Fool-Proof Chicken – Beer Can Chicken

By Jim Rakshys on Jan 23, 2012 in Chicken, Featured

Believe it or not, chicken is one of the harder meats to grill. Why, you ask? Because it will dry out if not done properly. That is one of the beautiful things about this recipe….as long as you don’t leave it on way too long, you’ll have a moist delicious chicken, with crispy golden-brown skin. What more can you ask for? This method works equally well on gas and charcoal, provided you can cook indirectly. Another nice thing about cooking chicken in this way is that, being you’re standing the birds up on a can, you can fit more on your grill. So toss a few on for that Superbowl party!

Time:

Prep: about 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 90 minutes

Cooking Method and Temp:

Indirect cooking
Medium: about 325 degrees

Ingredients:

1 Chicken – about 4 pounds
About 5 tablespoons of your favorite rub, seasoned salt, old bay…..you get the point
1 stick of butter
1 can of your favorite beer
Optional: wood chunks or chips (I prefer a hickory or mesquite for chicken); chunks soaked and loose for charcoal, and chips soaked placed in a foil pack for gas
Optional: Beer can holder (check out the video)
Optional: Meat injector (check out the video)

Preparation:

Drink half of the can of beer (this is the best part!)
Set-up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to about 325 degrees
Optional: Add your foil pack or wood chunks
Rinse the chicken and remove any of the stuff inside the bird
Pat the chicken dry
Rub your chicken with 3 tablespoons of the rub thoroughly
Use one tablespoon of the rub on the inside of the bird
Melt the butter and then add the last tablespoon of the rub to the melted butter
OPTIONAL: Inject about 1/2 of the butter mixture into the breasts and legs
OPTIONAL: Put the 1/2 empty beer can in the holder and the chicken over the can

Note: If you don’t have a beer can holder, you’ll have to balance the chicken on the can on the grill, which can be a little tricky.

Place the chicken, which is mounted on the can, on the grate over the portion of your grill that doesn’t have the burner on, or where you don’t have charcoal. You may want to place a disposable aluminum tray under the bird to catch the drippings which makes clean-up easier.
Baste the bird with the melted butter mixture and baste again every 30 minutes.
The bird is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees in the breast and 175 degrees in the thigh. Make sure your thermometer isn’t hitting bone as you won’t get an accurate reading.