Beer Can Chicken Question

[Tom Schwartz]

Hi everyone,

Doing my first beer can chicken and I am trying it on the Bullet. My problem is that the breast meat is done (161*) but the thighs are no where near what they should be (145*). Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[K Kruger]

In that situation I usually remove the bird, cut the breast off (with the bone) and return the leg/thighs to the cooker to finish.

Was the bird straight out of the fridge when you started?

 

[Bryan S]

About the only thing you can do at this point is cut the leg quarters off and cook them till they are done. Are you sure you checked in the thickest part of the breast and deep enough but not quite touching the bone?

 

[Tom Schwartz]

Got it done. I just left it in a little longer and rechecked the thermometer positioning. Everything checked out ok so the chicken came off. I thought it tasted great but the wife was REALLY impressed (and sometimes that is what counts the most!) Thanks for the suggestion and help everyone!

 

[Alan D]

I had this exact problem a couple weeks ago, with my first smoke in the WSM, also a chicken...I wasn't sure if that meant I didn't cook it at a high enough temp or not, I had it set for 225-240 I think. It's possible it needs more heat, IMO.

We ended up cooking the rest of the thigh meat with other dishes we made with it, but the next time I would rather be suckin' on a dry breast than a wet thigh...

I don't like chicken that hasn't been cooked. I like all the meat to pull off the bone easily, if not it wasn't cooked enough in *most* cases, for my taste.