I just made a wing recipe I really like with some smoke flavor and crispy skin. The technique is from Cook's Illustrated. In their version everything is done in the oven but I am doing 30 minutes in a Cookshack before moving to oven. I am also using Cookshack Spicy Chicken rub and I preferred them without any sauce. The recipe is behind a paywall unfortunately ( https://www.cookscountry.com/r..._search_experience_1 ), but I believe the recipe is also in the Cook's Illustrated "Meat Book" cookbook. Of course you don't need to use a baking sheet in the cookshack but I was feeling lazy. Try this one before you discount the baking powder idea. I scaled the recipe below down to a single portion just to play around with things. Next time I will double or triple it.
INGREDIENTS:
1 to 1 1/4 lbs chicken wings ( cut into drums and flats ), thawed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (NOT BAKING SODA)
1 tsp Cookshack Spicy Chicken Rub
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat cookshack to 250 degrees with 1 chunk of cherry or apple wood.
Pat wings dry with paper towels and transfer to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Combine baking powder and Cookshack Spicy Chicken Rub, add to wings, seal bag, and toss to evenly coat.
Place a cooling rack into a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper for easier cleanup. Arrange the wings, skin side up, in a single layer on the cooling rack.
Cook for 30 minutes in Cookshack at 250 degrees.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
After 30 minutes in the smoker, transfer the wings to the hot indoor oven and cook until brown and crispy approximately 40 minutes. If you are using multiple cookie sheets, rotate them halfway through.
Remove from the oven and let the wings rest for 5 minutes.