Smoked Chicken Wings with Alabama White BBQ Sauce by Chef David Bancroft of Acre restaurant in Auburn, AL. (All images by Heather Carson with Carson Studios.)
“We created this recipe just before the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game last football season,” says David Bancroft of Acre restaurant in Auburn, AL. “We marinate the wings in hot sauce for 24 hours, season them with a little homemade dry rub, and then smoke them for about two hours before we crank the heat up to crisp the skin. Our Alabama white sauce has one secret ingredient: Duke’s Mayonnaise!”
Just in time for your Father’s Day brunch, find Chef Bancroft’s recipe for Smoked Chicken Wings with Alabama White BBQ Sauce below. And click here to see Chef Bancroft and his “mini me” (son Walker, 4.5) model our new bow tie collection, created in partnership with Collared Greens.
Ingredients and Directions for Marinating the Wings
- 2 dozen whole chicken wings (not segmented)
- ½ gallon Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
Place wings in large tub/container suitable for marinating for 24 hours. Place wings in container. Pour Frank’s and garlic powder over chicken and fold wings to evenly distribute marinade. Store in refrigerator for 24 hours or at least overnight. While marinating, you can pre-make the Alabama White BBQ Sauce.
Ingredients and Directions for Alabama White BBQ Sauce
- 1 ½ cups Duke’s Mayonnaise
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp creole mustard
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ white onion
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- ½ tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon horseradish (optional for extra zing)
Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. If desired, you can adjust flavor to your preference. More cayenne for heat, more vinegar for acidity, more mayo for creaminess, etc.
Preparing the Wings
Preheat smoker to 275°F. I prefer to smoke with pecan, but your favorite wood selection is fine. Remove wings from hot sauce marinade and place on smoker and smoke using indirect heat. Smoke wings for 45 minutes on low heat. Add more logs to increase heat to 350°F and allow the higher heat to crisp and color up the chicken skin. Every smoker cooks differently, so monitor closely during this stage to get the skin just right. Typically, 10-20 minutes at this heat should do the job. Remove wings from the smoker to a large service platter. Spoon the BBQ sauce generously over the wings and garnish with fresh lemon wedges. Crack a cold beer, preferably Back Forty ‘Truck Stop Honey.’ Enjoy!
