Beer Can Chicken Help!

I am attempting beer can chicken this weekend. My hesitation is that I am using a 2 burner grill and I am worried about the indirect heat and cooking time. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks!

Turn one burner off and put the chicken over it. I usually cook at about 325 for about 1 1/4 hours.

I put off doing this for a while too for the same reason, and I wasn't sure how to smoke it with this grill. All I did was soak the wood as instructed, put it into a foil pouch, then poked holes in the top. I put this directly on top of the ceramic coals, then put the grate on. I turned both sides to high intil the wood started to smoke, then I turned one off, and the other one to medium low. put the bird on the off side, and it turned out perfect.

The Beer Can Chicken is really easy. You have to resist the urge to raise the lid until the 1 1/4 hours is up. After your first one you will never cook chicken any other way.

baytiger wrote:

All I did was soak the wood as instructed, put it into a foil pouch, then poked holes in the top. I put this directly on top of the ceramic coals, then put the grate on. I turned both sides to high intil the wood started to smoke, then I turned one off, and the other one to medium low

Did medium/low provide enough heat to keep smoking without the chips eventually catching fire? Mine catch fire, but I am thinking Medium is too high. I will try medium low.
I've also read u can get away with not soaking the chips if you're using the gas so they'll smoke sooner.

My wife bought me an assortment of wood chips to try. I have hickory, mesquite, and apple. What do you guys suggest?

I like apple with chicken but I also tend to just throw on a chicken with whatever "main meat" I am cooking. (There is always someone int eh crowd that appreciates having chicken) It always turns out more or less the same because I never cook chicken long enough to discern the difference.

I made this last weekend but I used a can of Pepsi as I don't have canned beer. I cooked an oven stuffer chicken (6-7 pounds). It took a little longer than the 1 1/4 hours. It was so moist the juice run out. The taste was fantastic.

For some reason I was not logged in. Sorry for the double post!

Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for all of your help and advice. I made it last night and it was great! Aside from getting the skin just a little too crispy (I left the burner on too high) it was delicious.

I found that with the two burner gas grill it can be tough keeping your chips producing good smoke. My solution to this was to use that handy yet hardly ever used side burner to start my foil packet of wood chips smoldering. When I feel it's ready I move the packet to the internal grill area. Since I do not have a smoke box I tend to prepare several packets and when one seems to die down too much I just ready another on the side burner in no time with this method. This way my grill is producing great smoke and a constant 300 degree.

Another trick I use is adding sweet basil to my beer for steaming and of course serious basting with my homemade BBQ sauce during the last 15-30 mins.

Enjoy
George

Thanks for all of your help. I have now made this several times and each time it just gets better. A couple of things I have learned is to keep the can about 3/4 full so the bird doesn't tip over. Also, I have added a sprig of fresh rosemary to the can so that flavor is added to the taste.

If you're looking for a good bbq sauce, try the pineapple bbq sauce that I found at www.bbqu.net. You need to go to the show that deals with ribs and the recipe is there.

Good eating!