These Buffaque Wings are smoked until the skin is crispy and the meat is juicy and tender. The sauce is a mix of Buffalo and BBQ, giving you the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, and smoky. These wings are a fun and flavorful choice for game day!
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Recipe Highlights
- ⏱️ Ready in: 1 hour
- 🍽️ Serves: 4-6 as an appetizer
- 👩🏽🍳 Difficulty: Easy
- 🔥 Best of Both Worlds: Wings are smoked low and slow, then tossed in a tangy-sweet Buffaque sauce that blends Buffalo heat with smoky BBQ flavor.
These Buffaque wings are the best of both worlds! If you can’t decide between Buffalo or BBQ, you don’t have to choose.
This recipe blends the two into one sauce that’s spicy, sweet, and downright addicting. Our favorite way to eat them is with a side of blue cheese sauce for dipping.
We love using our Smoked Chicken Wings recipe with this homemade bbq seasoning because the wings come out with crispy skin, juicy meat, and smoke flavor that's hard to resist.
Buffalo BBQ Sauce
Buffalo BBQ sauce is a mix of two favorites. It has the spicy and tangy taste of Buffalo sauce combined with the sweet and smoky flavor of barbecue sauce. Together, they make a tasty sauce that works great on wings, burgers, pulled pork, or even fries.
Here’s Why We Love It
- Crispy, smoky wings: The smoker gives these wings a crisp bite on the outside while locking in juicy, tender meat inside.
- Sweet and spicy sauce: This sauce blends the best of both worlds. You get the tangy heat of Buffalo sauce mixed with the sweet, smoky flavor of barbecue, all tied together.
- Game day ready: These wings are so flavorful you’ll want to make an extra batch because they disappear fast.
Ingredients
- Chicken Wings: We used whole chicken wings for this recipe. You can follow our Smoked Chicken Wings recipe for extra tips on prepping and smoking wings. If you prefer, you can separate the wings into flats and drumettes before cooking.
- Buffalo Wing Sauce: We like using Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce because it gives that classic Buffalo flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: A splash of apple cider vinegar adds a little tang.
- Molasses: Molasses gives the sauce a rich sweetness and a little depth of flavor. It balances out the heat from the hot sauce in the best way. If you don’t keep molasses in the pantry use dark brown sugar as a substitute.
See the recipe card below for full information on the ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Buffaque Wings (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Place wings in a large bowl, sprinkle with BBQ rub, and let sit 10–15 minutes.
Step 2: Preheat smoker (or grill for indirect cooking). Place wings on smoker and cook until they reach 165℉ internal temperature.
Step 3: Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Step 4: Add the diced onion and sauté until soft.
Step 5: Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Step 6: Add the seasonings and stir until everything is well combined.
Step 7: Mix in the tomato paste and let it cook for a couple minutes. Pour in the ketchup, Buffalo sauce, vinegar, and molasses. Stir well.
Step 8: Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.
Step 9: Take the wings off the smoker.
Step 10: Toss smoked wings in the sauce until fully coated.
Step 11: Serve the wings hot with ranch or blue cheese sauce.
Our Favorite Pairings
Buffaque wings are a must for game day! We love to serve them with a side of creamy blue cheese sauce.
You can also build the ultimate spread with recipes like Asian-style chicken wings, and smoked shotgun shells stuffed with pulled pork, cheese, and jalapeño, then wrapped in bacon. We also enjoy this smoked queso and these fried pickles.
Buffaque Wings Recipe FAQs
Buffaque wings are chicken wings tossed in a sauce that combines Buffalo sauce and barbecue sauce.
Yes! You can bake the wings in the oven at 400°F until crispy and cooked through, about 40–45 minutes.
Make the wing sauce up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Just reheat it before tossing with the wings.
Next Up: More Wing Recipes
If you loved these buffa-que chicken wings, you’ll want to try:
If you tried this Buffaque Wings recipe or any other recipe on our blog, consider leaving us a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments.
📖 Recipe
Buffaque Wings (Buffalo Barbecue Chicken Wings)
Ingredients
- 12 whole chicken wings
- ¼ cup Homemade BBQ Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ white onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons molasses
Instructions
- Set up your smoker or grill for indirect cooking and preheat to 275°F.
- Place the wings in a large bowl, sprinkle with BBQ rub, and toss to coat. Let them rest for 10–15 minutes.
- Arrange the wings on the smoker grates and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the onion and sauté until soft, 5–7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 2–3 minutes more.
- Mix in the tomato paste and cook another 2–3 minutes. Add brown sugar, chipotle chili powder, mustard, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Stir well.
- Pour in ketchup, Buffalo sauce, vinegar, and molasses. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10–15 minutes until thickened to your liking.
- Transfer the smoked wings to a large bowl. Pour the Buffaque sauce over the wings and toss until coated. Serve hot with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
- How to get crispy skin: Make sure the wings are dry before adding seasoning. Smoking at 275°F helps render the fat and crisp the skin, but you can also finish the wings over high heat for extra crunch.
- Baking instead of smoking: No smoker? Bake the wings at 400°F for 40–45 minutes until golden and cooked through. They won’t have the smoke flavor, but they’ll still taste great.
- Make ahead: You can smoke the wings a day ahead, then reheat them in the oven at 375°F before tossing in fresh sauce. The sauce itself can also be made up to 3 days early.
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