After a long and hot summer, our daughter Sarah delivered her third child, our third grandchild, just a couple of weeks ago. While recovering in the hospital, I asked what would taste good to her when she came home. She said she had a craving for all things chicken: roasted, grilled, nuggets, wings! (she does live in Buffalo after all) So a technique that she had never tasted, and I have made a couple of times, was the perfect solution. I decided to make beer can chicken.
Beer can chicken was actually introduced to us a few years ago while visiting Barbara's sister in Denver. Her husband made it for us, and it was delicious. The technique is very simple and adds incredible moistness to a roasted chicken.
The Ingredients:
~4 lb whole chicken - giblets removed and discarded
Any dry rub that you have in your spice rack. I used a turkey seasoning dry rub mixture.
Salt
Pepper
1 can of beer
Wash the chicken thoroughly after you have removed the giblets from the inside cavity. Pat it dry inside and out.
Now sprinkle the dry rub, salt and pepper all over the chicken, inside and outside. Rub it into the skin and cavity.
Now the really important part, open the beer can and take a couple of big gulps of the beer. If you do not like to drink beer, then just dump about half of the can down the drain. Many will consider this a waste of good beer, but what sacrifices you are willing to do for your gourmet meals.
Carefully stand the chicken on the beer can with the legs pointing down. Push the chicken down onto the beer can as far as it will go being careful to not tip over the bird and the beer. In essence you are forming a tripod with the two chicken legs and the can of beer. Make sure it really does stand up and is fairly well balanced. This may require a little leg repositioning.
You can bake this bird at 350 degrees or grill it. I chose to grill it on low heat, which was about 350-375 degrees. Either way, for a four pound chicken it will take about 1 hour 15 minutes. It is done when a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.
Remove from the grill or oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
Now sprinkle the dry rub, salt and pepper all over the chicken, inside and outside. Rub it into the skin and cavity.
Now the really important part, open the beer can and take a couple of big gulps of the beer. If you do not like to drink beer, then just dump about half of the can down the drain. Many will consider this a waste of good beer, but what sacrifices you are willing to do for your gourmet meals.
Carefully stand the chicken on the beer can with the legs pointing down. Push the chicken down onto the beer can as far as it will go being careful to not tip over the bird and the beer. In essence you are forming a tripod with the two chicken legs and the can of beer. Make sure it really does stand up and is fairly well balanced. This may require a little leg repositioning.
You can bake this bird at 350 degrees or grill it. I chose to grill it on low heat, which was about 350-375 degrees. Either way, for a four pound chicken it will take about 1 hour 15 minutes. It is done when a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.
Remove from the grill or oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
We made creamy Orzo with Proscuitto and Asparagus to go with it.
And a big spinach salad.
After it has rested for at least 15 minutes, carve the chicken and serve. This chicken fed four adults and two children with leftovers for the next day. Enjoy this very easy technique for preparing moist and flavorful chicken.
---Tom
---Tom
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