit for 30 minutes while you prepare the smoker. Make sure the temperature is between 200 and 225 F. That’s a good temperature for wings. Since they’re small they will smoke quickly. In under 2 hours. So, you don’t want the temperature to be too high or they won’t get much smoke flavor.

 

 

When the smoker and the wings are ready, then place them on the rack with a drip pan underneath. I let these Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings smoke for 2 hours. They were cooked perfectly. The wings were still moist and delicious on the inside and had this mahogany color on the outside.

 

How do you make smoked wings crispy?

 

Now, if you’re like me, you want your wings to be crispy on the outside and delicious on the inside. Smoked wings are not crispy on the outside. The first time I made them, I cranked up the temperature to about 400 F and cooked the wings for 4 to 5 minutes a side. While they were crispy, they weren’t as crispy as I had hoped.

 

 

This time, I popped them into my air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes per side. I set the temperature to 400 and spritzed them with cooking spray before putting them in the air fryer. They cooked for 3 to 4 minutes per side. This made them crispier, but still not as crispy as I hoped.

 

I’m on the fence about dropping them in an actual fryer. I’m concerned that the smoke flavor might not stick around, and the delicate flavors of the marinade and seasoning might vanish. But I don’t have a fryer and usually don’t fry things in oil anyway. So, I guess I’ll never know unless I bite the bullet and try it. Maybe with the next batch I smoke.

 

 

What so Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings taste like?

 

These Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings are the best smoked wings I’ve made to date. The wings are perfectly spicy. That means not too spicy with just enough heat to make your mouth warm. Not hot and not flaming. Just warm.

 

And the Honey Hype seasoning blend adds a sweetness to the flavor. It makes this sweet crust on the outside of the Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings that is super delicious. But it’s not super sweet. There’s just enough sweetness to balance the spicy and smoky flavors in these wings.

 

 

The smoke itself enhances all these flavors. The applewood is light and slightly sweet. This sweetness is enhanced by the Honey Hype seasoning. And enhanced by the spicy flavor of the Garlic Goodness. I know I said it before, but all the flavors in these Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings truly play off each other.

 

Then there’s the sauce. It’s simple, but delicious. The hubs said it was a delicious wing sauce and seemed surprised I made it. And it’s super simple!! It’s the Carrot Karma sauce with some blue cheese dressing. Yes. It’s that simple. But the Carrot Karma sauce has this fresh spicy flavor that I just love. I mean it’s not full of salt and additives that other hot sauces have.

 

 

That’s my biggest complaint with most Buffalo sauces. The salt. I’m sure it serves a purpose in a bar. To make people thirsty and drink more beer. But I’m sitting in my living room eating these. So, there’s no need for all that salt. Why is there so much salt in Buffalo sauce? Maybe the original recipe isn’t that salt. I just know what I have eaten lately is just so salty my tongue feels like shoe leather.

 

These wings have none of that salty flavor. The Garlic Goodness and Carrot Karma taste super fresh. By that I mean without all those additives and sodium. You taste the garlic spiciness. You taste the sweet and smoky Honey Hype and applewood smoke. And finally, you taste the kick of the Carrot Karma sauce with the blue cheese dressing. Just smoked wings packed with delicious flavors.

Thursday #BBQWeek Recipes

Starters and Sides

• Iced Strawberry Tea from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Grilled Sweet Potatoes in Foil from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Sweet and Spicy Smoked Wings from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Dinners

• Korean Grilled Flank Steak from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches from Jen Around the World

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