FOR JIM and TOM....
For the 4 of us (2 teenage sons, my wife and I)I usually use about 5lbs. of wings. Sams Club carries them fresh in 5lb. packs so maybe thats what drives me to use that amount. Anyway, I never seem to have too many leftovers. As far as prepping them goes there's really not too much involved. The wings at Sams are who so I do have to separate them at the joints which only takes a few minutes. I don't really "brine" them but once I have them separated I soak them in salt water for about an hour. It's something most of the wing joints here in Buffalo do. Some add a touch of vinegar to the water but I don't. After an hour I take them out of the salted water and dry them off before putting them on the smoker. I usually set the smoker up with one and a half chimneys of Kingsford, a couple of chunks of cherry wood and a just a few inches of water in the pan. Just before putting the wings on I hit the racks with cooking spray to keep them from sticking. The 5lbs. of wings will cover both racks. I simply put the wings in the smoker and shut the bottom vents down (top open) to keep things at about 225 (you'll have to play with it to get there. Don't worry about temperature spikes. The wings seem to take them well. I check them after 2 hours but usually it takes about 3 to get that nice mahogany brown color going color. Sometimes I go almost 4 depending on the weather. The little bit of water in the pan lets you go a long time and still keep things moist. My only little secret is just when you think there done, take the door off the smoker or crank the vents wide open and run the temps up real hot for a few minutes. What that does is put just a touch of crispy in the skin since most folks like them that way. Not as crispy as deep fried but that's not what I shoot for. Just a nice edible skin with moist, fall off the bone meat inside. I serve them with a spicy BBQ sauce on the side. We like KC Masterpiece mixed with a bit of Jack Daniels, some peach preserves, and a shot of tabasco to taste.
Give them a try and let me know if you like them.