Smokalicious! Chicken Wings

Instructions

1. Day 1 – Start the Brine… Add 1 gallon of hot water to 5 gallon bucket and all the brine ingredients. Stir well until dissolved. Add chicken to bucket (I’ve read where some people cut up the wings or at least cut off the tips). Fill the rest of the bucket with water until all the chicken is under the brine solution. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
2. Day 2 – Prep and Cook… About 4 hours from time to serve the wings, pour out the brine and rinse the chicken off well. Put the chicken in a large trash bag and add 1 quart of buttermilk. Shake around well and place back in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cut corner of bag and let the buttermilk drain out. Dump in a ton of the Garlic Smoked Jalapeno Salt to cover the chicken. Shake around in the bag and check the coverage. Add more if necessary.
3. Turn smoker on 275 degrees (or medium) and add the wings with the skin-side down (might need 2 grills!).
4. After about 45 minutes, flip the wings (also re-arrange to compensate for any hot spots) and drop the temp to 225 degrees.
5. After 45 more minutes, drop the temp to 200 degrees and flip the wings and re-arrange.
6. After about 30 more minutes, check for doneness by testing one (or a few) wings.
7. The bones should pull out with little to no effort and the skin should be crispy. It’s ok if it seems a little sticky to the cooking surface.
8. Once done, place in a serving tray and if you need to stack them, use brown paper bags between layers to absorb the oils and keep crispy. Let rest about 10 minutes and serve.