Chicken wings coated in Frank's buffalo sauce, smoked low to build flavor, then finished hot so the skin crisps without frying. Smoky, crispy, and properly spicy, served with ranch or blue cheese and the usual celery and carrots.
SpicyGluten-FreeHigh Protein
Best for: game day, a crowd, or a starter before the smoker's main event. Serves 4–6 as an appetizer. The two-stage smoke-then-sear is the whole trick — low for flavor, hot for crisp.
Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels. The drier the skin, the crispier they get — don't skip this.
Pour the buffalo sauce into a large bowl and toss each wing until thoroughly coated.
Set a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the wings in a single layer on the rack.
Drizzle more buffalo sauce from the bottle over the tops so they're evenly coated.
Sprinkle the tops with smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Transfer the whole rack and sheet onto the upper rack of the smoker. Set the smoker to 225°F and smoke 30 minutes.
Raise the smoker to 425°F and cook another 40 minutes. Check near the end — they're ready when the skin is crisp and just darkening to deep golden brown.
Rest 3–5 minutes, then serve with ranch or blue cheese, and celery and carrots if you like.
Notes from experience
Drying the wings is the single biggest factor in crisp skin — pat them bone dry before saucing.
The cooling rack lets smoke and heat circulate all the way around each wing, so you don't have to flip them.
For extra heat, drizzle a little more buffalo sauce just before serving. For maximum crisp, serve them as-is and let everyone sauce their own at the table.
Storage & reheating
Best fresh while the skin is crisp. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; reheat in a hot oven or air fryer to bring the crisp back — the microwave makes them soft.
Dietary note
Built gluten-free: Frank's RedHot Buffalo sauce is gluten-free, and the recipe calls for GF ranch and blue cheese. Tagged conditional only because dressing brands vary — confirm yours. The dressings contain dairy.
