Beer Can Chicken

Chicken on a beer can...how many jokes can you come up with about that one?  Well this is no joke, this grilled chicken is out-of-this-world delicious!

One of my favorite things about summer is the chance to spend a lot of time grilling foods outside.  Food just tastes so much better when it's grilled, and it's an added bonus to not have to heat my kitchen up with the oven.  Plus, there are some things that you just can't make in the oven, like this beer can chicken.

This way of roasting chicken has become a summer tradition for us; I make it at least once every summer.  It's a fun way to cook a chicken.  Plus, it looks pretty unique on the grill!  Oh, and did I mention, it results in the juiciest chicken ever?  I'll often pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store because it's so delicious, but this beer can chicken certainly rivals any rotisserie!

The technique is pretty simple.  Pick out a small chicken, an average 4 pound chicken is great!  Clean it off well and then pat it dry.  Rub it down with salt and pepper or your favorite dry rub.  Then crack open a can of beer.  Take a couple sips (or have your husband do that for you, in my case!).  Then plop the whole chicken down onto the beer can.  Place the chicken on the grill over indirect heat and cook it.  You'll have perfectly golden and crisp skin on the outside, and juicy tender chicken on the inside.

Oh, and you'll end up with this totally strange looking chicken cavity when it's done cooking.  For some reason this picture makes me laugh, so I just had to share it with you too!

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients:
1 small chicken, about 4 pounds
salt
pepper
dry poultry rub
1 can of beer, about 3/4 full

1.  Remove the giblets and neck from the inside of the chicken.  Rinse the chicken well and remove any lingering feathers.

2.  Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.  Rub salt and pepper, or poultry rub all over the chicken.

3.  Carefully place the chicken cavity over the beer can.  Use the legs to balance the chicken upright.

4.  Place the chicken and beer can on a hot grill over indirect heat.  For a gas grill this means turning on the left and right sides, but not the center.  Place the chicken in the center of the grill.  For a charcoal grill this means moving the hot coals to the perimeter of the grill and placing the chicken in the center.

5.  Cover the grill and cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the breast meat temperature is 165 and the thigh meat temperature is 180.

6.  Carefully remove the chicken from the grill.  Using tongs or oven mitts, keep the chicken upright and remove the beer can.  (You don't want to spill beer on the chicken.)  If you have someone to help you with this step, that would be great!

7.  Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.