Anyone have a good recipe? I need to know a good rub and wod to use and how long to smoke for. Doing this Saturday, can I get some help??? Thanks.

RUB
4 tbl paprika
4 tbl cayenne
2.5 tbl black pepper
1.5 tbl onioun powder
3 tbl salt
1.5 tbl dry orageno
1.5 tlb dry thyme

WOOD, that would be either Pecan or Mesquite. Smoking time couldn't tell you haven't smoked a chicken yet. But would like to do a turkey in november But thought I give you a rub. I used this rub on brisket.

They are best cooked over indirect heat. If by smoking you mean cooking them slow for several hours not sure how that would turn out. I plan on about an hour plus or minus a little with a medium hot fire. If you leave them covered for at least the first 45 minutes without peeking then check you will have a pretty good idea. Don't be afraid to cook them a longer then you think necessary, the outside gets more crisp but the meat stays juicy and tender. About the only way to mess one up is to have them over the coals where the dripping juice causes a flareup and burns them.

You need the beer can about half to two thirds full, I use a church key to poke some extra holes in the top and add some garlic cloves to the beer.

I just rub them inside and out with garlic salt and garlic pepper or lemon pepper.

We use to do this on a regular basis, haven't done it this year though. I squeeze lemon juice over mine as well and then stuff the rest of the lemon in the cavity before putting it over the can. You will be able to tell when it's done. The meat will start to pull away from the bone.

I've only done this once so I can't be much help, but get a potato and stuff in the cavity where the neck was. This traps the steam from the beer can and aids in keeping the chicken moist.

I was thinking of about 250* for about 2-3 hours. If I remember right it is how I did it before. I know also one of the tricks is to peel the skin back gently and do the rub directly on the meat and then let the skin go back against the meat.

The potato just wedges in the opening and traps the moisture? I will do that. I think I will put some garlic cloves or even some minced garlic in the beer can.

I will more than likely use mesquite wood.

That rub sounds great, I think I will try that.

Anyone get the smoking-meat.com monthly newsletter? The guy that runs the site is selling his rub recipe, I do not know if it would be worth it or not. Might one of these days try it.

So far in the couple of years I have been smoking meat, I have been making my own recipe rub, it is similar every time but never identical. Never failed me yet. My key ingredients are paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, touch of cumin and then some Earl Campbell rub.

Yes... If I remember right, I used a lager red potato and it fit fine.

There is a book out titled "Beer Can Chicken", I have it stored away somewhere. I used it to do a turkey once and was frankly amazed at how fast a 12 pound turkey cooked that way. Any rub you like will accentuate it, I just do my simple one and never had any complaints.

The two or three hours at that temp would probably be fine though with my theories of grilling stuff the only reason I would cook it that way is it would give me more time to drink beer while it is cooking. Not a bad idea actually.

Lemon goes great with chicken, advice MsBass gave above is a great touch and I have done that also.

I drink about half the beer out of the can, sometimes takes me a few cans to get it right... Then I add back in some garlic cloves minced, poultry seasoning, a little worcestershire and some tony's seasing all in the can. I usually use some adkins seasoning salt, black pepper and lemon pepper. I plug mine with a potato as well. I haven't cooked one on a charcoal grill because I can't get the lid on with a chicken standing up so I use my gas grill on medium heat and turn off the burners the chicken is on, usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

ditto on the drinking beer out of the can and adding spices and garlic. as for the plug, most chickens that i get have that neck flap, and i pull it back over to 'close the hole' and secure it with a toothpick. as for time, i slow cook it over low heat, usually for 4-5 hours, sounds a little overkill but i hate fast cooked chicken. drum sticks take an hour, a chicken should take 4, but some people hate eating late! haha, anways, after about 3 hours i take note of the skin, if its dark and soft then its right on with the smoke (3 hours) then i move it to the hotter part of my smoker and give it some heat to make that skin crispy (45min - hour or more). once i picked the chicken up by the thighs and the meat fell off in my hands, we just brought the forks to the smoker. now turkeys, mmm,mmm,mmmm they take about 6-8 hours depending on the size and use a Fosters beer can.

i smoked a turkey two years ago and it took 13 hours. i cooked it low and slow and it was amazing. the best smoke ring you could imgaine and the flavor was out of this world.

here is the general rule i followed. i had a really big bird.

