Beer Can Smoked Chicken

This is a unique and very tasty way to smoke a whole chicken without the need of a rotisserie setup. Karen just loved this the first time I made it and it has become a regular dish at our house.

It is not difficult to make but does take a little preparation.

Here is what you will need;

1 – 3-1/2 to 4 pound whole chicken
1 – 8 oz Can of Beer (your choice, I use Bud Light or Bud)
Olive Oil

Apple Wood Chips (Soaked for about 2 hours)

For the Rub:
1 Tbs. Sweet Paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh ground black Pepper
1 teaspoon Sweet Chili Ancho Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1 Tbs. Brown Sugar

Set your grill for indirect grilling and let heat to about 300 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry.

​Pour about half of the can of beer into a spray bottle because you don’t need the beer can to be full. Then use a “Church-Key” to make 3 more holes in the top of the can. Sprinkle a teaspoon of the Rub in the beer can and don’t worry if it fizzes up, it is supposed to do that.

To prepare the chicken, rub it completely down with Olive Oil and massage it into the fleshy parts of the chicken, the thighs and the breasts.

Cover the chicken all over with the Rub that you prepared and make sure to get inside the thighs and under the wings. I prefer to put my rub under the skin on the breast. To do that, I slide my fingers under the breast skin and use a butter knife to help separate the skin from the breast. Then I put the rub under skin right on the breast. This helps to make sure the flavor of the rub has a chance to cook into the breast meat.  Also, sprinkle some of the rub inside the cavity of the chicken.

Slide the beer can into the largest cavity of the chicken and make sure that it will sit upright. There are holders that you can buy for this but I generally use the beer can and the chicken legs to keep it upright and that works just fine. Put the Beer Can Chicken on the grill. You might also want to put a flat drip pan under your chicken or below the grill grate because the chicken will drip juices. I find a flat 10" or 12" aluminum pie pan works great.

Add your Apple wood chunks or chips to your charcoal or smoke box and let the chicken smoke for about 1-1/2 hours and make sure to spray the beer that you put in the spray bottle about every 15 minutes or so. This will help to keep the outside of the chicken moist. Use your meat thermometer to check the chicken by putting it in the deepest part of the thigh, usually from the back side of the chicken.  You should see clear juice drip out when you insert the thermometer. When the thermometer shows 170 to 180 degrees F then your beer can chicken should be fully cooked.

When finished, take the whole Beer Can Chicken assembly off of the Grill and remove the beer can before serving. Tent the chicken and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Be careful as everything will be quite hot. Bon Apetit!

If you want to kick your chicken up a notch, before smoking it, you can brine it in 1 can of beer, enough water to cover it, 4 peppercorns, 3 cloves and Bay leaf. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

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