Need to learn Beer Butt Chicken

[joe2chillo]

Ok so I have been doing a lot of pork and its time to tackle the chicken. I just picked up a whole chiken (about 5.5 lbs). I want to do a beer butt chicken but have no idea where to start other than shove a can of beer in there. So lay it on me. Whats your best recipe? Do I need to brine or rub first? How about sauce? What temp do I cook it at? What kind of wood or do I not smoke it at all? Give me the details! Thanks all.

[bucaguy]

I like to rub it with a brown sugar cayenne rub.. Then stuff a can up is Arse Put on the smoker with some Hickory chips.. I usually go about 250 when i am doing my chicken..  usually takes a couple of hours

[Bam Bam]

Try the loaf pan chicken. Rub the whole thing down with worchestershire, apple sauce and mustard while it's in the loaf pan. Then sprinkle your rub all over and chuck it in the smoker. Hard to mess up loaf pan. This is out of the big bob Gibson book. Make their white BBQ sauce to go with it.  It's unreal good!

[mustang]

I like to cook at a higher temp for chicken than for the other meats: around 300 degrees seems to work well for me until breast reaches 155 degrees - then be sure to rest it and allow carryover cooking from residual heat to bring it up to 160 degrees or so.  Thigh meat should reach about 10 degrees hotter than breast, about 170 degrees after resting.

[Crash]

IMO, beer can chicken is very over-rated.  Brine the bird instead.