This iconic chicken recipe is perfect for your weekend BBQ or special holiday meal. Our smoked beer can chicken is shockingly good. What’s more, it’s a fun celebration of beer, friends, and memories. Who hasn’t thought about trying this recipe? Stop hesitating because once you try it, this will become standard in your repertoire.
We’ve been doing grilled beer can chicken for ages and then it hit me: I can use the same beer can cooking method but smoke the chicken instead of grilling it. It turns out, it’s even better for smoked chicken!
As the chicken will cook low and slow, the beer in the beer can will baste the inside of the bird, keeping it moist and adding that delicious beer aroma. Secret hack – pour some dry rub in the beer can for even more flavor.
I have no complaints about the time either – this takes 2 hours tops, from start to finish. A ton of added smoky flavor with just a bit of extra patience? I’ll take it!
🐔 Ingredients
📝 Ingredient Notes
🛒Whole Chicken | You’ll want a skin-on chicken in one piece. Stock up on these when the price per pound drops, and keep a few in your freezer.
🛒Oil | We used olive oil, but you could use vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil. We used a spray can, which made the task so easy.
🛒Dry Rub | Any BBQ dry rub will work, so pick your favorite flavor profile. We used Burnt Sacrifice this time, but we tend to change it up quite a bit.
🛒Can Of Beer | Again, pick your favorite! It doesn’t need to be anything expensive. We used a Florida IPA this time.
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
✅Smoker | As long as your smoker will hold a whole chicken this is going to work. No fear.
✅Wood Chips | We used apple wood chips this time, but you can actually use almost any wood chips you want with chicken. Pecan, maple, hickory, they all work. Sometimes you can match the wood to the dry rub to emphasize specific flavor profiles. For instance, if you use a sweet dry rub, try cherry or apple wood.
✅Beer Can Chicken Holder (Optional) | Making the chicken sit on a beer can is a tough balancing act! That’s why I also used a beer can chicken stand – it’s optional but very useful. The circular base and the support structure will hold the can in place, providing a stable base for the chicken.
🔥 Instructions
👉Step 1 – Remove all of the liver, neck, and gizzards from the inside of the chicken and place those in your refrigerator to use later. Pat the chicken dry. Use a paper towel to make this clean-up easy and germ-free. Just throw it right in the trash.
👉Step 2 – Spray the chicken with oil to ensure an even layer.
👉Step 3 – Apply the dry rub uniformly all over the chicken.
👉Step 4 – If you’re using a beer can stand like me, give it a light coating of cooking spray. Otherwise the chicken might stick to it, and become more difficult to remove.
👉Step 5 – Open the beer can and place it inside the stand if you’re using one. This is the part where you can add a bit of dry rub in the can to add more flavor to the inside of the bird. Place the top of the beer can in the cavity of the chicken.
👉Step 6 – Heat your smoker to 300-325ºF. Place the chicken with the beer can inserted upright in the smoker. Leave it in the smoker until it reaches 160ºF. This will take between 80-100 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken and the constancy of the smoker’s temperature.
👉Step 7 – Remove the chicken when the internal temperature reaches 160°F in the thickest part of the breast and tent with foil for the remaining 5 degrees (it might go even higher as you can see from the photo above). This will take 10-20 minutes.
❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks
📌Monitor The Internal Temperature | Always err on the side of caution when it comes to meat temperature. We recommend pulling the chicken out of the smoker and tenting it when it reaches 160ºF.
This is to avoid overcooking the chicken and drying it out. The tenting process will allow the chicken to quickly reach 165ºF (safe to consume) as it rests off the heat. If you take the chicken all the way to 165ºF on the smoker, it will be upwards of 175ºF before it is served.
Use a wireless meat thermometer to keep track of the temperature of your chicken as you smoke it. This allows you to be very precise with cooking times. To alleviate any worries, read our guide on how to tell if chicken is undercooked.
📌Check For Leaks | Before smoking, make sure the beer can is open and the chicken is securely seated. You don’t want the beer spilling – the beer can is not just a stand, the liquid inside keeps the chicken moist, and you don’t want to lose it before it even starts cooking.
📌Beer Can Removal | Trouble getting the chicken off the can? Use two people! Have one person hold the can with strong tongs or a heat-proof gloved hand while the other person grabs the chicken with grill gloves or a clean towel and pulls it off.
🍱 Storage and Reheating
🔪Preparation | Before storing your leftover chicken, pull the remaining chicken off the bone and save whole pieces or dice it to use in future recipes.
❄️Fridge | Put your leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 3-4 days, as per USDA’s guidelines.
🧊Freezer | If you can’t eat it within a couple of days, place the leftover chicken meat in resealable freezer bags, or freezer safe containers and store it directly in the freezer.
Frozen cooked chicken stays safe indefinitely, but over time loss of quality occurs. Use it within 3-4 months for the best taste and texture.
♨️Reheating | Reheat the chicken in a skillet, air fryer, or oven. You can use a microwave but should exercise caution since chicken becomes rubbery quickly with this cooking method.
🔄 Additions & Substitutions
👍Use Soda Instead Of Beer | If you don’t have any beer in the house, run to the store because that’s an emergency. Or, consider using a soda can such as cola, root beer, or ginger ale if a trip to the store is out of the question.
👍Try Different Beers | This is certainly one of the most fun parts of making smoked beer can chicken! The type of beer you use, can significantly change the flavor of the chicken.
For a subtler taste, choose a lighter beer such as lager or pilsner.
We used a Florida IPA this time – Indian Pale Ales are beers with a strong hop profile, and can have floral, citrus, or herbal notes. They will infuse a slightly more pronounced taste compared to lagers and pilsners.
Darker beers like stouts and porters offer a deeper, more robust flavor – you might taste subtle hints of chocolate or coffee on top of the smokiness.
👍BBQ Glaze | Spend the last 10 minutes of the cooking time periodically brushing the chicken with a fun BBQ sauce. Feel free to use a store-bought sauce for convenience.
If you have a bit of time on your hands, it’s totally worth making your own. We love the sweet and sour flavor profile of the cherry Bourbon BBQ sauce, and the homemade honey sriracha sauce for the added heat.
👍Use A Different Smoking Wood | When it comes to smoking wood, chicken is one of the most versatile meats that goes well with lots of wood types.
We used apple wood chips this time for a mild smoke flavor. As you can see in our free printable smoking wood chart, you have a lot more options to try – choose hickory or pecan for a more intense smoke flavor.
Also, check out our best wood for smoking chicken guide to see our favorite choices!
👍Experiment With Dry Rubs | This is another area where you can try new herb and spice blends to make your smoked beer can chicken taste different every time.
I used Burnt Sacrifice this time, which is a ready-made BBQ rub, although I often make my own. I always make a larger batch of the all-purpose dry rub for grilling to have some in the cupboard. It lends itself to many types of meat, poultry included.
We also love the Yucatan dry rub for all grilled and smoked poultry. If you’re a fan of Mexican flavors, this will be your new favorite!
👍Skip the Beer Can | The classic dry-brined smoked whole chicken is another iconic recipe everyone loves. The main ingredient required is patience – for both dry brining and smoking.
Another easy way to enjoy this yummy smoked meat faster is to smoke a spatchcocked chicken. Flattening the bird is very easy and significantly reduces the cooking time.
👩🏻🍳 Meal Prep
⏳ Plan For Thawing | Work ahead to make this meal super easy and mistake-free. If you start with frozen, make sure your chicken is thoroughly thawed.
It takes a 5 pound chicken about 24 hours to thaw in the refrigerator safely. Thawing on the counter is not recommended.
🧂 Dry Brine Ahead | Once thawed, you could go ahead and oil the chicken and cover it in the dry rub up to one day ahead of time.
