Recipes

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients

2 tsps salt

2 tsps packed brown sugar

2 tsps paprika

1 tsp dry mustard

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 12-ounce can beer

1 3 ½ to 4 lb whole broiler-fryer chicken

2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened

1 lemon quarter

Directions

For rub, in a small bowl, combine salt, brown sugar, paprika, dry mustard, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder.  Discard about half of the beer from the can. Add 1 tsp of the rub to the half-empty can (beer will foam up).  Remove neck and giblets from chicken. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the rub inside the body cavity.  Rub the outside of the chicken with butter and sprinkle with the remaining rub.  Hold the chicken upright with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom and lower in onto the beer can so that can fits into the cavity.  Pull the chicken legs forward so the bird rest on its legs and the can.  Twist wing tips behind back.  Stuff the lemon quarter in the neck cavity to seal in steam.

For a charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan.  Test for medium heat above pan.  Stand chicken upright on grill rack over drip pan.  Cover and grill for 1 ¼ to  1 ¾ hours or until chicken is no longer pink.  (180 degrees in thigh muscle).  If necessary, tent chicken with foil to prevent over-browning.  (For a gas grill, preheat grill.  Reduce heat to medium.  Adjust for indirect cooking.  If necessary, remove upper grill rack so chicken will stand upright.  Grill as above.)  Holding chicken by the can, carefully remove it from grill.  Cover with foil; let stand for 10 minutes. To pull the can from the chicken, use a hot pad to grasp the can and heavy tongs to grasp the chicken.