pellet grill chicken

  This “Champion” Beer Can Chicken recipe is the stuff that legends are made of. Our famous Champion Chicken Seasoning is rubbed all over the bird which then cooks on a chicken throne filled with beer and  barbecue sauce.   The result is a delicious, tender, and moist chicken the whole family will love. To Prep the Chicken  Remove the chicken from the bag and make sure all the giblets and organs are removed from inside the chicken. Rinse the bird, inside and out, then pat dry.    Pour out half a can of beer until you have half a can remaining. Into the can of beer, or a chicken throne, add the barbecue sauce. Set aside.     Brush the chicken generously with olive oil and season with Pit Boss Champion Chicken Seasoning. Let the chicken sit for at least 15 minutes with the seasoning on top.   Carefully slide the chicken onto the beer can or chicken throne so that the cavity fits snugly. Tuck the chicken wings behind the chicken’s back.  Wood Pellet Recommendation  The savory, bacon like aromas from   Hickory Hardwood Pellets   make them the perfect fuel for this beer can chicken recipe.    Note: This recipe uses Pit Boss   Champion Chicken Seasoning. 

Champion Beer Can Chicken on the Grill

TBSP Barbecue Sauce

CAN BEER, ANY BRAND

TBSP Olive Oil

4-6 TBSP Pit Boss Champion Chicken Seasoning

Whole Chicken

Grill your chicken upright on the beer can or chicken throne for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes until the internal temperature reads 180°F at the thickest part of the chicken (the breasts, legs, and thighs) and the juices run clear. 

Remove the chicken from the grill, allow to rest 15 minutes, then serve.   

Add mild smoke flavor with this pellet grill whole chicken recipe. It starts with a savory poultry rub, and then aromatics stuffed into the cavity. Roast for 90 minutes in the grill for a juicy and flavorful chicken.

Pellet Grill Whole Chicken Recipe

chicken

extra virgin olive oil, (for coating)

poultry rub

½ white onion,

garlic,

lemon, quartered

thyme

Prepare Grill

Preheat grill to 375 degrees using a fruit wood like cherry or apple. Oak is another good flavor for chicken.

Prepare Chicken

Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Coat with olive oil, and season liberally, including inside the cavity. Stuff the chicken with the onion, garlic, lemon, and thyme. Tuck the wings under the chicken to keep them close to the body.

Grill

Place on the grill and insert a wireless blue tooth thermometer into the thickest part of the breast (if you have one). Continue to grill until the internal temperature of the chicken at it&#039;s thickest part is 160 degrees F. This should take around 90 minutes.

Rest and Serve

Remove from smoker and let stand loosely covered in foil for 15 minutes allowing juices to redistribute. Slice and serve.

Our Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken is first dry brined and seasoned overnight to get the most flavor and crispiest skin possible.We then review step by step how to set up your Pit Boss pellet grill to perfectly smoke this whole chicken to perfection.

Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken

Whole Chickens

Your Favorite BBQ rub

Salt

Tbsp Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper

Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

Tbsp Paprika

½ Tbsp Course Ground Black Pepper

½ Tbsp Chili Powder

½ Tbsp Garlic Powder

Tsp Onion Powder

¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

clean

Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole chickens well with paper towels.

trim

Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the chickens.

Clean the Chicken

place on rack

Place the chickens on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.

Brine

Mix together the 4 Tbsp Kosher salt and 1 Tbsp pepper, or use your favorite BBQ rub, and sprinkle generously over the tops and bottoms of each chicken. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.

Refrigerate

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.

Dry Brine the Chicken Overnight

Wipe

Take the chickens out of the refrigerator and wipe off any excess salt still remaining on the outside with a damp paper towel.

Mix Rub

If you only used Salt and Pepper to Dry Brine, mix the In a Pinch BBQ Rub ingredients together and apply some to all sides of the chickens. Or add a little more of your favorite BBQ rub for chicken

Remove the Next Day

Clean Firepot

Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Pit Boss and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side. Also, wrap the drip tray in aluminum foil to limit cleanup needed later.

Add pellets

Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the &quot;Smoke&quot; setting.

Press Prime

If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the &quot;Prime&quot; button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.

Let Run

Once the Pit boss begins to produce thick white smoke, let it run for about 5-7 minutes until the smoke turns more of a clearish blue color. This means the fire rod has fully heated up to burn the pellets more cleanly.

Preheat

Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 350°F. We will drop this temperature before we start cooking.

Water Pan

Fill an aluminum pan with water pan if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.

Set Temperature

Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 325° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Start the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Place Chicken

Position your seasoned whole chickens on the grates breasts up and the legs pointing to the hotter RIGHT side of the grill.

Insert Probe

Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of one of the breasts, and another one, if you have one, into the middle of one of the thighs.

Close Lid

Close the lid.  Rotate occasionally for even cooking.

Remove

When the internal temperature of the breasts has reached 165°F, and the internal temperature of the thighs hits 175°F, carefully remove the chickens from the Pit Boss.

Smoking the Whole Chicken on the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Rest

Let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute.

Carve

Rest and Carve

Our Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Legs are first dry brined and seasoned overnight to get the most flavor and crispiest skin possible.Then we smoke these chicken drumsticks at medium indirect heat on the Pit Boss pellet grill and finish them with our favorite bbq sauce glaze for chicken.

Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Legs

Chicken Drumsticks

Tbsp Course Ground Black Pepper

¼ Cup Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce

¼ Cup Blues Hog Tennessee Red BBQ Sauce

¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper optional

Remove the chicken drumsticks from their packaging and rinse under cold running water. Pay dry with paper towels.

Place

Place the chicken legs on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.

Mix together the 4 Tbsp Kosher salt and 1 Tbsp pepper, or use your favorite BBQ rub, and sprinkle generously over all sides of each chicken drumstick. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.

Dry Brine Overnight

Take the chicken legs out of the refrigerator and wipe off any excess salt still remaining on the outside with a damp paper towel.

Mix the &quot;In a Pinch&quot; BBQ rub ingredients together and apply some to all sides of the chicken thighs. Or use some more of your favorite BBQ rub for chicken.

Pellets

Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the "Smoke" setting.

Prime

If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.

White Smoke

Liner

Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.

Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 300° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Smoke

Place the chicken legs on the Pit Boss. You can flip and rotate for even cooking as needed. You can even leave them on the wire rack if you wish.

Sauce

Mix the two types of Blues Hog BBQ sauce together in a small bowl, and set aside

Temperature

Continue smoking the chicken legs, until the internal temperature reaches about  160°F internally. This may take 1 to 1.5 hours.

Baste

Once the skin on the chicken legs is crispy, gently baste the sauce on with a basting brush. Close the lid and continue cooking.

Once the internal temperature of the smoked chicken drumsticks reaches 175°F, remove them from the Pit Boss and place on a serving tray

Serve

Serve immediately with extra sauce if desired.

Top 5 pellet grill chicken recipes from across the web

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Champion Beer Can Chicken on the Gr...

Champion Beer Can Chicken on the Gr...

Pellet Grill Whole Chicken Recipe

Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken

Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Legs

Top 5 pellet grill chicken recipes from across the web

The most viewed pellet grill chicken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Champion Beer Can Chicken on the Gr...

Champion Beer Can Chicken on the Gr...

Pellet Grill Whole Chicken Recipe

Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken

Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Legs

The most viewed pellet grill chicken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine