Smoked Beer Can Chicken

4.86 from 7 votes

This smoked beer can chicken is coated in a garlic herb butter rub and cooked low and slow on a pellet grill until juicy with crisp, flavorful skin. The drippings turn into a rich beer and garlic butter gravy that’s just as good as the chicken itself.

Perfect for the Traeger or any outdoor grill. No pellet grill? No problem, use a regular grill with a smoke tube for that same deep, wood-fired flavor.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beer can chicken on a traeger, smoked beer can chicken, traeger beer can chicken

Servings: chicken

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

Garlic Herb Butter

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

For the Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken 3½ to 4 pounds
1 beer can or use a wine can
1 lemon or lime cut into quarters
2 to 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or sage, or both
1 stainless steel beer can roasting rack

For the Gravy

1 cup drippings from the pan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Make the Garlic Herb Butter

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

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 2½ 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 160°F.
When the temperature is 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.

Video

Notes

Boost the smoke flavor. For extra smokiness, use a smoke tube or turn on the Super Smoke function if your grill has it.

Crispy skin finish. Turn up the heat near the end of cooking to darken and crisp the skin.

Adjust for size. If your pellet grill can fit a larger chicken, go for it. Just extend the cook time as needed. Pull it off the grill when the breast reaches 160°F.

Beer or wine both work. Any beer pairs well, or try wine for a flavorful twist in both the chicken and the gravy.

Stick with a can. A beer bottle is too tall and blocks steam from circulating inside the chicken.

No rack? No problem. If you don’t have a roasting rack, prop the chicken tripod-style on its legs over the beer can.

Grill options. A pellet grill keeps heat and smoke steady, but you can use a regular grill with a smoke tube. Aim to hold the temperature around 225°F.

Fresh or dried herbs. If substituting dried herbs in the garlic butter, use about half the amount.

Nutrition