# Smoking Beer Can Chicken...



## christophcbv (Oct 12, 2013)

Good morning everyone.  I am going to try a full beer can chicken type of thing tomorrow and have a few questions.  Still new to smoking and read some threads on here and seems pretty simple and what not, but just want to ask a few things... 

1. Did you brine it 24 hrs before - and if so, what did you put in the water?
2. When you use 2/3 of a beer can, do you add spices to it (in the can)?

3. I have a few ideas for dry rubs, so I'll probably go that route.  Is a few hours until it gets to 165-170 good? 

4. Do I need a 'chicken stand' or anything, or would it be fine to rest it on the can and set it up like that in the smoker?

Anything else I have missed, or should be concerned about?  Thanks everyone.

Signed,

Canadian living in the South.


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## themule69 (Oct 12, 2013)

Not to worry

1 If you brine it it will add flavor and moisture. You can add anything you like to the brine.

2you can add spice to the beer can. you and add herbs to the neck cavity.

3 depends on smoker temp. If you will get your smoker up to 325° or higher you will have crispy skin.

4 no you don't have to have a stand. Just stand it up on the can.

Remember the can is full of boiling liquid when you remove it from the smoker. You don't want burnt.

Happy smoken.

David


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## bama bbq (Oct 12, 2013)

christophcbv said:


> Good morning everyone.  I am going to try a full beer can chicken type of thing tomorrow and have a few questions.  Still new to smoking and read some threads on here and seems pretty simple and what not, but just want to ask a few things...
> 
> 1. Did you brine it 24 hrs before - and if so, what did you put in the water?
> 
> ...



1. I use salt. Take a 2 cup measuring cup and add 1 cup warm water. Pour salt in until it gets to the 1.5 cup mark. Then add to 1 gallon of cool water in a non reactive container. This works with ANY kind of salt. Other seasonings can be added as well

2. I've thrown some rub in but that's about it. I've done straight beer as well. 

3. Yes sir. It doesn't take long at all. 

4. Just rest it on the can works great. 

I am sure you'll get many differing opinions on this subject but that's a good thing. 

HTH!


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## dirtsailor2003 (Oct 12, 2013)

I don't brine my chickens. No need to for a moist bird. If your looking for a different flavor then brine with whatever you like or want. Simple rub of SPOG (salt, pepper, onion, garlic) add some paprika or chipotle. Watch your wood selection. Apple, cherry, pecan, peach, alder are all good choices. 

For crispy skin if you can get the smoker up to 325+ if not the you can always run it under the broiler for a few. Remember 165 in the thigh.


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## christophcbv (Oct 12, 2013)

So for crispy skin, u would recommend 300-325 the whole time, or more towards the end?  Going with a cherry wood tomorrow.  What's an interesting choice for a brine?  Looking to try and cook 2 different time of chickens.


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## flash (Oct 12, 2013)

themule69 said:


> Not to worry
> 
> 1 If you brine it it will add flavor and moisture. You can add anything you like to the brine.
> 
> ...


5. Don't waste the beer, or at best use a cheap one. You will reap no beer taste from this process.

Chicken does not benefit much from low and slow, but if you are looking for a smokey flavor, I start low then build the heat near the end. If you start out high, it will not get much smoke flavor. Depends on your wants.


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## hambone1950 (Oct 12, 2013)

I fell in love with beer can chicken as soon as I tried one but , My wife hates beer so actually USING beer was never an option. So I would always use coke or dr pepper or some such. And like I say , the chicken was to die for.i didn't care about the beer flavor anyway cuz I'm more of a hard liquor guy....but I digress.
I bought one of those cheap can holder deals and I liked that a lot...I used it with the can of whatever and I liked the stability that the stand provided..

Fast forward a couple years and I have given up on the can altogether. I found no real benefit from the coke or any liquid that I tried.
So NOW I just put the chicken over the holder without the can....and I get THE best roast chicken in the world. The method is perfect....if I didn't have the rack I would take an EMPTY can...punch some holes in the bottom and prop the bird up on the can. You get that heat into the inside of the chicken and you can use rub in there or stuff some chopped onion or peppers inside....THAT gives you some taste.
I use a weber smoky mountain cooker and I just fire it up with no water pan , put the chicken on the top rack and cook away at 300-350 until that little clucker is done. Tastes plenty smoky from the charcoal , and I will sometimes throw in a chunk of oak or maple to smoke it up a bit more. But it comes out great.


