Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but beer can chicken is a-mazing.
I had been hearing about beer can chicken for years, but it wasn’t until I saw a beer can chicken stand on clearance that I decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad I did!
It ended up being everything I heard it would be and more. The outside was crispy golden-y goodness and the inside was beyond juicy with a rich, flavorful taste. Not only that, it was a snap to prepare and pretty healthy since the fat drips away from the chicken as it cooks. And short of stuffing it with poutine, it really is the most Canadian way to cook chicken.
Feel free to season it as you would a regular roast chicken, or try this:
Beer Can Chicken? Sweet!
Special equipment
Beer can chicken stand (available at most hardware stores and the like)
Square tinfoil pan
Barbecue
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cleaned and dried
¼ cup room temperature salted butter
½ cup brown sugar
zest from 1 orange
1 can of beer (taller cans work better as they are easier to remove at the end)
Directions
1. Preheat barbecue to medium-high and then turn off all but one burner; this chicken cooks using indirect heat.
2. Mix the butter, sugar, and orange rind together until smooth.
3. Rub the butter mixture all over the chicken, including in between the skin and the meat; cover and put in the fridge for for 20 min – 2 hours.
4. Empty out half of the beer and place in the stand.
5. Ever so gently, lower the chicken onto the beer can.
6. Put the tinfoil pan onto the side of the grill that is off and then place the chicken into it.
7. Close the lid and let cook for 1-1½ hours or until cooked through, rotating it after about 40 minutes to ensure it is evenly brown.
8. Without ripping the skin or spilling the beer, carefully remove the beer can from the chicken’s butt. (you may need two sets of hands for this…I did)
9. Let rest for about 5-10 minutes, and then serve.
