Smoked Beer Can Chicken

Tender, juicy, whole chicken on your smoker that’s perfectly seasoned! This easy Smoked Beer Can Chicken is so flavorful from a homemade rub. The light steam from the beer marinates and makes the whole chicken so juicy. Pair that with the smokey flavor and it’s the perfect dinner recipe.

A juicy, tender, seasoned chicken bursting with smoke flavor. Sound amazing? It is! Best part about it is that you can enjoy it hot of your smoker with very little work.

Simply mix the seasoning, rub it on the chicken and let it smoke.

I love easy smoker recipes like this because it gives me more time to do fun things instead of spending hours making dinner.

Ingredients

The main thing you need is a whole chicken about 3-5 pounds.

Then you need the ingredients for the homemade rub. These ingredients are pantry staples so you probably already have them.

Mix up a double batch of the rub and save it for next time!

• Whole chicken
• Light brown sugar
• Kosher salt
• Chili powder
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Oregano

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Steps to Prepare

• Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F.
• In a small bowl combine your rub ingredients and set aside.
• Run the chicken under cold water and pat dry.
• Sprinkle some seasoning mix into the top cavity of the chicken and rub inside the cavity.
• Gently lift the skin from the chicken and liberally rub seasoning under the chicken skin directly onto the meat.
• Next, rub the outside of the chicken with remaining rub.
• Place the chicken on your half empty can of beer or follow the directions for your beer can chicken roaster.
• Place chicken on the smoker and smoke for 2-3 hours depending on the size of your chicken.
• Remove chicken from smoker when it is 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the thigh. Cover chicken with a double sheet of aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

What kind of wood chips should I use?

We recommend using a pecan, mesquite, cherry or apple wood chip when smoking a chicken.

Any of these will compliment the flavor of this chicken nicely.

Leftovers

• Let the leftover chicken cool. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Any recipe that calls for shredded or cubed chicken is great for using up any leftovers you have.
• Perfect to adding to a salad or making a sandwich.

Expert Tips

• Make sure your chicken is dry. This will help it get a crispy skin when you smoke it.
• Make sure to rub the inside of the chicken in the cavity along with the skin. We recommend also lifting the skin up and rubbing it under the skin so the seasoning gets right on the meat.
• Any beer will be fine you don’t need an expensive craft beer to make this.
• Make sure you empty or drink half of the beer. This is because you need headspace in the can to create steam for cooking inside the chicken.
• If you don’t have a fancy beer can chicken holder simply place you chicken in a 9×13 metal or disposable pan. This will help transfer the chicken off the grill or catch the chicken and beer if things get tipsy on the grill.
• The easiest way to remove the beer can from the chicken require two people. One person holds the can with tongs while the other one grabs the chicken using wadded up paper towels or a clean towel and pulls it off.
• If you don’t want to use beer you can substitute soda like ginger ale, citrus soda or even root beer.
• Don’t want to smoke it? You could make it on the grill or bake it in the oven, just make sure to place a pan under the chicken to catch the juices.

Finish the Meal!

• Throw these Seasoned Potatoes on the smoker with your chicken.
• A quick and healthy side on your smoker is Smoked Vegetables.
• Another great option for a traditional side dish is Smoked Baked Potatoes.

Are you ready to get grilling this chicken?!! I’m getting hungry again just looking at it! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @gimmesomegrilling or hashtag #gimmesomegrilling!

I really want to hear from you, so if you love this chicken, be sure to comment and leave a five star rating below.