Smoked Beer Can Chicken

This smoked beer can chicken is coated in an herb garlic butter rub and cooked low and slow in a pellet grill for the perfect smoky flavor. We saved the drippings for a delicious smoky beer can chicken gravy.

This is the perfect recipe for the Traeger or any outdoor grill! The chicken comes out super juicy and full of flavor, and the sauce is flavored with smoky chicken drippings, beer, and garlic butter.

If you don't have a pellet grill, do this on a regular grill and use a smoke tube.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 30

Servings: chicken

Calories: 563kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

Garlic Herb Butter

8 tablespoons butter softened
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 5 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or dried
1 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper

For the Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken 3-1/2 to 4 pounds
1 full beer can or use a wine can
1 lemon or lime cut into quarters
A few sprigs of fresh herbs I used rosemary and sage
1 stainless steel beer can roasting rack

For the Gravy

1 cup of the drippings from the pan
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Make the Garlic Herb Butter

Combine all the ingredients for the garlic herb butter in a small dish.
Preheat the Traeger to 225°F.

Make the Beer Can Chicken

Remove the chicken giblets and any globs of fat from around the cavity and discard them.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and slide an upside-down spoon under the skin to loosen the skin. Slather half of the garlic butter under the skin, then smear the rest over the chicken's surface.
Insert a couple of lemon or lime wedges and some herb sprigs inside the main cavity of the chicken. Place a roasting rack in a pie dish and pour 1/3 cup of the beer into the dish. Set the can of beer in the roasting rack and ease the chicken over the can. Insert the remaining lemon or lime quarters in the neck cavity. Tuck the wings behind the back.
Place the chicken on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours basting the chicken intermittently. When a meat thermometer reads 145°F, turn the grill up to 450°F and continue to cook the chicken until it reads 157°F to 160°F.
When the temperature is between 157° and 160°F, remove the chicken from the Traeger, tent it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to climb to 165°F.
Use hot pads to remove the chicken from the rack and slide the beer can out.

Make the Sauce

Place the pie plate with the drippings in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes to get the fat to solidify. Scrape the fat layer off the top of the drippings and pour 1 cup of the drippings into a saucepan.
Smash 3 tablespoons each of butter and flour in a dish until it looks like a smooth, thick paste (this is called a Beurre Manie, and it is a quick way to thicken sauce and gravy).
Bring the drippings in the pan to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add about half of the flour and butter mixture to the sauce and whisk until it dissolves. Continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. If you like a thicker sauce, add the rest of the Beurre Manie and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

Notes

If you want an extra smoky flavor, use a smoke tube or turn on the Super Smoke mode if you have it available.

Turning the heat up toward the end of the cooking time will help the skin get darker and crispy.

You can cook a larger chicken if your pellet grill is large enough to hold a chicken sitting upright on a beer can. You will need to increase the cooking time depending on the size of the chicken. Cook it until the internal temperature reaches 157°F.

Any type of beer tastes great with this recipe. A wine can also works and makes a tasty bird and gravy.

A can works better than a beer bottle because it is shorter and lets more steam infuse into the center of the chicken.

If you don’t have a beer can roasting rack, use the legs of the chicken to prop the bird in a tri-pod fashion over the beer can.

A pellet grill makes it easy to regulate the smoke and temperature, but you can do this on a grill with a side smoker or in a regular grill if you use a smoke tube. Try to keep the heat of your grill around 225°F.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, make the garlic butter sauce with dried herbs but use half the amount.

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