Smoked Chicken Wings with Alabama White Sauce

Adapted by StarChefs.com
July 2013
Yield: 6 portions

INGREDIENTS:

Brined Chicken Wings
1 gallon water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1 bunch thyme
3 tablespoons crushed red pepper
24 large chicken wings
Dry Rub
½ cup ground chile powder
2 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons dry mustard
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cayenne powder
2 tablespoons coarsley ground black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Smoked Chicken Wings
Red oak
Alabama White Sauce
2 cups Duke's mayonnaise
⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon corsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
To Assemble and Serve
peanut oil

METHOD:

For the Brined Chicken Wings:
In a large pot, bring water to a simmer and turn off heat. Add all ingredients and whisk until dissolved. Refrigerate until fully chilled. In refrigerator, submerge chicken wings in brine for 4 hours.

For the Dry Rub:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir till combined.

Smoked Chicken Wings:
Prepare a smoker with red oak and heat to 225°F. Remove Brined Chicken Wings from liquid and pat dry. Add chicken wings to a large mixing bowl and evenly distribute all but 4 tablespoons of Dry Rub. Smoke chicken 2 hours and 30 minutes.

For the Alabama White Sauce:
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Chill.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a deep fryer, heat peanut oil to 350°F. Fry Smoked Chicken Wings 4 to 6 minutes, until crispy and just caramelized. Remove from fryer, shake off excess oil, and rest 30 seconds. In a mixing bowl, toss together wings and reserved Dry Rub. Serve with ramekin of Alabama White Sauce.

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