Pellet Smoker - Beer Can Chicken

Spray the outside of the skin with a light coating of Vegetable cooking spray and sprinkle poultry rub on the outside.

I also use an injection to add extra moisture and flavor to the meat. I am using the 1.5 cups of Chicken broth. To inject the beer can chicken hit each breast 3 or 4 times just off the breast bone. Move the needle to the lower side of the breast and pump injection down the bottom side. Move down to the legs and stick it a couple times and then go in through each thigh.

I found a vertical beer can chicken rack that holds a 12oz of beer perfectly and it gives the chicken a little more support which keeps it from tipping over. It can be a little challenging to balance the chicken on just the can, so you may want to invest in rack. Once the chicken is sitting on the rack, it’s ready to go on the smoker. The cooking temperature I use for smoked chicken is 285 degrees. It may sound a little hot, but trust me the skin will turn out perfect at this temperature.

After 1 hour of cooking insert the probe into the thickest part of the thigh and keep an eye on the temperature. Chicken is done when it hits 175 in the thigh and 165 in the breast. You’ll want to be sure to check both areas before removing it from the smoker. This Beer Can Chicken took 2 hours to reach final temperature and when the thighs were close I moved the probe to the breast just to confirm that it was ready.

Carefully remove the chicken from the smoker and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it. I find it easiest to remove the leg quarters first, then the wings, and finally the breast. It portions the chicken out for serving and is easier to carve this way.