How to Smoke Turkey
Smoking turkey is much easier than you realize and I am going to go over this in detail so your holiday will be a huge success.

I recommend starting with a turkey that is no larger than 12 pounds and should read "MINIMALLY PROCESSED" on the label for best results. This means the bird has no additives and is as fresh as possible. You may find some frozen ones that have this label but that is fine. I have used the frozen with very good results when thawed properly in the fridge.

I highly recommend brining your thanksgiving turkey but it will be good regardless.. if you decide to brine it then you should read about it here before continuing on.

When you are ready to smoke the turkey, remove the bird from the fridge and remove all giblets, neck, etc. from the inside before smoking it. (if you brine the bird then it would have been removed at that time).

Wash the bird well inside and out with cold water and set aside.

I like to rub olive oil or butter all over the skin to help it stay moist and to help crisp it up during the long smoke time.

You can also place some fruits and/or veggies inside of the cavity of the turkey for some great flavor combination if you like. I have been known to use things such as apples, carrots, onions, garlic, jalapenos, celery, etc. so just let your imagination go wild. As a precaution, do not stuff the turkey cavity full.. just a few things will work better and still allow the heat to flow freely inside the turkey.

You are now ready to setup the smoker and get it ready for smoke cooking the holiday turkey. If you are using a charcoal smoker then you will need to have at least 10 to 15 pounds of lump charcoal available to use. For best results use a charcoal chimney to light the charcoal and pour into the charcoal pan/firebox.

Get the smoker going and once it reaches 225 degrees and is smoking you are ready to place the turkey breast side down in the smoker on the uppermost grate if possible.

Let it smoke for an hour or so and then flip it to breast side up for the remainder of the time.

You can expect a 12 pound turkey to take about 6.5 hours at 225 degrees. The turkey is finished when it reaches an internal temperature of 167 degrees. Bring the turkey into the house and let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving. Please note that the turkey will normally continue to cook for a few minutes after taking it out of the smoker and should climb another couple of degrees to bring the meat up to a very safe 170 degrees.

That is the basics and now I am going to go over some tips on the particulars..

Stuffing the Turkey

Do not stuff the turkey with dressing! Due to the low smoking temperatures, the heat needs to flow smoothly inside of the cavity of the bird as well as on the outside. If you want delicious stuffing inside of the turkey when serving, just make the dressing in the oven and stuff it into the turkey after it is finished cooking.

Types of Wood

I have used Mesquite, Oak, Apple, Plum and various other fruit woods but I have to say that my favorite is plum. With that said, plum is usually hard to find and almost any fruit wood is absolutely delicious. Go really easy with mesquite and other strong flavored woods. I recommend only smoking the turkey for about 3 to 4 hours and then finishing it with just heat from the lump charcoal.

If you are using propane or electric, just don't add any more wood after about 3 to 4 hours of smoking.

Proper Airflow (Very Important!)

Most folks know this but for the new guys I am going to go over it again.. proper smoking requires good airflow into and out of the smoker. This means if you have a vent leading into your firebox or charcoal pan, it must remain open at least half way or so to allow air into the smoker. The smoke/air also needs a way to exit the smoker and this is why most higher end smokers will have a smoke stack or chimney with an adjustable cap.

Some of the smaller smokers such as the vertical water smokers are designed to allow smoke to escape up under the lid. These can be modified by drilling several holes in the top of the lid and affixing a small piece of metal* attached at one corner with a single screw to allow it to partially or fully cover/uncover the holes and allow better drafting.

*I have used something as simple as the metal lid from a large soup can for this purpose.

Heat Control

Your main heat control is from the fire you build.. did I hear someone say, Duh!? Well, you'd think this would be obvious but some folks try to build a fire and then use the vents to completely control the temperature when in actuality the vents are only for very minor control of the temperature.

Build a fire that will maintain very close to 225 degrees and then use the intake for fine control.

