Beer Can Chicken (SMOKED)

Why I love beer can chicken

There are several reasons why I decide to make beer can chicken, the most important being that it tastes amazing! The chicken is smoked low for smoke smoke flavor then finished off at high heat for a nice crisp skin.

The beer keeps the chicken meat nice and moist giving you that juicy bite which everyone is looking for when cooking chicken. No dried out chicken here!

Don't forget that we use a half full can of beer, this means the other half has to be 'disposed' of... Great excuse to drink some beer!

How much chicken do I need to cook?

Count on one 4-5lb roaster chicken serving 4-6 people. I recommend that if you are going to fire up the smoker, you might as well grab two chickens and smoke two at the same time. They both WILL definitely get eaten, or you can be the favorite neighbor and share some of this poultry love with those around you.

Choosing a smoker

Like always, the best smoker you can use is the one you already have! If you don't have one, it's time to decide whether you want to go with a pellet grill or a traditional offset smoker.

Pellet smokers

I'm smoking this chicken on my wood pellet grill, just like the Camp Chef 36 smoker or Traeger 780. Wood pellet smokers are an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor and are extremely easy to use.

They operate on wood pellets and hold a very steady temperature just like an oven. No worrying about temp spikes or dips with one of these bad boys. Check out my in depth article on pellet smokers and the Top 5 on the market.

Offset smokers

A traditional offset smoker is another great smoker to use when wanting to get back to basics. These can get very hot (which is great for cooking chicken) and are normally less expensive than a pellet smoker.

A traditional offset smoker, like this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker is a great option that is easy to use with no technology built in like a pellet smoker. Though it takes a little more attention than a pellet smoker, this produces amazing flavored meat.

Charcoal Grill / Gas Grill

Using a propane grill or charcoal grill is another great way to get that extra smoke/fire flavor on your chicken.

There is no need to cook at a low temperature with a grill. Simply cook hot and fast until the bird is finished. An inexpensive charcoal grill and one I love cooking with is the classic Weber Kettle Grill.

Any grill will work however, fire up the one you have and I guarantee your chicken will turn out better than an oven roasted chicken.

What you need

• Whole Chicken - Start with a 5-7lb whole chicken from your local grocery store. They are quite inexpensive and easy to find. Remember, might as well grab two chickens!
• Brine - Brining a chicken in fresh water, kosher salt, apple juice, & dark brown sugar helps keep the chicken moist during cooking and will churn out a nice tender bird.
• Seasoning - We're cooking two birds with two different flavors. One will have a little spice and the other is nice and succulent.
• Beer - Using a light lager or fruity type beer will give you the best results. The beer is used to add a little flavor, but also keep the meat nice and moist.
• Wood chips - Using fruit woods such as cherry wood or apple wood chips give this smoked beer can chicken a great flavor. They don't overpower the chicken flavor imparting a nice mild smoke on the bird.
• Beer can chicken stand - You can get away without using a beer can stand, but they sure are VERY nice to have to keep the chicken upright. They make cooking the chicken easier as well as not having to worry about the chicken falling over.

Prepping the chicken

Before we start seasoning, we need to either brine these bad boys or give them a nice rinse. Let's take a look at how to brine chicken.

Brine (optional)

Brining the chickens before seasoning and smoking is optional. This will help keep the chickens moist while cooking, but is not required. To brine the chicken, grab a bucket big enough to submerge the chicken(s) fully in water, such as a 5 gallon bucket commonly found at Lowes or Home Depot.

In a pot combine brine ingredients and heat to boiling.

• 3 gallons fresh water
• 3 cups kosher salt
• 4 cups apple juice
• 2 cups dark brown sugar

After bringing to a low boil, stir pot until all ingredients are dissolved into the water. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Ice cubes can be added to speed up the cooling process.

Add chicken(s) to the 5 gallon bucket and pour the cooled brine water over the chickens until they are fully submerged. Place bucket in your refrigerator and brine for at least 4 hours, if not overnight.

