Beer Can Chicken Ala Brenda

I’d been wanting to make beer can chicken and I was unable to find where I had posted about it on my blog so I went in search of a recipe.  I found one I liked on Brenda’s “A Farmgirl’sDabbles” blog that got my attention with two statements - “This easy beer can chicken recipe guarantees moist, fall-off-the-bone meat and crispy, ultra flavorful skin” and “WE’VE PERFECTED THE BEER CAN CHICKEN.”  Here is a pic from her blog which I suggest you pay a visit to for more pics and comments.

I made the recipe as written except I put a little of the spice under the skin and omitted the cracked black pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

1 opened, half-full can of beer at room temperature (Larry used Dos XX)

1  5-pound whole chicken, neck and giblets removed

2 T. canola oil

1 T. cumin

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. kosher salt, plus a bit more sprinkling over entire chicken

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

just-cracked, coursely-ground black pepper (Larry omitted)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat gas grill to medium-high heat, with all burners lit.

2. With paper towels, pat chicken as dry as you can. I even go so far as to somewhat squeeze around the legs and wings with the paper towel.

3. In a small bowl, combine oil, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, paprika, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper. Rub it all over the chicken and inside the chicken cavity. Use every last bit.

4. Place half-full beer can into can attachment of beer can chicken holder. Lower the chicken onto the open can, so the chicken is sitting upright, with the can in its cavity. Then tilt the chicken a bit to the side, and sprinkle chicken all over with a bit more kosher salt and a generous sprinkling of just-cracked, coarsely ground black pepper. It works best to have someone tilting and rotating the chicken as you add this final sprinkle of flavor and texture.

5. Turn off one grill burner and place chicken over this area, for indirect cooking. Reduce heat to medium and maintain a temperature of 325° to 350° F. Shut the lid and walk away. 6. Let cook, without opening the grill lid, for at least 45 minutes. Let cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes total before inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh. Without touching bone, the thermometer should read 165° F (Larry used a remote probe thermometer and cooked the thickest part of the breast to 160F). For every single 5-pound chicken we have grilled, this takes 1 hour and 15 minutes - but grills and temperatures vary, so just keep an eye on the temperature. Now turn heat up to high and let cook for 10 minutes longer, to amp up the crispiness of the skin. Every chicken we have grilled this way has turned out ultra juicy and moist, so we've let go of worrying about a dry chicken - we are more interested in producing a crackly, crisp skin at this point. 

6. With grilling gloves or a heavy-duty set of oven mitts, carefully transfer chicken on the chicken holder to a rimmed pan and let rest 10 minutes. 

7. Then carefully lift chicken off the beer can, gently wiggling the chicken back and forth if it sticks. Cut chicken into pieces with a meat knife and serve immediately.

Bev and I thought it was good but not “perfect” – it was nice and moist and along with the mashed potatoes made for a very nice meal.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/4/19 event date