I wanted to try out the beer can chicken that I've heard so much about, but there's no way a whole chicken will fit standing up in my little Smokey Joe. A game hen on an 8-oz. beer can fits perfectly, though. I banked 15 hot coals on each side of the charcoal grate and put a drip pan in the center. I put the lid on Joe and closed the bottom vents two-thirds of the way, then stuck a candy thermometer in one of the top vents. After about 15 minutes the temperature in the kettle was 300 degrees, so I set the bird in the drip pan. It cooked for an hour and fifteen minutes, with the temp between 300 and 350 the whole time. There was no need to to add more coals. The bird came out great: nice and brown on the outside, moist and tender on the inside.