Norm's Smoked Buffalo Chicken Wings (Traeger Smoker)

Smoked Wings

1. Remove chicken wings from packaging and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place chicken wings on a rack set on a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered 1-3 hours. Skip step #2 and wings will not dehydrate and may turn out rubbery instead of crispy.
3. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees. Fruit wood pellets like cherry or apple are best for wings.
4. Remove wings from fridge and spray with canola oil to coat. Place wings in preheated smoker.
5. After 1 hour increase heat to 375 degrees F and leave wings in smoker for an additional 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken exceeds 170 degrees F. and the wings are crispy.
6. While chicken finishes cooking, prepare Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Buffalo Wing Sauce

• 2 Tbsp margarine or butter
• 3/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
• 1/4 cup Frank's Extra-Hot Sauce

Combine butter and hot sauce. Simmer in a pot on the stove. Or, carefully microwave in a microwavable container until just before the butter melts, then finish by stirring.

7. Toss cooked wings in warm Buffalo Wing Sauce and serve.

Norm's Barbecued "Buffalo Wing" Chicken Drummettes

Buy a bulk pack of chicken drumettes (small chicken drumsticks) and  make meaty "chicken wings" for a lot less. Norm makes them on the barbeque without blackening the skin. You'll need a 3-burner gas barbeque for this method.

"Buffalo Wing" Chicken Drumettes

chicken drumettes
Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
butter or margarine
BBQ tongs, basting brush
3-burner BBQ

1. Light BBQ and turn all burners on HIGH to preheat.  When grills are hot, turn the front and back burners to between low and medium.  Turn the middle burner OFF.  Carefully spray turned-off grill with PAM or other cooking oil spray.
2. Place chicken in the middle of the grill, over the turned-off burner, so the legs are not above the direct flame (so that the chicken can cook without burning the skin.). Close the BBQ lid. Check the progress--when one side of the chicken is golden, turn with tongs and cook the other side.  Time of cooking will depend on how meaty your drummettes are.
3. In a deep bowl, whisk together Frank's RedHot sauce and melted butter or margarine.  Mixture should be 3/4 hot sauce and about 1/4 butter/margarine--the quantity will depend on the amount of chicken you're cooking.  If you like suicide wings, add some Frank's extra-hot hot sauce, or a tablespoon of Tabasco.
4. When chicken is done, (skin is golden and meat looks cooked but isn't falling off the bone) remove from the grill (keep the 2 burners on) and gently toss in the butter/hot sauce mixture.  Put the chicken back on the middle (turned-off) grill.  Baste the top and sides of the chicken legs with left-over hot sauce mixture to coat well. Put the lid back down and let the coating bake on-- about 5 minutes or so.
5. When hot sauce coating is baked on, remove from grill and serve with a cold beer.  A good side-dish is cut-up raw vegetables and ranch dip or blue cheese dip.
6. Turn all burners on high with lid down, to burn off chicken residue. Turn off burners and scrape grills with BBQ scraper to clean.  You're done!

No-Baste Oven-Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

If you don't have time to baste and turn over the wings, as in the other recipe for oven-baked wings, try this version. You have to simmer the wings in a frying pan first, but after that initial preparation, you can leave them baking in the oven in a covered casserole dish for over an hour.

• 3 lbs chicken wings, tips removed
• butter or margarine for browning
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup prepared barbeque sauce
• 4 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder.

In a large fry pan, brown the wings lightly in butter or margarine. combine the honey, kietchup, bbq sauce, soya sauce and garlic powder in a bowl and pour over the wings in the pan. Simmer 10 minutes, turning wings to cover in sauce. Put wings and sauce in a covered casserole dish in a preheated 250 degree F oven. Cook wings for 70 minutes. Take the lid or foil off the dish and bake for 20 minutes more.

Oven-Baked Honey Ginger Chicken Wings

Marilyn made these chicken wings often in the early '80s. We liked them hot but they can also be served cold out of the fridge in the summer. 

• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp.fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• fresh ground black pepper
• 15 large chicken wings, cut in 2 pieces, tips removed.

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute the garlic for 5 minutes.

Add ginger, tomato paste, lemon juice, orange juice, honey, soy sauce and a couple turns of pepper from the grinder.

Simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut chicken wings and place pieces in a large plastic bowl.

Pour sauce mixture over the wings and toss.

Marinate in the fridge 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place chicken on a rack over a foil-lined pan.

Brush with remaining sauce.

Roast 10 minutes, turn over wings and brush with sauce.

Cook 10 minutes more.

Brush with more sauce.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F and cook 2-3 minutes.

Serve wings hot or cold.

Makes 30 pieces of wings.