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## themule69 (Oct 12, 2013)

You might want to try spatchcocked chicken.

Happy smoken.

David


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## christophcbv (Oct 13, 2013)

Trial and error is what I"ll go lol...  I have a decent plan I think, 300 ish for 2 hrs (ish) and go from there...  :-)  

Thanks for the help.  I also posted one this morning about doing a ham with it.  Anyone have thoughts on smoking a ham as well?   Thanks.

Here's the copy paste from it:

 

Hi everyone,

Smoking a ham with my chickens today and I have read a few of the threads in here with hams and what not, but can't find a good way to do it that lists numbers, etc.  

It is just a small precooked/smoked ham, what temp should I smoke it at?  What temp does the inside of the ham need to reach?  What's your favourite rub or sauce to put on it? 

Thanks so much.


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## newbsmoke (Oct 13, 2013)

After reading this thread I have been inspired to try this... How long does it take to smoke a small chicken?  Has anyone tried smoking those cornish game hens instead of chicken?


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## ats32 (Oct 13, 2013)

I love smoking cornish game hens. They take about 2 hours at 300F-325F. No need to brine or even rub overnight. Rub down liberally with your favorite bbq rub including under the skin and get ready for dinner.

Beer can chicken is overrated to me. I'm in the party that doesn't put anything in the cavity of a bird besides seasonings. By stuffing a bird whether it's with a stuffing or a beer can all you're doing is raising the cook time and with beer can chicken you steam the meat more which causes more of a rubbery texture.

Then again, I'm also in the party that doesn't brine birds.


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## christophcbv (Oct 14, 2013)

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Here's the outcome...  A little over 2 hrs.. a bit of garlic and spices put on it, one dr. pepper and the ohter miller lite beer can chickens...  One thing I would change is the brime time...  24 hrs was too long in my mind.


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## christophcbv (Oct 14, 2013)

Also, this made some of the best gravy I think I have ever had...


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## bamasmoker77 (Oct 14, 2013)

christophcbv said:


> 007.JPG
> 
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> 
> ...


Did you taste the beer and dr pepper in it? I have always wondered how much you could taste in it.


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## sqwib (Oct 14, 2013)

christophcbv said:


> Good morning everyone.  I am going to try a full beer can chicken type of thing tomorrow and have a few questions.  Still new to smoking and read some threads on here and seems pretty simple and what not, but just want to ask a few things...
> 
> 1. Did you brine it 24 hrs before - and if so, what did you put in the water? _I don't brine small birds only large ones, but many folks do. Does it help?, sure plus you can infuse a little bit of salt and other flavors into the bitd... just getting a bit of salt into the meat makes for a more flavorful bird._
> 2. When you use 2/3 of a beer can, do you add spices to it (in the can)? _Yes IMHO the best spices to permeate the meat is stuff like Rosemary, Basil and the like, I usually spice up the beer can as I would my gravy and add the neck, this is then poured out into the drippings and a gravy is made. Sometimes I will just use a little water and vermouth or a white wine in the can._
> ...


Tons of good info so far.

I'll throw in my 













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__ sqwib
__ Oct 14, 2013





                                ...and some pics.

As far as a crispy skin, cooking at lower temps will render the skin and it wont be rubbery but it also will not be crisp like you would get from higher temps or direct grilling. However, if the skin is bite through, such as the thighs pictured below, you're gold.

You could use a rotisserie for 20 minutes then smoke, I have never done it that way because once its on the grill I think its a waste of time throwing on the pit, because I can always add wood to the grill.

Just make sure to trim the heavy fat off, you can also prick the skin and pour boiling water slowly over the skin before placing in your smoker.

For thighs I remove the skin, debone, trim the heavy fat, wrap the skin back on the thigh tightly then do the boiling water trick, it works great.

Also for lower temp cooking, stay away from wet slathers and rubs, make sure to use dry rubs, however if you are using high heat, then the skin will benefit from such things as EVO or butter.

Another quick note, after you wash or brine the bird pat dry and place in the refrigerator for an hour uncovered. This prevents the wet skin from picking up the sooty particles that are more common in stickburners.