Rinse

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with fresh cold water. Discard the brine, do NOT save to brine chickens in the future. Always use fresh brine when brining chickens or turkeys.

Pat the whole chickens dry with paper towels making sure to get around the legs and under any skin. Do not tie the legs together like you would when smoking a traditional whole chicken.

Seasoning

For this smoked beer can chicken recipe, rub chicken down with olive oil so the dry rub will stick to the bird better. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the breast meat and cover inside with olive oil. The oil will also help the skin become more crispy, so don't skip the oil!

Add all dry ingredients into a shaker or a bowl, mix them together well. Season the chicken all over, including under the skin to make sure that meat has some great tasting chicken seasoning.

I'm making one chicken with habaneros, these were cut in half and then rubbed ALL over the bird before adding the oil. Then I seasoned with the spice rub. Watch my video attached to this article to see exactly how this was done.

Time for beer

Once the chicken is seasoned, open a 12-16oz CAN of light flavored lager or a fruity type beer. Get rid of half of the beer in the can (Drink half the beer!). Place the beer can in the designated spot on the Beer Can Chicken Stand.

One of my chickens appears it lost a knife fight. Probably it's cause of death... Haha.

Grab one of your seasoned whole chickens and slide the chicken onto the open can half full of beer. The chicken should look like it's sitting down with it's body upright. It's ready, let's smoke it!

How to smoke beer can chicken

Now that we have the chicken brined, dried, seasoned, and have a beer stuck up it's rear end; it's time to fire up those smokers and get to the fun part!

Smoke low & slow

Pre-heat your smoker to 225°F with a fruit wood such as cherry or apple or your other desired wood. Once the smoker temperature has leveled at 225° Fahrenheit, place the chicken atop the stand and beer directly onto the grill grates.

Close the grill lid and smoke at 225°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This should get your chickens internal temperature to about 110 - 120°F.

The ½ full beer inside the chickens cavity makes the chicken cook slower than if the can wasn't in there. This is because air cannot freely circulate inside the chicken cooking it from the inside as well as the outside.

The little over an hour cooking time at 225°F will give the chicken a fantastic smoke flavor. Time to finish these chickens off to a nice crispy skin.

Finish hot & fast

So to get that crispy skin, after 75 minutes increase the temperature in the smoker up to 350°F. Don't bother removing the chicken while you increase the temperature, simply leave them in the smoker.

Continue cooking the chickens until they reach an internal temp of 165°F when checked with an instant read thermometer between the thigh and breast.

This will take about an hour after turning the grills temperature up to 350°F. Cooking time really depends on a lot of factors however, so it's best to cook to temperature, NOT time.

Time to let it rest

Once the chicken probes 165°F, remove from the smoker and place on a cutting board. Allow the bird to rest for 10-15 minutes still on beer can to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the chicken. This will result in a tender and juicy smoked beer can chicken!

Do NOT cover the chicken in aluminum foil when resting, this will result in soggy skin. We DON'T want that! You worked hard for that crispy skin, let's keep it that way!

Serving

Once the chicken has finished resting. Pull the bird off the beer can and place on a cutting board. You can either carve pieces of meat off the chicken, or use rubber gloves and pull the meat off the bone.

I like pulling it apart with my hands while the chicken is still hot. Then I store any leftover chicken in glass containers to store in the fridge for the next day.

Side dishes

It's time to serve up these perfectly smoked tender chickens. Make sure to serve them with some great sides that this succulent chicken deserves to have next to it on the dinner plate.

• Smoked Mac N' Cheese
• Creamy Cole Slaw
• Oven Roasted Potatoes
• Smoked Baked Beans

FAQ

Old Pro Tips

• Use a beer can chicken stand for ease of cooking. They can come in some cool different designs too. Great for presentation. 
• Use a fruit wood when smoking for best flavor.
• Don't smoke at a low temperature the entire time, the skin will come out rubbery. 

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