Beer Can Chicken Recipes
Beer Butt Chicken Recipe
Here's an ingenious way to bbq chicken - with a beer can. Beer Can Chicken Recipes have gained enormous popularity. They are also called Beer Butt Chicken Recipes.
I think it's the novelty of the cooking method and of course that it produces the most delicious and succulent chicken.
The reason it works as a cooking method is because there is a good source of liquid to keep the chicken meat moist as it cooks.
Beer-Butt Chicken is also a great conversation point for a dinner party. I went to a get-together at a friend's house and I didn't know many people there. I found myself in that awkward situation of having to make small-talk with a stranger.
Thankfully my friend was cooking the chicken with this beer can method so it was a great conversation starter. Then of course it got me talking about my recipe website and from there it was easy for a shy person like me to feel more at ease.
If you've never made beer can chicken before, master this basic procedure and then experiment from there. The basic Beer Can Chicken Recipe is simply a beer can with some beer in it and a whole chicken. From there on it's up to you how creative you get with meat rubs, seasonings and cooking accessories.
Why do chicken and beer work so well? It's the yeast and malt found in beer that reacts with the skin of the chicken, making it thin and crispy while the meat remains juicy.
Basic Beer Can Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chicken spice rub (your favourite)
- 1 can beer(not a light beer)
How To Cook Beer Can Chicken
The basic process is to remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard or keep them for whatever other uses you might have for them. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with absorbant paper towels.
Rub the chicken lightly with oil then season inside and out with salt, pepper and dry meat rub.
Open the beer can and pour out about half the liquid. Make some additional holes in the top of the can. Stand the beer can on a solid surface. Place the chicken cavity over the beer can. Hold the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom, and lower it onto the beer can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the chicken stands upright.
The beer can will act as the rear leg of the tripod. Transfer the chicken-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.
You can roast beer-in-the-rear chicken in the oven, on a charcoal grill or gas grill. A kettle style grill works really well too. Just make sure your chicken fits standing up in the grill with the lid on.
To roast Beer Butt Chicken in the oven:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roast about 2 hours until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear when the bird is poked with the tip of a knife. Allow the finished bird to rest before carving.
To cook Beer Can Chicken in the Grill:
Grill over Indirect Medium heat until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 170°F in the breast and 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours.
Always put something under the chicken like foil or a baking dish to catch the drippings. Take care when removing the cooked chicken from the oven or grill. If you spill the beer from the can it will be hot.
I hope you enjoy your beer can chicken cooking. There are various beer can chicken kits available and now even special cooking devices that do away with the need for the can. It seems that some folks got a bit worried about the effects of the alluminuim can and the heated paint.
Whatever method you choose, Beer Can Chicken Recipes produce great chicken and conversation.
Crock Pot Cider Chicken is something different to try.
Southern BBQ Chicken Recipe
Roast Chicken Recipes
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