Smoking wings

I haven't found a rub that beats a heavy dose of fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Personal preference but I'd rather cook at 400 until initial temp of around 180 (8-10 minutes per side) as opposed to smoking. The skin crisps up better at higher temps. Especially if you leave uncovered on a wire rack in the fridge overnight to let the skin dry out. If all goes wrong, you can always toss in a mixture of butter and Frank's hot wing sauce at the end and cover up any shortcomings in the cook.

I wet brine them for an hour or two, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Hit with a light sprinkle of Tony’s or Stanley’s rub (not much because the brine added salt) and cook indirect on Weber kettle with high heat and a piece or two of cherry wood. Flip after about 20 minutes and cook until they reach temp. If not crisp enough, put over direct coals for a few seconds per side.

The seasoning/rub is not a big part of it for me. The wings get plenty of flavor from salt brine and cherry smoke. You can also dip or toss them in sauce, which I do sometimes, but they are very good without sauce.

I got the best crisp on my wings yesterday. After I patted them dry, I put some baking powder on them prior to seasoning. Let them sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. Then cooked them 0-400 on the pellet grill.

I have never made smoked wings good. Seems like they just have to be cooked hot in order to be good.