Smoked chicken wings for 10: 5 pounds of wings coated in a smoky-sweet dry rub with a little baking powder, left uncovered in the fridge overnight so the skin dries out, then smoked at 275°F at the lot and crisped over the coals. They get dunked in a peppery Alabama white sauce made with mayo, cider vinegar, lemon and horseradish. About 20 minutes of work at home and 2 hours at the smoker.
Feeds: 10 · Hands-on: about 30 min · Total: about 10 hours 20 min, mostly resting in the fridge
Home gear: 2 sheet pans with wire racks, paper towels, 2 small jars
Pack for the lot
- Wings, sealed, at the bottom of the cooler
- Both jars of white sauce, in the cooler
- Smoker, or a kettle set up for indirect heat, plus charcoal and 2 or 3 wood chunks
- Large foil pan for tossing
- Tongs for raw and a second pair for cooked, plus a clean platter
- Instant-read thermometer
- Paper towels, wet wipes and trash bags
Lot notes
- Fuel: a full chimney of charcoal plus a few wood chunks holds 275°F for about 2 hours on a kettle. Pellet and gas smokers work the same.
- Raw chicken: keep the wings sealed and under everything else in the cooler, at 40°F or below. Use separate tongs for raw and cooked, and wash your hands after handling them.
- Two jars of sauce: the tossing sauce touches cooked wings only, and the dipping jar never touches the pan. Toss any sauce left in the pan.
- White sauce on ice: it's mostly mayo, so it stays at 40°F or below until serving. Toss anything out past 2 hours, or 1 hour over 90°F.
- Fridge life: the white sauce keeps 1 week. Raw rubbed wings should be cooked within 2 days of buying. Cooked wings keep 3 to 4 days.
- Jordan-Hare: grills and smokers have to stay 50 feet from campus buildings and out of the parking decks, so set up in an open lot. Jordan-Hare stadium guide.
Can you make smoked wings ahead?
Yes. Smoke them the day before, chill them fast and pack them cold. At the lot, warm them over indirect heat to 165°F, crisp them over the coals for a few minutes, then toss them in the sauce.
How do you keep wings hot at a tailgate?
Serve them straight off the smoker in batches. If they have to wait, hold them in a covered foil pan on the cool side of the grill at 140°F or above.
How many wings for 20 people?
Make it twice: 10 lb of wings, a double batch of rub and a double batch of white sauce. Smoke them in 2 rounds if your grate can't hold 10 pounds at once, and serve the first round while the second smokes.
What is Alabama white sauce?
A tangy barbecue sauce made from mayonnaise, vinegar and plenty of black pepper, from north Alabama. It's usually served with smoked chicken.
Can you smoke at Jordan-Hare Stadium?
Yes, in the lots. The guide's grill rule reads "At least 50 feet from campus buildings, never in parking decks. Fires stay in the grill. Douse charcoal with water and use the coal bins." See the Jordan-Hare guide.