Question about beer can chicken

[jrmartin]

Hey guys, my first foray into the smoking world was a couple of beer can chickens last weekend and they came out wonderful.  I followed the tips I learned on here and need to go back and tell a couple guys thanks for their advice.  I did the chicken at 225 for about 4-5 hours, once with hickory and once with cherry and a rub I bought from a local place in SW Florida.  The one problem I did have was the skin coming off rubbery because of the low heat.  I have read a couple threads where it is suggested to pull the chicken off and put it in the oven or on the grill at about 350 to finish it for that crisp skin.  My question is how long does it need to be at 350 to finish up?  If its more than 5 minutes or so, what temperature should I look to get the chicken to on the smoker before I pull it off and put it on the grill so I don't dry it out when it goes in the oven?  Thanks for all your help guys!

 

[rbranstner]

I usually cook my chicken at around 275-300 degrees for that exact reason. I don't like the rubbery skin. If you cook them at a higher temp you won't have that issue. With that being said. If I am cooking just chicken then I run the smoker at the higher temps but if I am cooking other items such at pork or beef that I want to do a low and slow on them I cook the chicken at that lower temp and then put it on a grill or crank the smoker up for the last 15-20 minutes to crisp up the skin. If it's going on a grill then I'll probably only crisp it for 5-10 minutes on a pretty high direct heat. It all depends on how crispy you want it and how high of heat you use.

 

[jrmartin]

I usually cook my chicken at around 275-300 degrees for that exact reason. I don't like the rubbery skin. If you cook them at a higher temp you won't have that issue. With that being said. If I am cooking just chicken then I run the smoker at the higher temps but if I am cooking other items such at pork or beef that I want to do a low and slow on them I cook the chicken at that lower temp and then put it on a grill or crank the smoker up for the last 15-20 minutes to crisp up the skin. If it's going on a grill then I'll probably only crisp it for 5-10 minutes on a pretty high direct heat. It all depends on how crispy you want it and how high of heat you use.

Thanks for the response rb, so you think if I throw in on a propane grill at say 350, I should only need about 5-10 minutes to crisp the skin?  I am not looking for anything more than something edible.  Do you see any problem with me pulling the chicken off the smoker at say 160 IT and just doing the last 5 degrees on the propane to get to 165 IT?  That should not take more than 5-10 minutes to get to which should hopefully get me the skin I am looking for. 

 

[scarbelly]

Thanks for the response rb, so you think if I throw in on a propane grill at say 350, I should only need about 5-10 minutes to crisp the skin?  I am not looking for anything more than something edible.  Do you see any problem with me pulling the chicken off the smoker at say 160 IT and just doing the last 5 degrees on the propane to get to 165 IT?  That should not take more than 5-10 minutes to get to which should hopefully get me the skin I am looking for. 

That is what I do - you can see the skin crisping up 

 

[rbranstner]

Thanks for the response rb, so you think if I throw in on a propane grill at say 350, I should only need about 5-10 minutes to crisp the skin?  I am not looking for anything more than something edible.  Do you see any problem with me pulling the chicken off the smoker at say 160 IT and just doing the last 5 degrees on the propane to get to 165 IT?  That should not take more than 5-10 minutes to get to which should hopefully get me the skin I am looking for. 

That is what I do - you can see the skin crisping up 

I'd say you will be just fine going that route.