smoking Beer Can Chicken

Its pretty simple really, put a good chicken rub all over it including in the cavity. Open a can of beer, drink half, cut a bigger hole in the top of the can, insert the can in the bird's arse, stand it up on the grill like a tripod with the two legs stretched out and the can being the third leg. I usually grill it on 300F for about two hours. You have to drink more beers probably about four during the cooking, and watch for flareups. Then take it off, cut it up and prepare for awesomeness. It is the juiciest most flavorful chicken ever.
 
Whatever kind of beer you like. You're going to be drinking at least half of one, and I believe the saying about wine is also true of beer: don't cook with a beer you won't drink.
 
Oh dear, my fancy schmancy brew pub beer doesn't come in a can!

Whatever will I do?!

:rofl:

I tease - beer can chikky is da BOMB! :drooling: Just can't recall the last time I saw a "can" of beer in any of JT's posts!!!!!!! ;)

Has anyone ever tried it w/ a can of Dr. Pepper?
 
I love beer butt chicken

Best way to do it, tried it with beer, coke and jack daniels, you get some real interesting combos
 
It really doesn't matter too much what kind of beer you use. If it changes the flavor it is so minimally that I don't know if you will notice. The main point is that it is steaming the chicken from the inside keeping it moist.
 
After you try the beer can approach, you may want to buy a "throne" instead of using the can. They come in many different designs and make things a lot easier. I'm hoping to do a couple on the smoker this weekend if the weather co-operates :)
 
We do Redbull Can Cornish game hens here, It's like the two were made for each other. Discard the Redbull first of course, that stuff is just nasty.
 
Since you are flavoring with aroma (steam) I'd throw aromatic herbs in there like rosemary and thyme.

Now, do you guys find parts of the chicken dry out? I only BBQ chicken in sections, white meat (less fat) cooks faster, and smaller pieces cook faster so a wing is usually toast and the breast is dry if doing whole chickens, but I've never done the beer can.

Can you tie the chicken and still do beer can? Tying it the right way makes it cook as one piece of meat (Julia Child's roast chicken was da bomb) but can you still tie it and beer can it? I don't see why not but I usually see pcis of the chicken posing like it is dancing :lol:

Thanks
 
I dont think any of the meat dries out, i sit the chicken on the can, usually needs a little persuading unless youve got a large chicken. Then i block the neck cavity with an onion, so i dont lose any of the steam, juices etc. Most the time you still end up with a nice crispy skin and the meat completely falls to bits nearly.

Reminds to start doing the chooks this way again, been butterflying them lately
 
I have never done the Beer Can method, and we even have that little stand thingy.
My favorite way to do whole chicken, is Butterflied and bricked on the grill with two 8" X 16" X 2" pavers wrapped in foil.
Gas grill, lowest flame, 25 minutes per side. It's like boss said about the whole chicken getting cooked as one piece of meat.

I really should try the beer can way tho.
 
I believe I last posted my beer can chicken here on THP about 3 years ago.

That's how much I liked it.

Except for grandma's cast iron fried chicken, I don't care if I ever eat chicken again.

Now duck, that's a different story.

Duck is what chicken wished it was!
 
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