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5 from 17 votes

Smoked Beer Can Chicken

When it comes to juicy smoked meat, it doesn't get any better than this beer can chicken recipe! Quick, simple, and loaded with flavor, it's one of our easy go to chicken recipes!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Resting Time15 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: barbeque
Servings: 6
Calories: 464kcal
Author: Kita Roberts

Equipment

  • Traeger Pellet Grill

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs whole chicken
  • 2 tbsp Oil
  • 4 tbsp BBQ spice rub
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 12 oz beer in a can

Instructions

Prep the Beer Can Chicken

  • Remove the gizzards and anything else from inside the chickens cavity and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Make sure to thoroughly dry the chicken and make sure the cavity is dry as well.
  • Rub the whole chicken with the oil.
  • Season liberally all over, inside the cavity and under the skin, with the salt and the BBQ spice rub.
  • Pour a little of the beer into a high sided baking dish.
  • Place the beer can in the middle of the baking dish.
  • Carefully, nestle the chicken over the beer can, holding the body and legs to steady it.
  • Fold the legs out in front of the body to stand the chicken on its own, using the beer car and legs.
  • Fold the wing tips back behind the breasts by bending the wings backwards and then turning the wing tips to secure them behind the breast.

Prep the Smoker

  • Prep grill for 375 to 400 degrees F according to your manufacturers directions.
  • Add oak or hickory wood chips in a smoker box, tub or foil packet for more flavor.
  • Smoke the Beer Can Chicken
  • Carefully place the pan with the chicken on the grill grate and gently close, making sure the chicken doesn’t fall over.
  • Smoke the chicken until it reaches 175 degrees F at in the thickest part of the thighs and 165 in the breast, about 1 ½ hours.

Rest

  • Carefully, remove the chicken from the grill grates and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow the chicken to cool 10 minutes before removing the beer can. The beer can will still be hot, so use caution.

Serve

  • Rest the chicken on a cutting board once the beer can is removed and discarded.
  • Carve the chicken into portions to serve.

Notes

We love this recipe served with our Alabama white sauce. 
To make life easy, you can invest in an upright chicken roaster, which supports the chicken over the can. However, we found it wasn't a requirement to stand the chicken up. 
Remember to use an instant read digital thermometer inserted into the chicken breast and thighs to temp chicken to guarantee it's cooked through to an internal temp of 165 F (white meat) and 175F dark meat. 
You can use your favorite poultry seasoning for this recipe. We used GirlsCanGrill Chicken Rub and love the balanced flavors. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 1293mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3mg