[h3] [/h3][h3] Smoked Honey Barbecue Beer/Soda Can Chicken [/h3]
USDA ON TURKEY
Remember food safety especially with chicken, do not "cross contaminate" and keep a bleach based cleaner on hand to wipe everything down each step of the way.
When working with chicken get everything ready and mixed before ever handling the chicken.
Preheat RF to 350°.
Prepare your beer/Soda can and pour out half the beer/Soda, take a can opener and remove the top of the beer/Soda can. I used coke for this cook.
Remove chicken from refrigerator, remove the gizzard goodie bag, rinse chicken and set aside.
Add the giblets and neck from the bag and a teaspoon of rosemary and Thyme to the soda can. This cook I did not use the giblets at my wife's request.
If you want to make gravy, you can add salt and other spices such as garlic and onion powder and when you remove the can from the chicken, place in a pot and dress up a bit, get creative here.
Some people do not like the taste of liver, so you may not want to add the liver to the beer can if making gravy.
I have noticed that spices such as Rosemary and Thyme added in the can really impart flavor into the chicken.
Place the Beer/Soda can on a cookie sheet. Place chicken on the beer/soda can. Rub chicken with olive oil and add your favorite rub or spices. Trim neck flap so steam passes through the top of the chicken, On this smoke the outside of the bird was rubbed with oil and seasoned with Rosemary salt and pepper. For smaller Birds there is no need to worry about the breast drying out, so buttering or oiling the breast under the skin isn't really necessary, however feel free to slather for a more intense flavor.
Remove the “Beer Can Chickens” from the cookie sheet and place directly on the grates. Let the smoker drop to 275° and maintain 250° - 275°
At 145° - 150° brush the bird thoroughly with a 50/50 mix of honey and your favorite barbecue sauce every 15 minutes till the breast meat reads 165° at the thickest part, USDA States that you should not pull the bird until the lowest reading throughout the bird is 165°, I pulled these when the breast was at 161°.
Remove the chicken from the smoker, place in a clean steamer pan and wrap in foil then a towel and and rest for about 15 - 30 minutes before carving.
If you are making gravy, do so while the chicken is resting.
The chicken cooks fairly quickly so the skin doesn't crisp up, that and the fact that I am using a glaze. Remove the skin and place on the still hot grates, if there's a hot spot on your smoker place the skin fat side down on the hot spot, carve the chicken and after the all the carving is done remove the skin from the smoker and cut into strips to serve alongside the meat. On this smoke, I removed the skin and fried it fat side down in a frying pan.
These were far better than my Beer can chickens I did a while back, the meat wasn't overcooked. The beer can chickens had a texture like a rotisserie chicken you would get from a Sams club, good flavor but the meat was mushy.
USDA ON TURKEY
Remember food safety especially with chicken, do not "cross contaminate" and keep a bleach based cleaner on hand to wipe everything down each step of the way.
When working with chicken get everything ready and mixed before ever handling the chicken.
Preheat RF to 350°.
Prepare your beer/Soda can and pour out half the beer/Soda, take a can opener and remove the top of the beer/Soda can. I used coke for this cook.
Remove chicken from refrigerator, remove the gizzard goodie bag, rinse chicken and set aside.
Add the giblets and neck from the bag and a teaspoon of rosemary and Thyme to the soda can. This cook I did not use the giblets at my wife's request.
If you want to make gravy, you can add salt and other spices such as garlic and onion powder and when you remove the can from the chicken, place in a pot and dress up a bit, get creative here.
Some people do not like the taste of liver, so you may not want to add the liver to the beer can if making gravy.
I have noticed that spices such as Rosemary and Thyme added in the can really impart flavor into the chicken.
Place the Beer/Soda can on a cookie sheet. Place chicken on the beer/soda can. Rub chicken with olive oil and add your favorite rub or spices. Trim neck flap so steam passes through the top of the chicken, On this smoke the outside of the bird was rubbed with oil and seasoned with Rosemary salt and pepper. For smaller Birds there is no need to worry about the breast drying out, so buttering or oiling the breast under the skin isn't really necessary, however feel free to slather for a more intense flavor.
Remove the “Beer Can Chickens” from the cookie sheet and place directly on the grates. Let the smoker drop to 275° and maintain 250° - 275°
At 145° - 150° brush the bird thoroughly with a 50/50 mix of honey and your favorite barbecue sauce every 15 minutes till the breast meat reads 165° at the thickest part, USDA States that you should not pull the bird until the lowest reading throughout the bird is 165°, I pulled these when the breast was at 161°.
Remove the chicken from the smoker, place in a clean steamer pan and wrap in foil then a towel and and rest for about 15 - 30 minutes before carving.
If you are making gravy, do so while the chicken is resting.
The chicken cooks fairly quickly so the skin doesn't crisp up, that and the fact that I am using a glaze. Remove the skin and place on the still hot grates, if there's a hot spot on your smoker place the skin fat side down on the hot spot, carve the chicken and after the all the carving is done remove the skin from the smoker and cut into strips to serve alongside the meat. On this smoke, I removed the skin and fried it fat side down in a frying pan.
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| The twins Rubbed and on the smoker. | Starting to brown. | At 150° brushed with 50/50 Honey and barbecue sauce |
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| Brushed with 50/50 Honey and barbecue sauce | At about 155°Brushed with 50/50 Honey and barbecue sauce | 161° Right Bird |
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| 161° Left Bird | 161° Ready to foil. | Foiled. |
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| Foiled and towel. | After half hour rest. | Frying up skin during rest. |
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| Frying up skin during rest, skin side up. | Frying up skin during rest, skin side down. | Skin was my favorite part. |
