Beer Can Chicken!

Happy Saturday! This recipe is perfect for the weekend!

One of my ‘Uncles’ (meaning a family friend who would give me money on birthdays) when I was growing up, would make this every chance he got on the grill. I live in an apartment and don’t have a way to use a grill, so I improvised. I still love it on the grill, but it’s delicious baked also!

You Will Need;
-1/4 cup garlic powder
-2 tablespoons seasoned salt
-2 tablespoons onion powder
-1 tablespoon Cayenne powder (optional)
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
-2 (12 fluid ounce) can light-flavored beer (such as Bud Light)
-1 (3 pound) whole chicken
-4 green onions, sliced + 4 green onions, cut in half crosswise

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Mix the garlic powder, seasoned salt, onion powder, Cayenne, salt, and ground black pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Pour 1/3 of one can of beer into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the open beer can in the center of the baking dish.

Rinse chicken under cold running water. Discard giblets and neck from chicken; drain and pat dry. Fit whole chicken over the open beer can with the legs on the bottom. With the breast of the chicken facing you, use a paring knife to cut a small slit on each side and press the tip of each wing into the slit to encourage even cooking.

Rub the prepared seasoning mixture over the entire chicken. Pat the sliced green onions around the whole chicken evenly. Some will fall into the beer, that’s fine. Press the halved green onions into the top cavity of the chicken. Open the remaining beer and pour 1/2 of it into the pan under then chicken. Reserve the remaining beer.

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven. After 45 minutes, pour remaining beer into the pan under the chicken. Continue baking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 additional minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven and discard the beer can.

Cover the chicken with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

This is the Grill version
Time: 1 3/4 hours

You will need;
-2 cups hickory or oak chips, soaked in beer or water to cover for 1 hour and then drained
-2 12-ounce cans beer
-rub from above
-2 3 1/2- to 4-pound chickens, fat removed, washed and blotted dry.

1. Place wood chips in bowl. Pop tab of each beer can, and make 2 additional holes in each top, using a church-key opener. Pour half the beer from each can over the chips. Add additional beer or water to cover chips, soak them for 1 hour, and drain.

2. Set up grill for indirect grilling.

3. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon barbecue rub in neck cavity and 2 teaspoons in main cavity of each chicken. Add 1 tablespoon rub to each open, half-full can of beer. (Don’t worry if it foams up.) Season outside of each bird with 2 tablespoons rub.

4. Stand beer cans on work surface. Holding each chicken upright, lower it over can so that can goes into main cavity. Pull chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod: the chicken should sit upright over can. Carefully transfer chickens to grill in this position, placing them in center over drip pan, away from heat.

5. If using charcoal, toss half the wood chips on each mound of coals. If using gas, place chips in smoker box. Barbecue chickens until nicely browned and cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours, keeping temperature about 350 degrees. (If using charcoal, replenish coals as needed.) The internal temperature of the birds (taken in thickest part of thigh) should be at least 165 degrees.

6. Carefully transfer birds to platter in same position. To carve, lift bird off can, and discard can.

Hope you enjoy!!!

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