Barbeque Beer Can chicken Recipe

This is an adaptation of a fantastic recipe I found earlier this week. As a man, I enjoy a good barbeque; I also enjoy a good beer, now think of the synergy… You can host a barbeque, buy some beers and have this fantastic dish cooking away in the kitchen to present as your table’s centrepiece or if you are a barbeque master, you can grill it on your barbeque whilst your audience looks on in envy!

I have often combined beer, wine and ales into my cooking to give them richer flavours with added depth. The reason being, that if you know your beverages, it is pretty easy to add a splash of your favourite tipple to a dish to improve the flavours quite miraculously. It’s an easy way to get that extra taste, without the extra effort.
So, back to the recipe, to begin you will need to prepare yourself. Ensure you have an apron and tools suitable for the job. Then, select your beer or ale of choice; I will be using a light Innis & Gunn ale. Remember that we are cooking chicken, so a lighter beverage will be better suited. You will then need to empty half the contents of this can in preparation; you can do this in any way that you wish. I prefer to drink mine, but do remember you are operating a very hot appliance. You will then need to stuff this can up the rear end of your freshly prepared chicken.
The chicken will look a bit silly on its new perch, but trust me; it will all be worth it in the end. Whilst the chicken is on the grill or in the oven, the beer/ale will steam the inside of the chicken whilst the heat begins to crisp the skin and its coating. This will give you succulent meat that practically melts off of the bone, much like the lamb kleftiko my mother used to make…
As you can imagine, once the peculiarities of stuffing a beer can in a chicken is over, the rest is pretty simple. We are going to smother the chicken in a mixture of BBQ seasoning and mild honey flavoured BBQ sauce, both of which are available from all good supermarkets. Then we are going to place the can stuffed chicken in the oven.
Let’s begin…You can also roast a chicken this way in the oven. Just place it as directed on an open half-filled can of beer, sitting up, in a roasting dish on the lower rack of your oven. Roast at 350°F (180 degrees Celsius or gas mark 4) until done (about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half for a 4 lb/1.8kg chicken). For an alcohol-free version of this recipe, just fill a similar sized jar halfway with chicken stock and use it instead of the beer. You can also use an open can of baked beans (remove the label) instead of the beer. The chicken juices will run into and flavour the baked beans, which you can then use as a side dish for the chicken.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 4-pound whole chicken
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 opened, half-full can of beer, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp of BBQ seasoning
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• Honey flavoured, mild BBQ sauce to taste

METHOD

1 Prepare your grill for indirect heat. If you are using charcoal, put the coals on one side of the grill, leaving another side free of coals. If you are using a gas grill, fire up only half of the burners.

2 Remove neck and giblets from cavity of chicken, if the chicken came with them. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper, BBQ seasoning and BBQ sauce in a little bowl, then smother all over the chicken.

3 Make sure the beer can is open, and only half-filled with beer (drink the other half!) If you want, you can put a sprig of thyme (or another herb like rosemary or sage) in the beer can. Lower the chicken on to the open can, so that the chicken is sitting upright, with the can in its cavity. Place the chicken on the cool side of the grill, using the legs and beer can as a tripod to support the chicken on the grill and keep it stable.

4 Cover the grill and walk away. Do not even check the chicken for at least an hour. After an hour, check the chicken and refresh the coals if needed (if you are using a charcoal grill). Keep checking the chicken every 15 minutes or so, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F – 170°F or the breast reads 160°F – 165°F. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken, and the internal temperature of the grill. A 4 lb chicken will usually take around 1 1/2 hours. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, a way to tell if the chicken is done is to poke it deeply with a knife (the thigh is a good place to do this), if the juices run clear, not pink, the chicken is done.

5 Carefully transfer the chicken to a tray or pan. I say “carefully” because the beer can, and the beer inside of it, is quite hot. One way to do this is to slide a metal spatula under the bottom of the beer can. Use tongs to hold the top of the chicken. Lift the chicken, beer can still inside, and move it to a tray. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the chicken off of the can. If it gets stuck, lay the chicken on its side, and pull out the can with tongs.

Serves 4.

Original recipe posted courtesy of Elise on Simply Recipes.