Smoked Beer Can Chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 35

Servings

Calories 84kcal

Author Jason

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

Brush with Sauce: Spend the last ten minutes of the cooking time periodically brushing the chicken with a fun bbq sauce. Matching the dry rub, sauce, and wood choice are all great ways to build intensity of flavor into the meat.

If you find it frustrating to balance a chicken perched on a beer can in your smoker, they make a special stand just to help you achieve this feat.

Internal Temperature: 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.

Switch up Rubs and/or Sauces: Keep this recipe new and fresh by playing with new dry rubs and sauce combinations. These days you'll find so many options to choose from!

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.

Use Soda in Place 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.

Leftovers: Before storing leftover chicken, pull the remaining chicken off the bone and save whole pieces or dice it to use in future recipes.

Storage: Put your leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 3-4 days. If you can't eat it within a couple of days, put it directly in the freezer, where it will keep for 3-4 months.

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.

Diced chicken can be heated directly in your recipe of choice as well. Throw it in soup, casseroles, enchiladas, or chimichangas, or heat it with bell peppers and onion for a sandwich. Toss it in an alfredo sauce to serve over pasta, or add more spice to serve it on street tacos. You can even use this chicken cold on a salad.

Nutrition