Ingredients
The following ingredients have 5 Servings
- 1 3-1/2 pound roasting chicken
- 1/4 cup dry rub of your choice
- 1 can beer (or use gluten-free beer, hard cider, or fruit juice)
- 1-2 cups marinade
Instruction
- Remove the giblets from the chicken cavity. Pat the bird dry with paper towels.
- Season the whole chicken inside and out with the rub. Press the rub onto the outside of the chicken, too. (Don’t forget the wing tips.) Allow it to sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
- Open the beer and empty half of it into the smoker's drip pan.
- Pour the marinade to the top of the can.
- Shove the can into the chicken cavity, and place the chicken onto the beer can chicken stand if you're using one.
- Set up your smoker for indirect heat. Use wood chips, chunks, or logs to set up a good level of smoke. (Electric smokers use pellets. Try hickory, apple, mesquite, or other woods that go well with chicken.)
- Maintain a smoker temperature of between 225 and 275 degrees F.
- Set the chicken on the grill on the beer can base, and cook for three hours. If you don't use a dripping pan full of beer and water to “steam” the chicken, baste with more marinade every half hour.
- When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (about three to four hours), test for doneness by inserting a knife tip into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear, the chicken is done to medium. Note: the FDA recommends cooking to 185 degrees F. Many people find this overcooks and dries out the chicken, so use your best judgment.
- Remove the chicken from the smoker. Place the chicken on a cutting board. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes to let the juices “set.” Carefully remove the beer can. (It will be very hot!). Slice and serve.
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