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Here is a copy/paste from my website on larger birds, it's little dated and and I need to go over it a bit, but it has some good info.
[h3]Honey Glazed Pit Smoked Turkey with Apple Gravy[/h3]
USDA ON TURKEY






Note: when *smoking turkey* try purchasing one that is no more than 12-14 pounds. Much larger than this and the meat may stay in the danger zone (40-140 *°F*) for too long.
A 20 pound turkey can take up to 10-14 hours and larger turkeys greatly increase food contamination risks. A 12-14 pound turkey will be good, however a 20 pound bird can be done, just be careful of the "Danger zone".

For a turkey over 14 pounds, bump the temp up to 300-325*°F* the first few hours and for goodness sake, no peeking.
(*Stickburners note*, make sure the bird is not blasted with the heat, you may want to shield the bird the first half hour and rotate 90*°often* if using high heat in the pit)
*Brine Turkey*, unless it already has been, such as "Moister Enhanced with up to 8% of solution" or "Self Basting" or "Kosher".
Brining enhances flavor and texture and gives the cook a wider margin of error, ensuring a moist bird, in  my opinion anyway. 
See attached "Brining basics" PDF at the bottom of this page.
USDA States that* BASTED or SELF BASTED:*_ Bone-in_ poultry products that are injected or marinated with a solution containing butter or other edible fat, broth, stock or water plus spices, flavor enhancers and other approved substances must be labeled as basted or self basted. The maximum added weight of approximately 3% solution before processing is included in the net weight on the label. Label must include a statement identifying the total quantity and common or usual name of all ingredients in the solution, e.g., "_Injected with approximately 3% of a solution of_.


Water to salt ratio is 1:16 or 1 cup of Kosher salt per gallon of non-chlorinated water.


Sugar reduces the the taste of the salt, use the same ratio as the salt.


Whole Birds brine for about an hour a pound.

Breasts no more than 5-6 hours
 

*Turkey Brine*:

2 Gal Water
2 Cups Kosher Salt
2 Cups Sugar (1 Cup white + 1 Cup Brown)
4 TBS Black Pepper
1 TBS Dried Rosemary
1 TBS Thyme
1/4 Cup White Wine or dry vermouth. (not Cooking Wine)
Combine all ingredients to 1 gallon of water in a large pot and bring to a slow simmer for 10 minute stirring, remove from heat and cool in refrigerator. Reserve  a few ounces for the beer can.
In a cooler add ice and the brine, submerge bird in brine, (weigh down if needed) add ice as needed, after brine period remove and rinse, pat dry.

*Slather:*
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
1 Tablespoon Rosemary
1 Tablespoon Minced Onion
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Old Bay
1 Teaspoon basil
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1/2 Teaspoon Cracked Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Celery Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
 
Remove the neck and giblets, (heart, gizzard, liver), from the inside, trash the liver and place the neck and giblets in the refrigerator, this will be used for gravy. Place the turkey in cooler add brine then add enough ice to last the length of time the bird will be in the brine and make sure bird is submerged and place in a cool location. Soak a 12 pound turkey in the brine overnight or 10-12 hours in the fridge, the goal here is about an hour a pound.
 
*Slather: *Olive oil, butter, Garlic, Rosemary, Time, Cracked Pepper, etc... note the picture with all the spices. I warmed the slather about 25 second in microwave, mixed thoroughly and rest about half hour, then the slather is placed in the fridge to thicken up.

*Gravy: **  *Fresh Sage, smoked garlic, green onions, white onion, applesauce and various spices as pictured below. Use fresh apples if you have them, the applesauce is a bit sweeter


Steps
 ​
*Fire up the Pit*: and bring temp up to about 350*°F+*. _I used white ash and cherry wood._

*Setup the beer can apparatus:* and fill halfway with reserved brine._ I Did not brine this bird due to the fact that it was an enhanced turkey, since it was enhanced , I just used a bit of Killians and spices as pictured._

*Drip Pan:* Place a grate then a disposable tin foil pan on the reverse flow plate with a quart of water to catch the drippings for gravy, add water as needed, place the giblets and neck bone in the pan. Add some celery onion slices and spices to the drip pan. _This smoke I tried apple sauce for a sweet gravy and only added the neck bone at the wife's request.__ I did add 2 cups of water during the cook but it dd not need it._

*Reduce risk of contamination:*   Make sure everything is ready, reducing the possibility of contamination for example having the spices pre-measured in bowl and slather or rubs ready to go, because you will be handling the bird.

