Appetizer

Smoked Wings with Imperial Stout BBQ Sauce

Comments are Disabled

These Dry Rubbed Smoked Wings are bold, smoky and bursting with flavor. After brining, the dry rub brings an entirely new flavor profile to your wings. Sugar adds a bit of sweetness while the guajillo powder enhances with mild to medium heat and a hint of berry flavor. And, of course, your smoker provides that natural wood-fired flavor while keeping the meat tender and juicy. 

For a sauce, instead of a bottled sauce, I wanted to go with a recipe that was based on my grandmother’s sauce she used for chicken.  While she was from St. Louis, it originally was sweeter, as most BBQ from that area is,  and used a local lager as the key ingredient. I have modified it over the years to take off some of the sweetness, and bring out a deeper flavor using a Russian Imperial Stout.  I love a local, (Colorado) stout “Bear Chested.” This is a staple of  105 W Brewery in Castle Rock, CO. I have used this one in other recipes and it has never failed me.  That became my  But a good rich imperial stout from your residence will do just fine. 

Smoked Wings with Imperial Stout BBQ Sauce
Pin
Print

Smoked Wings with Imperial Stout BBQ Sauce

Course: Appetizers, Game DayCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

2

hours 
Total time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Ingredients
30-35 chicken wings. Tips off, drummy, and flats seperated

  • Brine:

  • 3 cups water

  • 1 cup apple juice

  • 1/4 cup salt

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns

  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

  • 1 lemon, sliced

  • Dry Rub:

  • 1/4 cup paprika

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon guajillo powder

  • 1 tablespoon lemon pepper

  • 2 teaspoons onion powder

  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground celery seed

  • Sauce:

  • 2/3 cup red cider vinegar

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

  • 1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp)

  • 1 tbsp garlic salt

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1/2 tsp pepper

  • 2/3 of a 12 oz can of your favorite imperial stout.

Directions

  • In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, salt and a cup of water. Simmer to dissolve and turn burner heat off. Stir in 2 cups of ice cold water; add apple juice, lemon slices, peppercorns and red pepper. Pour brine over chicken wings in a medium-size bowl and set in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
  • Preheat smoker to 220°F. If you are using a Pellet Smoker, like my CampChef SG, set it on high smoke
  • Remove wings from brine. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Place wings in a large bowl; then mix with olive oil.
  • In a medium-size bowl, combine paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, guajillo powder, lemon pepper, onion powder, black pepper and celery seed. Season wings with the dry rub.
  • HOT TIP One of the most popular chilis in Mexican cuisine, guajillo chili powder is mild to medium hot with berry notes. If you can't find it, you can substitute with ancho chili powder.
  • Place in smoker for 1 3/4 - 2 hours, till about 165 degrees. Turn once and spritz with apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes. This opens the pours of the chicken and helps the smoke flavor. At about 1 1/2 hours, lightly glaze with the sauce to finish. This is an option, but if you do...go with a light, light glaze. Its meant to act as a finishing sauce to accent the flavors in the rub.
  • Remove wings from smoker and serve with sauce on the side.
  • Imperial Stout BBQ Sauce
  • Combine vinegar, butter, and tomato paste into small sauce pan over medium heat till you get a light boil.
  • Stir in remaining ingredients, excluding the stout, until the paste thins, the butter melts, and the spices are dissolved.
  • Pour in the Stout. Drink the remaining. Simmer for 1-2 hours over low to simmer temp and allow to cook reduce a little to be spreadable with a brush.

Comments are closed.