# First time smoking beer can chicken...what temp can i get away with



## dougmays (Mar 19, 2013)

hey guys,

doing a big team bbq on thursday...i'm going to cook some ribs the night before and reheat them on the smoker. While doing this i want to throw a couple beercan chickens and a pork loin on. So my question is....i dont want to dry out my ribs or over cook my pork loin....so how low can i go and still get a boil out of the beer? 225? 250? i'm afraid if i go 275 or higher i'll dryout the other items in with the chicken...

thanks in advance


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## forluvofsmoke (Mar 19, 2013)

225* will work, but beware of the rubber-skin syndrome at those lower temps, unless you've got some tricks up your sleeve to get crisp skin at lower smoke temps, or finish on a hot grill to crisp the skin. I've done beer-butt birds low & slow before...works fine, it's just the skin issue to overcome or just live with it.

Eric


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## JckDanls 07 (Mar 19, 2013)

forluvofsmoke said:


> 225* will work, but beware of the rubber-skin syndrome at those lower temps, unless you've got some tricks up your sleeve to get crisp skin at lower smoke temps, or finish on a hot grill to crisp the skin. I've done beer-butt birds low & slow before...works fine, it's just the skin issue to overcome or just live with it.
> 
> 
> Eric



:yeahthat:


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## dougmays (Mar 20, 2013)

you think 250 would render crispier skin? at that temp i can warm up the ribs and properly cook the loin as well.....or maybe ill warm up ribs first then open the vent wide open and get the temp up quick


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 20, 2013)

I have found the only path to crisp skin directly from the smoker is reaching temps of 300+*F...Everything else requires finishing on the Grill or in a 425+*F Oven...Also if you Brine, you need to give the skin a day or more to dry, 30-60 minutes in front of a fan is good too if the temp is not above 70*F...JJ


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## dougmays (Mar 20, 2013)

thanks everyone! will put a post up for the work BBQ


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## sqwib (Mar 20, 2013)

Pull that loin at 140° foil and towel, loin will be fine cooked at any temp as long as the Internal is right.

Beer can chix are ok at 250° and don't get hung up on internal temp you can go over about 180° withe better results than pulling at 165°

You don't need a boil on the beer and you don't need a Brine, keep it simple.

I guess I'm the odd man out, Beer can Chix should have decent skin at 250°  *if cooked long enough* due to the fat rendering from the skin.Worst case scenario if the skin is fatty or rubbery, just fry in a pan for a few minutes.

Your rub can have an impact on whether your skin is rubbery or not, just use EVO or (butter), Salt and pepper.


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 20, 2013)

SQWIB, Not Odd but a little Left maybe! That smoking long at 250*F may be an option. I never went past an IT of 165-170*F so as I trust your ability I will have to give it a shot...JJ


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## sqwib (Mar 20, 2013)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> SQWIB, Not Odd but a little Left maybe! That smoking long at 250*F may be an option. I never went past an IT of 165-170*F so as I trust your ability I will have to give it a shot...JJ


Yep, have you ever had a Rotisserie chicken at Sams or Supermarket..... way past 165°.

My family loves them, I tend to think they lean more towards the mushy side as opposed to tender, but they cook theirs to death.

I have had better results going higher than 165° in Beer Can Chix I usually cook'em by time, approx. 90 minutes, I don't check Internals on them when I do Beer Can Chix

Jimmy your post just opened my eyes a bit....

I should have stated that these chix are done on a pit... totally different results than other types of smokers such as my GOSM I don't want to confuse the original poster.

Dougmays your outcome will vary depending on your type of smoker. We are all giving you advice based on our methods and equipment...this can vary greatly.


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## turnandburn (Mar 20, 2013)

add a little crab/crawfish boil to the beer inside ye olde yard bird....awesome. thats how my family does it down in texas... i was a skeptic but man does it turn out an awesome flavor, that is, if you like a little cajun kick...


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## kathrynn (Mar 20, 2013)

Doug!  Good Luck with this one too!  Cheer leading again!!!!

Kat


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## dougmays (Mar 20, 2013)

Thanks to all!


KathrynN said:


> Doug!  Good Luck with this one too!  Cheer leading again!!!!
> 
> Kat


LOL Kat, my smoker is going to say to me "why all the smoking so close together? i need a break!"


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