Barque Smokehouse Award-Winning Wings

I’m David Neinstein and I’m a barbecue from Barque Smokehouse in Toronto. 

I’m here to show you how to make amazing wings. The best way to do it is to smoke them and then put them on the grill. Let me show you how.

The first step for creating this recipe is make a brine. It’s really simple. Take four litres of really hot water, add a cup of sugar and a cup of kosher salt. Mix it really well together so it dissolves. Let it get to room temperature. You can do this for other meats as well — turkey, pork, or even whole chickens. 

Once the brine is cool, place the chicken wings into a sealable container. Carefully pour the brine into the container and seal it. Place in the refrigerator for anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

When you’re ready to cook the wings, remove them from the fridge and drain them really well. In the meantime, create your spice rub. 

To prep your wings for the smoker, take two racks out of the smoker and oil them using nonstick vegetable spray. Then place the wings, in a single layer on the rack. You can now apply your barbecue rub. Be generous. When you’ve covered all of them, take the second rack and place it above the first rack, so you sandwich the wings together. Then flip the whole thing, saving you the time of flipping each individual wing. Now apply another layer of barbecue rub on top. Cover everything. You’re now ready to smoke.  

Start by pre-heating your smoker to 300 F. Then take some of your favourite apple cider or apple juice and put it inside a spray bottle. We’ll be using it later. Here’s a tip —  take a cookie sheet that fits in the smoker and put it on the bottom rack. Fill that with apple cider. It adds moisture to the cavity; it catches any drips, making clean-up easy; and it adds a pleasant aroma. 

Spray the wings every 15 minutes or so with the apple juice or apple cider. It’ll help to keep the moisture high. Take the entire platter off the smoker and place it on a preheated grill. Make sure it’s really hot. Cook them a minute per side until they get nice and crispy. Transfer them to a bowl and use the leftover spice rub to coat them evenly. Then transfer to a platter and serve. You’re ready to enjoy.

For more barbecues and for more meal ideas, visit CanadianTire.ca/barbecue