*Trimming:* Remove bird from brine, _this was an enhanced bird so I did not have the option for brining_, rinse thoroughly in cold water then pat dry. Trim the neck flap. Remove any pop up timer devices.

*Rub/ Slather: *At the least, make sure the breast is covered in a good slather or butter.

*Stuffing the turkey*: I do not cook stuffing in a smoked bird, if not being smoked on a beer can style apparatus, stuff with apple and onion quarters.

*Placing the turkey*: Once the* Pit* is preheated, to 350*°F+*, about an hour works for my* Pit*, place the turkey over top of the beer can apparatus, pin the wings close to the sides with toothpicks, place the turkey in the drip pan and insert meat probes. _This cook I put the probe in the innermost thigh. __Some will plug up the neck hole with an onion, this one was not but it may decrease the cooking time slightly, the jury is still out on this one. I also placed the bird in a pan to catch the drippings for the gravy._

*Cooking: *Let the temp creep down slowly until a temperature range of 250*°**F *- 275*°F* is achieved, this may take an hour or so to level off. Plan on 25 to 30 minutes per pound at this temperature. Watch the wings and breast and if they start to get too brown you can cover them with some foil.

*Drip pan*: make sure to keep an eye on this, you *do not* want the drippings to burn up. Also try and back off on adding too much liquid in the tale end of the cook, you don't want a watered down gravy.

*Sanitize: *Once everything is on the* Pit*, I will wipe everything down with Chlorox Cleanup.

*Mopping: *If you want to mop your smoked turkey, wait until the last hour of the cooking time to start. This particular cook I brushed the bird  with honey about 60 minutes before it was done.


*Danger Zone: *Pay close attention to the cooking temps and time, if you are nearing the 4 hour mark and are not close to 140*°F*, I would suggest bumping your temps up to 325*°F* until you are out of the "Danger Zone".

*Checking the Internal Temperature*:  (I strongly suggest that anyone doing whole poultry, educate themselves on the proper handling and cooking procedures.) The breast and thighs must reach different internal temperatures for ideal doneness. When the breast reaches 150*°F*, cover it with foil to prevent it from being overcooked. I removed this turkey when the thick part of the thigh reached 160*°F*. The temperature will rise after removing it from the smoker.  Keep an eye on your times and temps, if you get a reading that doesn't make sense with the time chart, err on the side of caution. Although I did not take a reading of the breast it was cooked perfectly and If I had taken the thigh up to 170*°F*, it may have been overcooked.


*Disclaimer for cooking temps*, you knew that was coming. USDA states that the turkey should be cooked to a minimum of 165°F at the lowest temp reading. I would suggest an instant read thermometer, such as a Thermapen if you plan on smoking turkey. Check at the innermost part of the thigh and the thickest part of the breast and the lowest reading should be at 165*°F*, per USDA guidelines.


*Resting:*   Remove the turkey and cover loosely with aluminum foil for about 30 minutes. If I need up to an hour, the turkey will be wrapped in a thick towel in a non drafty area, any longer than an hour and its foiled, toweled and placed in a cooler with more towels.The resting is very important, a lot of the juices will redistribute into the meat ensuring its a moist bird. If you are pulling your turkey slightly before its final temp, make sure that you let it rest about a half hour wrapped in foil and lay a towel on top.  During this rest your temps may increase due to carry over heat, so if you pulled it a little shy of 165°, don't sweat it.


*Gravy*: As the bird is resting finish up the gravy, Pour liquids from beer can apparatus, *(taste it first),* and the drip pan through a strainer into a pot, bring gravy to a simmer and reduce by half, add spices to your preference, remove excess oil. Use arrow root or corn starch to thicken the gravy. If you have time you can refrigerate the gravy until the oils solidify on top then scrape the grease off  the top.


*Carving:* When carving the turkey if it appears pink Don't panic, this is normal. The smoking process causes a chemical change in turkey that causes it to turn pink. Just make sure the lowest reading is at 165*°F*.
 
*Time charts, not an exact but in the ballpark,*
This was a 12.4 lb bird and took almost 34 minutes per/lb at 230 - 240*°F*, I was at exactly 4 hours into the cook when I reached 140*°F*, next cook I will maintain 250- 260*°F* until it is out of the "danger zone", this was too close for comfort.​
*Cooking*


At 235*°F* your turkey will take 30 to 35 minutes per pound.

At 250*°F* your turkey will take 25 to 30 minutes per pound.

At 275*°F* your turkey will take 20 to 25 minutes per pound.


*Thawing: *Frozen turkey thawing timetable. Weight In refrigerator In cold water
*           In the Refrigerator (40°F or below)
          *Allow approximately 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds 

4 to 12 pounds 1 to 3 days

12 to 16 pounds 3 to 4 days

16 to 20 pounds 4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pounds 5 to 6 days


 I thawed this 12.4 pound bird in the refrigerator for 5 days and still had ice inside the turkey around the neck bone.

     *   In Cold Water*​*       Allow approximately 30 minutes per pound *
 

4 to 12 pounds 2 to 6 hours

12 to 16 pounds 6 to 8 hours

16 to 20 pounds 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds 10 to 12 hours

Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook the turkey immediately after it is thawed.
 
*Concerns/Notes:*

When carving the turkey if it appears pink Don't panic, this is normal. The smoking process causes a chemical change in turkey that causes it to turn pink. Just make sure the lowest reading throughout the turkey reads 165*°F*.
This was a 12.4 lb bird and took almost 34 minutes per/lb at 230 - 240*°F*, I was at exactly 4 hours into the cook when I reached 140*°F*, next cook I will maintain 250- 275*°F* until it is out of the "danger zone", this was too close for comfort.
Keep the turkey refrigerated or in iced brine until ready to cook, do not bring up to room temperature before smoking.
Watch temps closely, the bird needs to be above 140*°F* in under 4 hours, bump up the temps until you are above the "Danger Zone".
The turkey turned out great, It had good flavor and was moist throughout, the dark meat was exceptional.
Compared to an Oven Roasted turkey and my "Keg Roasted Turkey" the smoked turkey wins over the Oven Roasted but not the Keg Roasted turkey, but in all fairness the turkey was 11 months old and was an enhanced bird so I did not have the option of brining. I will follow this up with a fresh bird next time. However the skin was much better on the smoked turkey than the Keg Roasted Turkey,
The gravy was good but needs work, I think next time I will saute or brown some of the ingredients before adding to the drip pan and use fresh diced apples in place of apple sauce. The sauce was much better the next day, after removing the grease.
Many will say you can not get a crisp skin smoking with low heat, I had no problem getting a crispy skin and this bird was smoked sitting in liquids.

Spices used for the slather and Gravy







  Fresh Sage, smoked garlic, green onions, white onion, applesauce and various spices.







 
Bird ready to go, can half full with Killians and spices as pictured with a large sprig of fresh sage and smoked garlic.







 
  Cherry wood smoke. Note the removed grate, the pan is sitting directly on the reverse flow plate.







 
Foiled Wings, starting to get dark







  Foiled breast when thigh reached 150°F







 
Removed all foil at 155°F and brushed with honey







Pulled when thigh reached 160°F
*




*

Rested, wrapped in foil and towels for 30 minutes and ready to carve.
*




*


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## hambone1950 (Oct 14, 2013)

christophcbv said:


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I think that's a good call. The more I read and see about brining , it seems like most chefs are advocating shorter brining times....maybe just a couple hours.
To me boneless breasts benefit greatly from brining (and  wings too) , but a whole chicken and most of the bone in pieces are so moist already that brining almost seems redundant. ( my opinion only)


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## flash (Oct 14, 2013)

SQWIB said:


> Tons of good info so far.
> 
> I'll throw in my
> 
> ...


We should rename you "Squab"


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## themule69 (Oct 14, 2013)

Yard birs looks good. Glad it turned out good.

Happy smoken.

David


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## newbsmoke (Oct 14, 2013)

I too was curious if there was a difference in flavor between the beer can and dr pepper can bird?

The more and more I read I'm not convinced the can does anything unless you say otherwise?


