Beer Can Chicken

My BF is a grill master :) And ever since he got his grill back, he has been showing me the wonders of grilling. It makes me wish that I could fit a grill in my apartment, although I have to admit, the thought of starting the grill makes me nervous! Plus since I don't have a balcony I am sure having a grill in the apartment breaks about a million fire code laws.

Anyways, my BF has been talking about making beer can chicken for a while now so over labor day weekend, we finally decided to make it happen.

We took the beer can recipe from his beer can chicken cook book. Yes, there is a book (and actually more than one!) that is soley dedicated to beer can chicken recipes. I was amazed when I learned there are many different variations of beer can chicken! (There is one for a Indian tandoori beer can chicken that made my mouth start to salivate as I read over the recipe....)

As this was our first time, we used the original beer can chicken recipe which required the following rub:

1/4 cup sweet paprika (we used regular since we didn't find any sweet paprika
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt (we used regular salt as we did not have kosher salt)
2 TBSP black pepper

We bought 5 lb chicken for this. Rinsed the chicken in cold water and patted it dry. (Don't forget to take out the package of giblets and etc in the chicken!) We
sprinkled one tsp of rub inside the chicken cavity and 1/2 tsp of rub in the neck cavity. We drizzled oil over the chicken, brushed the oil to ensure it covered the whole chicken. Then we massaged 2 TBSP of rub onto the chicken. The recipe tells you to also pour 1 1/2 tsp of the rub into the beer. (Expect it to foam up, it's like a science experiment!) Then I just let my BF take over from there, he has a whole beer can chicken kit for his weber grill!



The chimney starter thingy for getting the coals hot! (Obviously, I am not a grill master since I am calling it a thingy)




My BF also has these side panel things for the hot coals. He said it is so the chicken does not cook under direct heat which would cause the chicken to burn. Also notice that the chicken has been situated over a round pan - instead of using a beer can for this, my BF has a special beer can chicken pan where there is an open cavity for the beer and the chicken is placed on top of this.A meat thermometer is key for this, and if you are planning on cooking roasts, tenderloins, or chickens, etc, it is a worthy and much needed investment!

The star of the show - our cooked chicken! We took it out when the thermometer read 180, but I suggest taking the chicken out when the thermometer reads 160 - that is the best temp for roasted chicken making the meat very juicy and tender :)


I found the beer can chicken recipe online if you would like the recipe in full detail!

http://www.barbecuebible.com/featured/recipe/basic_beercan_c.php