Get one whiff of this Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken…and you’ll be ready to inhale the whole thing! The chicken is juicy and packed full of flavor from a Jamaican seasoning blend and cooked on top of a can of light beer. It smells heavenly and tastes even better.
This Jamaican chicken recipe is a fun and easy way to prepare a whole chicken. Smoking the jerk chicken keeps it from drying out and adds depth to the flavor. The smoker does all the hard work for you! Since it cooks at the same temperature the whole time, there’s no need to babysit this meal. So go ahead…check off some items on that to-do list. Or open another can of beer and relax. Your choice.
Fair warning: This dish impresses a crowd. If you’re sharing this meal with others, brace yourself for a barrage of compliments.
Why KJ Loves Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken:
This may be one of my favorite smoker recipes – it just makes me do a happy dance every time I make it and eat it! The chicken is loaded full of flavor from the Jamaican Jerk rub, to the beer-can cooking method, and all the way to the smoker infusing it with all sorts of tender, smoky flavor. If you’re looking for the perfect Summer chicken recipe, this is it! Sit back and relax while the smoker does all the hard work for you – then dig into some finger-lickin’ good chicken!
What is Jerk Chicken?
Jerk chicken is a Jamaican dish flavored with jerk seasoning—a blend of allspice and scotch bonnet peppers. Jamaican jerk chicken was traditionally “smoked” by cooking it in covered holes in the ground.
Holy Smoke(r)s!
The Best Smoker…
There are many amazing brands out there, but we tested this recipe on a Pit Boss Smoker and loved it! Traeger is also a popular brand and works just as well.
Pellets
We like to use hickory pellets, for a great, neutral smoke flavor that isn’t too overpowering.
If you don’t have a smoker, check out this recipe for an alternate way of achieving a similar effect.
Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken Ingredient Lineup
Whole chicken
Make sure to remove the neck and giblets. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before seasoning to help it stick. You’ll get a nice, crispy brown skin.
Seasoning blend
A mix of vibrant Jamaican jerk seasoning and seasoned salt brings this recipe to life with an intense and complex flavor. Make homemade Jamaican jerk seasoning or purchase it in stores.
Beer
Use a light beer for this recipe so that it doesn’t overpower the chicken. You can also use a non-alcoholic beer if you’d like.
One Beer Can is Another Chicken’s Throne
This method uses a beer can to prop the chicken up when you smoke it. But there are other ways to achieve this effect. You could get fancy and buy your very own chicken throne for under $20 (you’ll be able to reuse it multiple times).
Buying your chicken a throne seems like a thoughtful gesture—until you tell him where to stick it. This method is, er…slightly impolite. To insert the beer can or throne, you’ll put it right up into the center cavity of the chicken. No way around it.
PS: If you’re using a beer can to hold up the chicken, make sure to use a can of beer vs. a bottle.
Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken Serving Ideas
Barbecue rendezvous.
Serve with your favorite smoker/bbq sides. Try:
The topic is the tropics.
Serve on a bed of Coconut Cilantro Rice topped with grilled pineapple, avocado, and green onion.
Tacos. Delicioso!
A fun, smoky, tropical twist on the classic taco! Top with pineapple salsa/peach salsa, diced red onion, and cotija cheese.
Looking for other Smoker Recipes? Check these out!
Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Get one whiff of this Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken…and you’ll be ready to inhale the whole thing! The chicken is juicy and packed full of flavor from a Jamaican seasoning blend and cooked on top of a can of light beer. It smells heavenly and tastes even better.
This Jamaican chicken recipe is a fun and easy way to prepare a whole chicken. Smoking the jerk chicken keeps it from drying out and adds depth to the flavor. The smoker does all the hard work for you! Since it cooks at the same temperature the whole time, there’s no need to babysit this meal. So go ahead…check off some items on that to-do list. Or open another can of beer and relax. Your choice.
Fair warning: This dish impresses a crowd. If you’re sharing this meal with others, brace yourself for a barrage of compliments.
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken, giblets removed
- 2 tablespoons seasoned salt
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican Jerk seasoning
- 1 can light beer
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the seasoned salt and Jamaican Jerk seasoning. Generously rub down the chicken completely with the seasoning blend.
- Line a baking sheet (one that isn’t your favorite because it’s going on the smoker) with heavy duty aluminum foil. Open the beer can and place it in the middle of the sheet pan. Place the chicken cavity over the top of the beer can and gently press down until the chicken can stand up on it’s own and doesn’t feel like it’s going to tip over. About an inch of the bottom of the beer can is typically showing.
- Place the baking sheet with the beer can chicken on it directly on the smoker. Smoke the chicken for 70-90 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165 degrees. Allow the chicken to cool slightly prior to gently laying it on it’s side and using a pair of tongs to carefully pull out the beer can. It’s ok if the beer can spills, it makes a wonderful sauce to submerge your chicken in once you’ve carved it!
Notes
- If you like to make your own Jamaican Jerk seasoning, go for it! Store-bought is also fine to use as well.
- If you’re using a chicken throne, pour the beer into the chicken throne and then place the cavity of the chicken over the top of throne as you would for the can of beer.
- Non-alcoholic beer can also be used for this recipe.
- I like to use hickory pellets for this chicken, but mesquite works great as well!
- Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Smoked Recipes
- Method: Smoking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 592
- Sugar: 0.1g
- Fat: 22.4g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 87.6g
- Cholesterol: 269mg
Keywords: Smoked Jamaican Jerk Beer Can Chicken
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Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
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Recipe originally posted on May 3, 2019 – updated on July 10, 2022.
Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
What kind of wood chips did you use? I want to try this!
I love to use hickory!
I made this chicken dish for an early dinner. It came out so moist and flavorful! Served it with a fresh corn and avocado salad. Because I made the chicken on the grill on top of a cast iron pan, there were delicious juices in the pan to make a sauce. I’ll be making this again!