Smoked Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

You’ll be amazed by this smoked chicken wings recipe!

Updated May 17, 2021

Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

I love chicken wings any way they come. The crispy skin, smokey flavor and saucy deliciousness gets me every time. This glaze is well balanced between sweet and sour and goes so well with chicken wings. When the wings are glazed, the presentation is beautiful and will feed you with your eyes first. You will wish you had more of these when they’re gone.

Suggested Wood: Apple, hickory or pecan chips
Grill Setup: Indirect

Serves4 to 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

Glaze
1/4
cup (60 ml) pineapple juice
1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
1/4
cup (60 ml) rice vinegar
1/4
cup (55 g) brown sugar
1/4
cup (60 ml) ketchup
1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey
1 teaspoon Sriracha
Chicken
2 lbs (907 g) chicken wings
2 teaspoons (12 g) your favorite savory poultry rub (I use Dizzy Pig Peking seasoning)
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the pineapple juice and cornstarch until a smooth slurry is formed. This is important to help thicken the sauce for thewings. Next whisk together the rice vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce,honey, sriracha and the slurry in a saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Set aside while you cook the chicken wings.
Preheat the cooker to 350ºF (176ºC). If you’re using a kamado or bullet grill, add a handful of wood chips to the charcoal; with a pellet grill, simply preheatthe cooker, as the pellets will take care of the smokey flavor. Rub the chicken wings evenly with the rub. Cook the wings for 20 minutes. Flip and cook for another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165ºF (74ºC).
Remove the wings and place them in a large bowl. Pour the glaze over the top of the chicken wings and toss until evenly coated. Garnish with scallions, serve and enjoy.

Reprinted with permission from The Four Fundamentals of Smoking by Chris Sussman (Page Street Publishing, Co.; 2021) Photo credit: Chris Sussman