Beer can chicken is a chicken cooked slowly on
a barbecue standing up perched over a can of beer. While this sounds like some bizarre hillbilly
cooking experiment, this is actually a very sound culinary technique that
actually roasts better than in an oven.
The first reason is that this allows the bird to be cooked standing up,
so all sides receive the same amount of heat, assuring even cooking. And the can of beer performs an absolutely
critical role; providing a constant source of moisture inside the chicken
throughout the cooking process. So this
avoids the ever-present problem of dry breast meat, which I addressed in that
earlier post. And finally, cooking
chicken on a barbecue will provide some smoke flavour to the chicken. Like in my previous roast chicken post, this
technique will also work with other birds, however your barbecue will need
enough clearance underneath the lid to be able to cook larger birds.
1 medium chicken, about 1.7 kilos
smoked paprika
paprika
granulated garlic
salt
pepper
cayenne
olive oil
1 can dark beer
Set up your barbecue for indirect cooking. This procedure will vary depending on what
type of grill you are using. When I
posted about BBQ brisket I described how this is done for a charcoal grill and
suggested that a gas grill might be more troublesome. For this application, a gas grill will work
just as well and the set up would be easier.
Since the cooking time is shorter you shouldn’t need to worry about
running out of gas and a gas grill has the added benefit of being easier to
control the amount and location of heat.
For a charcoal grill, set up coals on the outsides of the grill and
place a drip pan in the centre, underneath where the chickens will sit. You will most likely not need to add another
batch of coals as they should last to some degree for the entire cooking time
needed. But you should still keep an eye
on things because conditions can always vary when using charcoal. On a gas grill, put a drip pan under where the
chicken will go, and do not light that section of the grill. Usually you will only need to turn on one
section of the grill to generate sufficient heat (though this may vary
depending on your specific grill). On a
gas grill, remember that there are often small racks above the main cooking
surface - these will need to be removed.
Combine the spices to make the rub. Again, I am not really giving you any
proportions, but paprika should make up a large component. Lightly coat the chicken with olive oil, then
coat with most of the rub, leaving about a teaspoon aside. Massage the rub into the chicken on all sides
and some inside the cavity. Then take
the dark beer (in most cases, darker beers are better for cooking as they have
a lot more flavour to impart) and empty half the can (what you do with that
half is up to you!) Then add the
reserved teaspoon of the rub to the half-full beer can. It will foam up a bit but that’s OK, it will
subside. Then, when the coals are ready,
add a foil-wrapped packet of soaked wood chips (on a charcoal grill, split the
wood chips into two packets and add one to each side) and prepare the grill for
cooking. Then insert the beer can into
the cavity of the bird and stand it up on the grill over the drip pan. You will need to push the legs forward so the
two legs and the base of the can form a tripod that will allow the chicken to remain
upright. Then close the lid and leave it
alone for about 1hour and 15 minutes.
For a chicken of the size called for, this should be enough time to cook
the bird through. Carefully remove the
chicken to a platter, still standing up, tent with foil and all the chicken to
rest for about 10 minutes. Then, using
tongs, remove the can. The liquid that
remains in the can makes a nice gravy for this dish, though it may be a little
thin for some tastes. Carve the chicken
(check my roast chicken post for instructions) and serve with a side dish of
your choice and the gravy.
 |
