It’s crunch time – playoff games are heating up, and so is your Super Bowl party prep. 

Wings are the ultimate game-day MVP: they’re versatile, crowd-pleasing, and the perfect way to showcase amazing BBQ flavors.

Think of wings as a blank canvas for BBQ creativity. With the right rubs, sauces and seasonings, you can transform a simple batch of wings into a flavor-packed masterpiece.

This guide will help you create a lineup of wing flavors that will have everyone cheering long before kickoff.

Wing-Worthy Seasonings

When it comes to wings, the rub sets the stage for flavor. Using the Factory Team Flavor Guide, we curated a selection of five must-try rubs that bring bold, unique flavors to your game-day spread.

Ace’s Wild 4 Queens AP Rub: This seasoning has a 2-1-4-4 Flavor Guide profile and is so much more than a salt-pepper-garlic all-purpose rub. Strong garlic flavors, a fantastic peppery punch and celery put this one over the top.

Blazing Star Reaper Rub: Mega-grilled flavor with a sweet opening and a spicy finish. Its Flavor Guide profile of 3-3-3-4 is nicely balanced with sweetness helping to temper the heat.

Loot N’ Booty Everything Rub: With a 3-3-4-3 Flavor Guide profile, this blend is extremely versatile for outdoor cooking and in the kitchen. We love the big savory notes and smoky vibe.

LC BBQ The Honey Hole: Deep, rich color with a sweet-leaning 2-4-3-3 Flavor Guide profile is a natural on wings (and ribs and cedar plank grilled salmon and so much more.)

Twisted Steel Lima Loca: This blend has a Flavor Guide profile of 4-2-3-3 and renders wings immediately festive and vibrant. The alternative wave of salty lime flavors and a terrific heat are irresistible.

Also just in time for the big game are three all-new seasonings from Heath Riles BBQ: Buffalo Seasoning, Lemon Pepper Buffalo Seasoning and Parmesan Garlic Seasoning. These classic wing flavors will please any crowd (and are versatile for use in other dishes on and off the grill.)

Next-Level Wing Sauces

The right sauce can take wings to new heights. We’ve rounded up five game-changing sauces that deliver crowd-pleasing flavors for your Super Bowl spread.

Oconee Gold Wingy: A unique spin on a classic buffalo wing flavor with a blend of sweetness and tangy cayenne spiciness. Great on all forms of chicken!

Blues Hog Wild Wing Sauce: A relatively new addition to the incredible Blues Hog sauce lineup. Made for wings but plenty tasty on pork, fish and tater tots.

SuckleBusters Honey BBQ Glaze: This award-winning recipe is a perfect sweet glaze for wings (and ribs). It’s a little on the thin side but you can add butter or even a little more honey to thicken as desired.

Hot Diggity Hog Bold & Spicy BBQ Sauce: Made with the finest all-natural ingredients that bring sweet and just enough heat on the back end.

Duce’s Wild Alabama White Gold: Life’s never quite the same once you’ve had white sauce on smoked chicken. This is one of our favorites.

Try pairing a tangy sauce like Oconee Gold Wingy with a sweet rub, or go bold with Hot Diggity Hog on spicy wings. Don’t be afraid to experiment – there’s no wrong way to sauce your wings!

Dipping Sauces that Deliver

A great dipping sauce makes wings irresistible! We like to make our own using seasonings from our BBQ cabinet.

Start with a 5-oz container of Greek yogurt or a similar amount of sour cream and stir in approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of seasoning to taste.

We find almost any seasoning in the cabinet will work for this, but some of our favs include:

Your Behind BBQ Green Chile Bacon Rub: Full-frontal green chile flavor and buzz , with a supporting cast of sweet, toasted garlic.

Heath Riles BBQ Simple Citrus: Salty, sour and a tiny bit sweet at the same time, you might actually want to make a double batch of this one.

Simply Marvelous The Genie’s Trinity: Fire-kissed sweet heat and absolutely magical.

Factory Team Tip: Make your dippers about an hour before the big game. The flavors need a little time to blend together, but some seasonings will promote excess separation to the sour cream or yogurt after several hours.

Don’t forget to set out the celery and carrot sticks plus fresh toppings like chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, chopped parsley and lemon or lime zest.

Enjoy the game!     

Ms. Freak is head cook of Smoke Freaks, the BBQ Pro Shop Factory Team. She and her partner, Mr. Freak, are the tongues and testers behind the  Factory Team Flavor Guide.