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## psycho dad (Oct 17, 2013)

I bought this at Lowe's last year:













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__ psycho dad
__ Oct 6, 2013






Its a stand with a built in drip pan. I used it instead of a beer can. Bird turned out great, filled the drip pan with beer, vinegar and cajun seasoning.

When bird was done the pan was running over with drippings, I'm not sure if what I put in the pan had a chance to add any flavor before it got diluted.

 I shoved a few pats of butter under the skin and that added a lot of flavor.

For the brine I've always heard to use  equal parts sugar and salt, to which I add whole allspice and bay leaves.


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## hillbillyrkstr (Oct 17, 2013)

I'm still in complete disbelief over this exact statement: "Fast forward a couple years and I have given up on the can altogether. I found no real benefit from the coke or any liquid that I tried.".

Sure everyone has different tastes, and opinions but come on.... Moist chicken is not an opinion. NO chicken that isn't stuffed with a liquid filled can, or at least a water pan in the smoker is gonna be as moist as one using the "beer can method". Sorry in my experience there's no chance of this result. Steam is steam end of discussion. No offense, I'm
Sure your chicken after years of tweaking is great. Time and effort will provide you with great results. But it ain't as moist as a chicken with liquid shoved up its hiney! No way, no chance, no how...


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## hambone1950 (Oct 18, 2013)

hillbillyrkstr said:


> I'm still in complete disbelief over this exact statement: "Fast forward a couple years and I have given up on the can altogether. I found no real benefit from the coke or any liquid that I tried.".
> 
> Sure everyone has different tastes, and opinions but come on.... Moist chicken is not an opinion. NO chicken that isn't stuffed with a liquid filled can, or at least a water pan in the smoker is gonna be as moist as one using the "beer can method". Sorry in my experience there's no chance of this result. Steam is steam end of discussion. No offense, I'm
> Sure your chicken after years of tweaking is great. Time and effort will provide you with great results. But it ain't as moist as a chicken with liquid shoved up its hiney! No way, no chance, no how...



Ha ha! Don't hold back , buddy , tell us how you really feel! Hey , no problem here at all. I understand that you really like the liquid in the can. I guess what I decided after a while that the can (for me) was a step I could skip and still have nice moist chicken......and maybe my palate is dulled by too much Tabasco sauce , but I truly could not detect any great flavor enhancement from the liquid. (And as I said , beer is a no go).....
You may well be correct that your chicken is even more moist than mine and I hope you continue to enjoy it that way in good health. :grilling_smilie:


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## noboundaries (Oct 18, 2013)

Love the passion folks have for their preferences!!!!!

I used the can for years.  It definitely helps make a moist chicken.  But I have moved on from the chicken can to brining because I usually splatchcook or butterfly the chicken.  I've found that brining and using the can doesn't seem to make any difference.  I've done the chicken can and turkey cannon with everything from soft drinks to beers to cheap white wine. The white wine was my favorite and I often replace some of the water in the brine with the wine if I have some on hand.

I brine whole chickens, quarters, halves, split breasts, boneless breasts, bone-in or boneless thighs.  If it's poultry, I brine it.  Two reasons; first, I prefer the texture of brined poultry.  The proteins are denatured and they are more consistent, firm, and the white meat less "stringy."  Second, the moisture.   A brined bird is much more forgiving than an unbrined bird and always moist, even if overcooked a little. I've overcooked brined boneless chicken breasts to an IT of 180F and they were still moist!

I typically brine for 18-24 hours.  I found that you get the same denatured protein texture with less salt.  I brine chicken in the refrigerator in an 8 quart stainless steel Dutch Oven because it fits in my refrigerator!

I like a sweeter brine so this is my recipe for poultry (I double for a whole turkey):

1/3 to 1/2 cup kosher salt (it dissolves easier).  I use the 1/3 cup of salt if I'm using a salty rub to avoid an over-salty chicken.

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

6-10 cups water (enough to cover the chicken I'm brining)

Optional: 1 heaping tsp each of rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, or you can skip the spices entirely.  I've done both and can tell the difference.  Just depends on my mood and what rub, spices, and sauces I intend to use when smoking, roasting, etc.  If I'm going to sauce the chicken parts I typically leave the spices out so the rub and sauce are not overpowered by the spices.  For a whole chicken or turkey I always add the spices.

Is the process above for everyone.  Nah.  But my family always raves about my chicken so it works for me.  Love the raves, but I'm always open to new ideas.


