We’ve been grilling a few times a week this summer, and we’ve tried some new recipes. I have them all in a pile next to my laptop.
That pile is next to a pile of blog outlines. Even though there’s been no posting, there has been much writing and thinking about where this blog fits into all that. Change is in the air.
Beer Can Chicken
- 1 12 oz can of beer
- 1 chicken (3.5 – 4 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons Basic Barbecue Rub (recipe follows)
1. Pop the tab off the beer can. Using a church-key style can opener, make a few more holes in the top of the can. Pour out half the beer into the soaking water of the wood chips. Set the can of beer aside. (We used an almost 5 pound chicken, so we used a 16 oz can of Miller High Life. It’s the Champagne of Beers, you know.)
2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, and place a large drip pan in the center.
3. Remove the packet of giblets from the body cavity of the chicken; remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the rub inside the body and neck cavities of the chicken. Rub the bird all over on the outside with 2 teaspoons of the rub. If you have the patience, you can put some of the rub under the skin. (We did not have the patience.)
4. Spoon the remaining 2 teaspoons of rub through the holes into the beer in the can. Don’t worry if it foams up: this is normal. Insert the beer can into the body cavity of the chicken and spread the legs out to form a sort of tripod. Tuck the wing tips behind the chicken’s back.
5. When ready to cook, toss all the wood chips on the coals. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through (about 180 degrees F), about 1 1/4 to 1/1/2 hours.
6. Using tongs, carefully remove the chicken from the grill in its upright position on the beer can. Let rest 5 minutes, then carefully remove the chicken from the beer can. Quarter or carve the chicken and serve.
Basic Barbecue Rub
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sweet paprika
- 3 tablespoons black pepper
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon hickory-smoked salt or more coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Your hands work better for mixing than a spoon or a whisk does. Use your fingers to break up any lumps of brown sugar.) Store the rub in an airtight jar away from heat and light; it will keep for at least 6 months.
We didn’t have hickory-smoked salt, so we used 3 tablespoons of sea salt and 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt; and we stored our leftovers in the fridge. It really is a good go-to barbecue rub to use for most grilling.
As usual, this is a Steven Raichlen recipe – this one is from How To Grill.
