Smoked Citrus Brined Chicken Wings
Smoked Citrus Brined Chicken Wings can be made in your smoker or Traeger pellet grill, a flavorful brine and dry rub makes the best wings!
Equipment
- Traeger/Pellet Grill
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 5 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (or mix of both)
- 1/3 cup kosher salt (not table salt)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 6 to 8 whole peppercorns
- citrus seasoning blend of choice (I used Blackstone Citrus Garlic Mojo seasoning)
- 6 pounds jumbo split chicken wings
Instructions
- Combine the water, orange juice, lemon or lime juice, kosher salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon of the citrus seasoning in a large pot or container with lid. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Add the wings, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove wings and pat dry (discard brine). Season wings with more citrus seasoning.
- Set your Traeger pellet grill or smoker to 250 degrees. Place the wings on the grill grate for 2 1/2 hours, flipping halfway through.Or, for crispy wings follow this 0 to 400 pellet grill method: Place the wings on your pellet grill, then turn your pellet grill on and set the temperature to 400 degrees (or 375 degrees if your Traeger model doesn't reach 400). Set a timer for 40 minutes (when the pellet grill is still at 0 degrees).Flip the wings using tongs, then set a timer for 20 more minutes. Check the wings and remove them once they are crisped how you prefer and the internal temperature is above 165 degrees.**Blackstone griddle directions in note section**
Notes
Blackstone Griddle Directions-
Preheat your griddle to medium/ medium high heat for a few minutes and add some cooking oil. Add the wings and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Lower the heat to medium low and cover the wings with a 9×13 foil pan or large melting dome. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove pan or dome and cook a few more minutes, flipping, until skin is crisped to your liking.
Lower the heat to medium low and cover the wings with a 9×13 foil pan or large melting dome. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove pan or dome and cook a few more minutes, flipping, until skin is crisped to your liking.