This creates a dry brine and helps get more of the seasoning deep into the chicken. The process of dry-brining a chicken also tenderizes the meat and seals in moisture.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
⭐BBQ Sides | Serve your smoked beer can chicken with yummy BBQ sides like grilled beer corn on the cob, grilled Bourbon peach baked beans, a spicy Creole coleslaw, smoked cornbread, or the rich and decadent smoked mac and cheese.
⭐Grilled Vegetables | I’m a big fan of keeping things simple. Sides like grilled sweet onions, grilled patty pan squash, grilled broccolini, and grilled roasted root vegetables require minimal effort and go well with so many BBQ meats.
⭐Potato Sides | Some of my favorites include smoked baked potatoes, grilled sweet potatoes in foil, grilled baby potato kabobs , and cheesy grilled potato skins.
⭐Salads & Salsas | Pretty much any fresh salad will complement smoked chicken meat. some of my go-tos are the creamy cucumber salad, tomato, onion, and cucumber salad, and the grilled peach and arugula salad when I’m feeling fancy.
Salsas can also play a balancing role – adding both flavor and texture. I often serve grilled corn and black bean salsa or avocado corn salsa with smoked chicken and they always dissapear so fast. I’ll take that as a good sign!
⭐Pulled Chicken | Whole chickens are incredibly versatile! If you aren’t in the mood for whole pieces of chicken tonight, consider pulling the meat off the bone for pulled smoked chicken.
Use it in sandwiches, easy chicken street tacos, casseroles, or a quick salad topping instead. And check out our comprehensive BBQ chicken sides selection for more serving ideas!
❓ Recipe FAQ
It will take between 80-100 minutes to smoke a beer can chicken at 300-325ºF. The time will vary depending on your temperature of choice, the size of the chicken, and other factors.
Use an internal meat thermometer for safety – the chicken is safe to eat when it reaches 165ºF in the thickest part of the breast. However, you can remove it from the smoker when the internal temp is 160ºF as it will come up the remaining 5 degrees while it rests.
For our recipe and a faster smoke time, set the temp between 300-325ºF. When you smoke a chicken on an opened beer can (and it should always be OPEN otherwise it can burst), the beer will baste the inside of the chicken as it cooks.
This allows for a slightly higher smoking temperature – the meat will remain moist and the skin will become crispier.
If you’re looking to replace the beer in beer can chicken, options abound!
For a non-alcoholic substitute consider non-alcoholic beer (closest replacement in terms of flavor), chicken or beef broth (for a rich umami flavor), carbonated drinks such as cola, root beer, or ginger ale, and fruit juice (apple, white grape, pomegranate, orange).
Other alcoholic alternatives include wine (both red and white work well), apple cider (for a tangy and slightly sweet flavor), and hard cider (similar to apple cider but fermented, which gives it a unique taste profile).
If using a liquid that doesn’t come in a can, you can simply discard the beer from a can and fill it with your liquid of choice.
Related Chicken Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Equipment
- Smoker
- Beer Can Chicken Holder optional
- Wood Chunks we used apple
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken
- Olive Oil Spray
- 4 tbsp BBQ Rub
- 1 can beer
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from packaging, remove the liver, neck and gizzards and save for another recipe. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Spray the chicken with olive oil spray to create an even layer of oil.
- Sprinkle and massage the BBQ rub all over and inside the chicken.
- Spray the beer chicken holder with cooking oil (if you're using one) to ensure the chicken doesn't stick to it.
- Place the beer inside the beer chicken holder. Optionally add a bit of dry rub inside the beer can for extra flavor. Then, place the whole chicken on top of the beer.
- Heat the smoker to 300-325°F. Add in the wood chunks. Place the chicken on the grate and cook until the internal temperature is close to 160°F. It will take around 80-100 minutes.
- Remove the chicken at 160°F and tent with foil for the remaining 5 degrees (10-20 minutes). You can see in our photo that we did that and the internal temp went up to 167°F by time we took the photo. If we had left it on the grill up to 165°F, and then tented it, it would have gone well above 170°F.
- Optional: Brush with BBQ sauce a few times, during the last 10 minutes of smoking.
Notes
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
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