Whether you call it beer can chicken, drunken chicken, or chicken on a throne we are all talking about the same thing! The idea behind a beer can chicken is that it will create an incredibly juicy smoked chicken. Not only that you get to have a beer along the way which is always a winner. When you smoke the chicken there is no flipping, burning, or playing around. It’s incredibly simple and a real crowd-pleaser.
The prep time for the bird is about twenty minutes and the cook time will range from about 90-120 minutes depending on the size of the bird.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole fryer chicken (2-4 lbs)
- 1 Can beer (Choose something you like)
- 2 Cloves garlic
- 1 Sprig rosemary
- 5 Whole peppercorns
- 2-3 Tablespoons of your favorite BBQ Rub
- 1-2 Tbs. Olive Oil
Method:
Firstly get your chicken out of the packaging and remove anything that is stuffed inside the bird. You will probably find some gizzards, the neck, and some other things unless your butcher has already removed them for you. Give the bird a good wash and pat it dry with some paper towels.
Give the chicken a light coating of olive oil all around the outside and liberally apply the rub all over. Make sure to give a good covering as you really want that flavor to penetrate into the skin.
Take your beer can from the fridge and take a pretty big gulp. You deserve it for getting this far. Take your cloves of garlic, slice them into a couple of pieces, and put them inside the can with the remaining beer. Add to this the rosemary and the peppercorns.
Find yourself a chopping board or plate. Put the beer can in the middle and slide the chicken over the beer can. It’s obvious but do this with the legs pointing down.
Leave this to sit whilst you get your grill ready. You want to be bringing the temperature up to about 225 degrees. Once the temperature is high enough you should place the beer can chicken directly onto the grates. Depending how stable it is you may want to use the chicken legs to stabilize it.
Smoke the chicken until the breast part of the bird reaches 140 degrees. At this point you are going to need to up the temperature of the grill. Get it up to about 350 degrees and continuing cooking the chicken until the breast reaches 165 degrees.
Once the chicken is up to temperature get it off the grill and leave it to rest for about 15 minutes. After this time take out the beer can and the chicken is ready for slicing.
Looking to match the best wood with each meat? Check out our wood guide!
Maybe you are looking for some BBQ inspiration? Check out our YouTube channel.