If you are using charcoal try to imagine that each chunk of charcoal puts out x amount of heat. If 30 pieces of charcoal are only producing 180 degrees then it stands to reason that I will need to add about 8-10 more pieces of lit charcoal to reach my goal of 225 to 240 degrees.

Don't try to get to scientific about it but each piece of charcoal does put out a certain amount of heat and depending on the size of your smoker and other factors such as weather, you will have to continue adding lumps by the scoop until you are holding a steady temperature within your target temperature range.

For best results use a Charcoal Chimney which can be found online or possibly at Wal-mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc. to add already lit charcoal to the firebox.

Making Smoke

The easiest way to make smoke in a vertical water smoker such as the ECB is to wrap a handful of chips in foil and poke some holes in the top to allow the smoke to escape. Make a new one and place it on top of the coals every time it stops smoking for as long as you want to apply smoke.

For larger smokers with a firebox just place sticks of smoking wood on top of the coals or you can fill a large coffee can with wood chunks and lay it on top of the coals. To minimize the chance of the wood catching fire too quickly you can cover the top of the can with foil and poke a few holes in it to allow smoke to escape.

One thing about the beer can chicken, go to Wal Mart and buy yourself a beer can holder. The can sits in this holder and has a round base to it so the bird will not fall over.

Believe me, I've been cooking beer butt chickens for a long time and I can't tell you how many I have had fall over and all the juice comes out.

Spend the $5 and get a beer can holder. The chicken sits on top of this with the can in it.

I would go to Academy Sports and get a double can cooker. I cook over a sheet pan and use a smoker box in my grill. Why not kill two bird with one stone. I would not stuff the neck with a potato or onion. Just fold the neck skin back and toothpick it. If you stuff it, you have to be careful and cook it longer because it is harder for the inside of the chicken to heat well were the spud was. Just like cooking a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey. The second bird can be dinner in a snap. I like chicken salad.

The last one I cooked I put a clementine orange in the hole!!Holy cow,you talk about good,and I'm not even that big on orange flavored stuff,but man it was great.Filled can about a quarter of the way with garlic and onion and the rest with beer!!!

i use a water smoker. 200-230*

i've used all kinds of store bought rubs, just make sure some of it makes it in the beer, along with some minced garlic and onion.

an hr a pound is a start, look and meat temp rule. sometimes more, sometimes (usually) less.

poultry in general will absorb less smoke than beef, but you can ruin it fast with too much. sweeter woods like apple, cherry and even pecan wood do well with poultry.

i use an onion to plug the neck.

when it's cold i'll smoke for 2 hrs and then finish in the oven, you need a water pan in the oven just like in the smoker to keep the meat moist IMO.

let the bird sit for 20-30 minutes before you mess with it. beer will continue to steam from the inside for a good while.

SMOKEHOUSE SOFT TACOS:

take scrap smoked brisket and chop
take scrap smoked port butt and chop
take scrap beer-butt chicken and chop
grill or smoke some spicy sausage, slice thin, or, you guessed it, chop!

let meats mingle together on the board while you warm some good spicy Q sauce...

warm some fresh tortillas on a cast skillet

combine, wrap, and thank God you're an American!

repeat as necessary.

Put 3- 4 lbs of Brisket cut up into chunks in a crock pot on low heat, season with salt and pepper. add a little BQ/Sauce about an hour before eating. cook time 10 hours
It really good!!!

Cheers

I've tried various beer can chicken recipes but like this one the best. Use the usual stand to sit the chicken on. The beer can part of it is not necessary. I usually use a soda can and fill it about half full of water - hate to waste a beer.

I season the chicken thoroughly with lemon pepper. Stick my hand up into the cavity and shake the lemon pepper all over it and even into the cavity.

Place the chicken on the stand and grill it on a gas grill for about on hour to hour and a half. Important to cook it over indirect heat. Put the chicken in the center of the grill, and only use the outside burners. Place some aluminum foil under it in a boat fashion to catch the drippings off the chicken or you will have a real mess inside you grill when done. Do not cook it over a burner or it will flare up and burn the hell out of it.

This will probably work well with a charcoal setting, too, but harder to control. I like the gas grill because I can put it on and forget about it for at least an hour.

This is my wife's favorite, and I like it too next to fried chicken. bh