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## hillbillyrkstr (Oct 20, 2013)

Hambone, I have no arguments that no matter what liquid used in the beer can method, you can't taste it in the chicken. Far as I'm concerned it can just be water. I've never tasted any kind if transition from liquid in the can into the chicken. Not one time. But like I said steam is steam bro. It'll make your chicken moister than not using it. 

If your making great, moist chicken without using the "beer can" method that's awesome! Far as I'm concerned it just means your a more seasoned grill master. The beer can method is more or less a crutch to ensure a moist chicken IMHO. It works, it's easy, but no you won't taste any flavor from the liquid in the chicken itself. That's not really the point. and honestly it's really a waste of good (or bad, depending on what you drink) beer. Lol.

Sorry I didn't mean to attack you. I'm sure your chicken after years of perfecting it is great! I'd love to try it!! I just am a believer that the steam can only help any meat in the moist department. In fact shoot me your method (doesn't have to be exact recipe. I know everyone has there own secrets.) But send me the method you use, and how you cook it and I'll give it a try.

Again I meant no disrespect.


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## hillbillyrkstr (Oct 20, 2013)

No boundaries, I've never actually smoked any chicken except whole chicken. Guess I just figured the parted out poultry would dry out, and I already threw it on a grill. I grill the thigh/leg quarters quite a bit. You ever smoke those? If so, using your brine, what temp do you smoke them at? And what would you say is the ballpark time it takes to smoke them?

Thanks


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## bama bbq (Oct 20, 2013)

hillbillyrkstr said:


> ... I grill the thigh/leg quarters quite a bit. You ever smoke those? If so, using your brine, what temp do you smoke them at? And what would you say is the ballpark time it takes to smoke them?
> 
> Thanks



I "smoke" poultry using BBQ temps. 325-350*F is my target vs traditional smoke temps (250+/- 25*F). A little more or less is good enough for me. 

They don't take long. 165* for white and 175* for dark meat and they're done.

Remember, You will get conflicting advice from various people.  BBQing is a craft, and craftsmen often have differing opinions on the best way to do things. (As you can see above) This is my way.


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## noboundaries (Oct 20, 2013)

hillbillyrkstr said:


> No boundaries, I've never actually smoked any chicken except whole chicken. Guess I just figured the parted out poultry would dry out, and I already threw it on a grill. I grill the thigh/leg quarters quite a bit. You ever smoke those? If so, using your brine, what temp do you smoke them at? And what would you say is the ballpark time it takes to smoke them?
> 
> Thanks


Yep, love leg quarters!   Brined and smoked 4 just two or three weeks ago. They were on sale at 99 cents/lb so I picked up a bulk pack at the grocer.  4 quarters for $4.  Can't beat that! I kept the smoker stabilized between 275 and 290 but you could easily go hotter.  I was watching a football game and didn't want to be distracted.  Smoke to an IT of 165-170.  The ones below reached 172 before I sauced them because I was watching the game.  Then I sauce them with a sauce warmed in the microwave and smoke for another 20-25 minutes.













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## noboundaries (Oct 20, 2013)

Oh, forgot, ballpark time.  I don't pay much attention to the time when I've got the probe in them.  I believe it was about 1.5-2 hrs to the sauce point.


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## hambone1950 (Oct 20, 2013)

hillbillyrkstr said:


> Sorry I didn't mean to attack you. I'm sure your chicken after years of perfecting it is great! I'd love to try it!! I just am a believer that the steam can only help any meat in the moist department. In fact shoot me your method (doesn't have to be exact recipe. I know everyone has there own secrets.) But send me the method you use, and how you cook it and I'll give it a try.
> 
> Again I meant no disrespect.



Not at all , brother. It's all good. Passion is good! 
Like I said , I will stuff half an onion , maybe cut a lemon in half, squeeze it out over the cavity and then leave it inside...couple cloves of garlic....smash em and throw them in..the stand actually helps hold in whatever you stuff inside the chicken.
..i use a very basic rub that i got from alton brown and i dust it well with that.
I usually just set the chicken over the stand and I always go high heat....300 or better. I cook till the breast is 160-165 and that's it. 
And again , I was not offended at all. I like a spirited debate. :biggrin:


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