Smoked Beer-Can Chicken
Smoked Beer-Can Chicken delivers juicy, fall-off-the-bone meat with a rich wood-smoke aroma and a crisp, well-seasoned skin. A hint of beer and garlic permeates the bird, keeping it moist while adding subtle depth. It’s great for weekend cookouts or casual gatherings when you want a centerpiece that’s both rustic and crowd-pleasing.
- Prep20 mins
- Cook2 hrs
- Serves4
- DifficultyMedium
easyChef Pro health score
Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in Smoked Beer-Can Chicken, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.
- Glycemic ImpactFair
- 56 / 100
- Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
- Nutritional DensityPoor
- 0 / 100
- Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
- Energy DensityGood
- 92 / 100
- Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
- NOVA Processed Culinary Ingredients
- 2 / 4
- Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.
How it scores for each health goal
The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.
- 23
- Heart Health
- 61
- Metabolic
- 11
- Digestive
- 31
- Inflammatory
- 54
- Performance
- 45
- General Wellness
- 1
Preheat the grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
- 2
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels; rub vegetable oil over the entire chicken, inside and out.
- 3
Pour the liquid smoke flavoring into the can of beer and add the garlic clove.
- 4
Set the chicken upright in a grill pan with the beer can inserted into the cavity.
- 5
Season the outside of the skin with sea salt, black pepper, and garlic salt, gently rubbing the seasonings into the oiled chicken skin.
- 6
Place the potato into the neck cavity to trap steam and cover the potato with the flap of neck skin; secure the skin to the potato with a toothpick.
- 7
Place the chicken upright on the hot grill and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the skin is crisp, about 2 hours.
- 8
An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, should register at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
- Calories 629.7 kcal High 31%
- Protein 95.3 g Good Source 191%
- Carbohydrate 2.04 g 1%
- Total Fat 24.2 g High 31%
- Saturated Fat 1.97 g Moderate 10%
- Trans Fat 0.0 g Low Source 0%
- Cholesterol 317.91 mg High 106%
- Sodium 903.57 mg High 39%
- Dietary Fiber 0.2 g Low Source 1%
- Total Sugars 0.0 g --
- Added Sugars 0.0 g Low Source 0%
- Calcium 7.34 mg Low Source 1%
- Iron 0.07 mg Low Source 0%
- Potassium 51.52 mg Low Source 1%
- Vitamin A 0.14 mcg Low Source 0%
- Vitamin C 0.0 mg Low Source 0%
- Vitamin D 0.0 mcg Low Source 0%
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Gluten
- Garlic 🧄
- Alcohol 🚫🍷
About This Recipe
Smoked Beer Can Chicken is made with 9 ingredients and serves 4. It takes about 2 hrs 20 mins and is rated medium. Key ingredients include Beer, Black Pepper, Garlic Salt, and Liquid Smoke. Each serving provides about 629.7 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is Smoked Beer-Can Chicken made of?
- The main ingredients are Beer, Black Pepper, Garlic Salt, Liquid Smoke, Peeled Garlic. The full list of 9 is above.
- How long does it take to make Smoked Beer-Can Chicken?
- About 2 hrs 20 mins in total: 20 mins to prepare and 2 hrs to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 629.7 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is Smoked Beer-Can Chicken easy to make?
- This recipe is rated medium, with 9 ingredients and 8 steps.
- Is Smoked Beer-Can Chicken healthy?
- Smoked Beer-Can Chicken has an easyChef Pro health score of 48/100. Per serving, it provides 629.7 calories and 95.3 g of protein, or 191% of the Daily Value. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 903.57 mg (39% of the Daily Value) and saturated fat at 1.97 g (10% of the Daily Value). It contains Gluten, Garlic and Alcohol, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.
How easyChef Pro scores recipes and products
easyChef Pro analyzes up to 41 nutrients using data sourced from USDA and other verified food databases. Its scoring method uses the nutrients relevant to nutrition quality, calorie density, processing level, and your selected health goal. Recipes and food products get a health score from 0 to 100, calculated using consistent rules instead of being estimated by AI. The same nutrition data, serving size and health goal will produce the same result.
The calculation evaluates nutrients, calorie density, processing level, and how well the food supports your selected health goal. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients can strengthen the score. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, added sugar and other nutrients may lower it.
Your health goal also matters. easyChef Pro evaluates recipes and products across six health areas and adjusts their importance for your selected goal. This means the same food may be a better fit for one health goal than another.
For recipes, changing an ingredient, quantity or serving size changes the nutrition and may change the score. Remix the recipe in easyChef Pro to calculate fresh nutrition and scores for the version you actually make. Product scores are based on the nutrition and serving information associated with that specific product.
Score a recipe free, no app required