Seasoned Beer Can Chicken

By á-165648

From Off the Eaten Path Inspired Recipes for Adventurous Cooks by Bob Blumer

Ingredients

• 1 (4 pound) whole chickens
• 1 (16 ounce) can beer
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dry rub seasonings
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

Step 1

Set up your grill for indirect cooking. On a charcoal grill, this means spreading the coals around the outer edges, but not directly below the food.

On a gas grill the outer burners are lit, but not the middle one. Once the grill is covered (which it should always be for indirect grilling) the circulating heat works like a convection oven, so there is no need to turn the food.

Remove neck and giblets, discard. Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil, then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside.

Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can.

Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its two legs and the can like a tripod. Cook chicken over high indirect heat, with the grill cover on for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165°F in the breast area and 180°F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife.

Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.