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Smoked Chicken on a Beer Can

By Whipper on April 10, 2005

Photo by Peter J

5 Reviews

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6

Photo by Peter J

About This Recipe

"From my hero of the grill, Rob Rainford. This to me is the ultimate beer can chicken recipe and the ultimate treat for me! The leftovers make awesome sandwiches, especially grilled cheese sandwiches with monterey jack and some salsa."

Ingredients

Dry Rub

2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon thyme leaves

Chicken

1 roasting chicken ( 6-7 lbs.)
1 (16 ounce) cans beer
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon brandy
2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups mesquite wood chips

Directions

Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Prepare the marinade by placing the chicken stock, brandy, lemon juice, butter and 1 tablespoon of the dry rub into a small saucepan and warm gently until the butter melts then cool to room temperature.
Remove giblets from chicken along with any fat from inside the cavities, rinse then pat dry.
Season the inside cavity with 2 tablespoons of the dry rub, and rub in 3 tablespoons of the rub all over the outside of the chicken.
Using a syringe style flavor injector, inject the marinade sauce into the breast, thighs and drumsticks until plump. Brush the outside of the bird with some of the melted butter and let it sit in the fridge to marinade for 3 hours.
After the chicken has been marinading for 2½ hours, prepare the wood chips for smoking by pouring half of the beer over them in a bowl and let them soak for a half hour. Use a sharp can opener to punch a couple more holes in the top of the beer can and set aside.
Prepare the barbeque for indirect cooking by placing a drip pan underneath the grate on one side and removing the grate from the other side, then turn on only the burner opposite of the drip pan to high heat.
Squeeze the excess beer from the wood chips and make a smoking pouch with tinfoil (wrap in foil then poke holes with a fork), or smoking tray or tube.
Place wood chips directly over the burner that is on, close the lid and wait for smoke to appear. Once smoke appears, reduce to medium heat.
Hold chicken upright with body cavity down and lower onto the beer can then place onto the cool side of the grill over the drip pan and pull legs forward to form a stable tripod so it can stand upright on its own.
Brush with melted butter and continue to cook at 220°F with the lid down, basting every 45 minutes or so with the melted butter. If the chicken gets too brown on the outside before it is done, cover with tinfoil.
Remove chicken from the grill once it reaches an internal temperature of 180°F, about 2½ hours, cover with tinfoil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Private Note

No Notes

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (339 g)

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving: %
Calories 655.4
Calories from Fat 424: 64%

Amount Per Serving: %
Total Fat 47.1g: 72%
Saturated Fat 17.4g: 87%
Cholesterol 193.3mg: 64%
Sugars 5.0 g
Sodium 253.5mg: 10%
Total Carbohydrate 10.0g: 3%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g: 2%
Sugars 5.0 g: 20%
Protein 39.3g: 78%

Reviews

"This is AMAZING!!! The best chicken I've ever had!!! Substituted cooking sherry for the brandy, chicken bouillon for stock, and used 2 small 4 lb birds. We pulled the skin up and inserted the dry rub both underneath and outside the skin. Next time, I will grind 1 Tbsp. of dry rub to powder for the marinade to make injecting easier. We cooked ours in the electric smoker on a Chick Can Rack. Took me 5.5 hours to cook to 180 degrees. NOTE: USDA says chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees. Just make sure the juices run clear. ELECTRIC SMOKER: Instructions advise to smoke chicken 1 hr per pound. Smoker is much slower than the grill, but the results were EXCELLENT!!! Will repeat soon and often!!"

By MS_Spice on February 11, 2008 | 578161
"Wow this was great! Only change I made was to use sherry instead of brandy because of what I had on hand. Excellent directions and the result was super moist with the perfect amount of smoke flavour."

By Peter J on October 11, 2009 | 966584
"Fantastic! I made this using 2 smaller chickens; there was plenty of spice to do this. I took the advice of other reviewers and ground the spices first. No problem injecting. Instead of beer I used Rock Creek Dry Apple Cider which is made by Big Rock Brewery in Alberta, Canada. MMMMMMMM! I think I will try smoking with apple wood chips next time."

By 4sweeper on July 04, 2008 | 665439
"this the best recipe rub and marinade. how to make it, bake it. no saling of bull."

By Chef #489454 on May 08, 2007 | 412321
"I forgot to rate this the last time I made it. This is exceptional. I made it exactly as the recipe called for with the exception I used 2 small 3-4 lb birds. The family raves about this. I did have problems injecting the marinade as the seasonings kept getting stuck in the baster needle. I used a beer can chicken holder that I bought from the hardware store to make life easier."

By heather in Ont, on August 06, 2006 | 299992