09 Jul Summer Grilling: Craft Beer Can Chicken Recipe
By Charlie Sasse
One of my favorite things in the world is cooking, and I am pretty good at it. Something I started doing a few years ago was incorporating beer into my food prep. In the winter I love making a stew with big stouts, porters, and Scottish ales. However, in the summer I like making Ceviche with lighter beers like a Kolsch (Flat 12’s Cucumber Kolsch is a new favorite for this), Hefeweizen, or something similar. I typically don’t drink these styles, with a few exceptions, but they work great in Ceviche!
One of my favorite meals in the summer is beer can chicken. There’s nothing better than firing up the grill, throwing on a veggie boat, and roasting a whole chicken with a delicious can of beer shoved up the chicken’s can! For most dishes, I recommend using something from the back of your beer fridge that has been there for a while. We all have a floating can or bottle we picked up one day a few months ago and forgot about because it was pushed to the back by beer from our last five stops. For beer can chicken though I recommend using something you enjoy drinking. If you use an IPA, use a fresh IPA. The floral aroma makes for a delicious chicken. Below is my current favorite Beer Can Chicken recipe.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons of Ancho chili powder (any chili powder works, I prefer Ancho)
2 tablespoons of sweet paprika (standard paprika is fine in this, I prefer the sweet)
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt (I use smoked sea salt from Goose the Market)
1 teaspoon of dry rosemary
1 teaspoon of dry oregano
½ teaspoon of black pepper
½ can of beer (I prefer a good IPA or Stout.)*
1 whole chicken
Prep and Cooking Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the grill to 375-385°F.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients together (except the rosemary and oregano).
Step 3: Pour half of the beer into proper glassware and begin drinking. Place the can in the center of a plate and add the oregano and rosemary to the beer can.
Step 4: Clean the chicken and throw away the neck and organs. If you are like me and do not like throwing away parts of the chicken, but also don’t want to eat them, cook them all the way through and allow to cool. Once cool give your big (or little) sweet puppies a delicious treat! The kisses that follow smell like liver, but well worth it!
Step 5: Slowly slide your can into the chicken’s can (between the legs) and keep everything upright. If it does fall, don’t sweat it. Just make sure the mouth of the can is on the breast side, and the breast side is up.
Step 6: Rub the entire chicken (including under the wings and between the legs) with the dry mix of ingredients.
Step 7: Place the chicken, standing on the can, on the preheated grill. If the chicken doesn’t stand, see Step 5.
Step 8: Close the grill and cook the chicken until done. This should be roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 175°F at the thickest part of the thigh (the chicken will continue to cook when removed from the heat).
Step 9: Remove the chicken and toss the beer can once the thigh is 175°F.
Step 10: Cover the chicken with foil and let rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
*If the beer you want to use does not come in a can, open a can of another beer and pour it into a proper glass. Drink said beer and pour the one you want to use in the empty can. This is not Rocket Surgery, it is ok to mix things up and make them your own.
Keep drinking (or eating) great beer and talking about it; I know I will!
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