If you've bought whole chicken wings, you'll need to take a minute to cut each of them into pieces.
Using a sharp knife, cut between the drumette and the flat, then the flat and the tip.
They should snap apart easily in these places.
Both the flat and drumette are edible meat, but the tip can still be reserved for things like making stock.
After doing any necessary breaking down of the wings, you can start to season them.
First, dry off any moisture on the surface of the wings with paper towels.
While you're there, use this as a chance to pluck out any stray feathers that the butcher may not have removed from the chicken skin.
Once dried, immediately toss the wings in olive oil.
This will help them stay moist while they cook and make it easier for the spices to adhere to the surface.
Combine the seasonings listed in the ingredients in a large bowl and drop the wings in, tossing them to coat thoroughly on all sides with Buffalo dry rub seasoning.
If hot wings are more to your taste, you can also add to your spice rub chili powder, ground mustard or hot cayenne pepper.
Instead of a smoker, this recipe works best when using a regular charcoal grill.
This is because, to properly smoke the wings without overcooking them, you'll want to more easily create a two zone fire.
Pile up charcoal on one side of the grill and light it.
Once the fire has had a chance to burn down a bit, place on your wood.
If you used wood chips instead of chunks, remember to pre-soak them in hot water at least half an hour out from when they'll be going on the fire to keep them from burning up too quickly.
Place on your grill grate and put down the lid to give the smoke and heat a chance to build up.
Shoot for a temperature around 225 degrees Fahrenheit before you even think about putting on your wings.
After your fire is sufficiently hot and your wood is sufficiently smoky, you're ready to cook.
Place your wings onto the colder half of your grill (the side not above direct flames) and close the lid.
As they cook, pay attention to the charcoal and wood levels of the grill and add more as needed, though this will likely be unnecessary given the short cooking time.
If you do, remember to adjust your air vents to keep the temperature consistent.
In total, the cook time for your wings will likely be around two hours or so.
Every ten minutes, spray your wings down with a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar to help give them some of that signature Buffalo flavor and keep them moist.
Near the end of cooking, start checking the internal temperature of the wings.
When they hit 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you know they're almost done.
At this point, move them to direct flame to char the outsides a bit.
Finish them like this for about five minutes before taking them off the heat, flipping once halfway through to hit both sides evenly.
Like all meat, you'll need to rest your wings before you start eating them.
This gives them a chance to finish cooking and climb those last five degrees.
They'll have to sit for around ten minutes to preserve the maximum amount of flavor and juiciness.
Rather than just wait, though, you can use this as an opportunity to sauce them if you desire.
While you've already seasoned up the wings with Buffalo-style rub, you can go all the way and toss them in some delicious Buffalo sauce once they're off the grill, too.
Another common saucing idea is to toss them with clarified butter to let the rub's flavors come through more prominently.
To make clarified butter, all you need to do is melt a stick of butter and strain out the milk solid, the liquid that remains being your butter.
After a not at all long but still quite excruciating wait, you'll be ready to eat.
Serve them up next to some hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, and celery sticks for that sports bar authenticity.