Beer Can Chicken

On Friday, got to work on making our first ever Beer Can Chicken.  The recipe is from the Detroit Free Press paper that Marcin's mom gave us last week. 

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chickens, about 4 pounds each (We used one 6 pound chicken)
• 6 to 8 tablespoons favorite dry barbecue rub or seasoning (see note), divided (Marcin used a hungarian spice mixture that we got from his parents)
• 2 cans (12 ounces each) beer (We used Labatt Blue)

Directions:

 

Step #1

Discard the giblets and fat inside each chicken's cavity. Blot the chickens dry with paper towel. 

 

Step #2
Sprinkle each cavity with 1 tablespoon of the rub. Generously rub another 2 to 3 tablespoons all over the skin of the entire chickens. If desired, rub an additional 1/2 tablespoon under the skin of each chicken.

 

Marcin already had the chicken prepped by the time I came home from work.

Step #3

Prepare the grill for indirect grilling. For charcoal grills, bank coals on separate sides of the grill and light. Coals are ready when covered with a light gray coating of ash. For gas grills, preheat all burners on medium-high and then shut the middle off if you have three burners or the right or left if you have two. For either grill, place a drip pan in the center just below where the chicken will be placed. Pour some water (or beer if you like) in the drip pan.

Step #4

Open the beer can. Pour out the top inch or so of each beer can. 

Or in Marcin's case, drink an inch off the top!

Step #5

Poke six or seven holes in the top of the can. put 1 tablespoon dry rub into each.

 

Step #6
Holding the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity down, insert the chicken on top of the beer can. Repeat with other chicken.

It was actually quite easy to do!

 

 

 

Step #7
When ready to cook, oil the grate. Stand the chickens up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan. Spread out the legs to support each chicken.

 

Step #8

Cover the grill and cook until the chickens are tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on the size. If using charcoal, you may need to add more fresh coals per side after 1 hour of cooking. The chickens are done when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees.

 

 

Carefully lift each chicken to a cutting board or platter, holding a large metal spatula under the beer can. Be careful not to spill the hot beer. Let stand for 5 minutes; remove from the can before carving the meat.

Isn't that a beautiful thing!

Verdict:  While this was a long process (an hour and half to grill), the chicken came out tender and juicy.  The flavoring was mostly on the skin, but it was nice to bite into juicy pieces of chicken.  I'm typically not a fan of chicken breast, but I have to say that pieces from this chicken breast was moist and delicious. 

I even had some two days later and added it to a pasta dish.  The chicken breast reheated nicely and still retained the moist texture.

We are thinking of doing this again, this time in the oven.