Beer Can Chicken

Two beer can chickens after carving

So this is a meal for you beer lovers out there. This recipe is fairly basic, but takes a lot of time. The only trick is finding the right beer for the job. You'll also need a big barbecue with a high lid. As the chicken cooks, the beer will steam and will be absorbed by the chicken. This allows for super moist chicken. This was part of my 19th Birthday dinner, and I got lots of positive feed back from it.

1 whole chicken
1 can of beer
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Dry Rub

1. If your chicken comes with extra goodies (neck, liver etc.) remove them and do what you want with em (these come in handy as a special treat for your cat or dog). Wash your chicken inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a small bowl mix 1 part olive oil with 1 part lemon juice (I think one Tbsp of each should do the trick), and lightly rub it over the entire outside of your chicken. Make sure to only put a small layer of this; too much and it will mix with your dry rub to form a paste and it won't stick to your chicken.
3. Generously season and rub with my "Standard Dry Rub" with your index and middle finger joined together. If you put too much of the olive-oil-lemon-juice mixture on the chicken then the dry rub will mix with it and form a paste, and it won't stick to the chicken as nicely. The best you can do in this scenario is to mush the "paste" to flatten it as much as possible to coat the chicken.
4. Seal in a tight bag and refrigerate and allow the seasoning to sink in and penetrate the meat. I'd say the best timing for this is about 2 hours - any less and the meat won't be as flavoured, and any more and the salt will dehydrate the meat and it won't be as moist.
5. Now comes the beer. Choosing the right beer can be tough. The last beer I used for this was Okanagan Spring Pale Ale, and it worked fairly well. When heated, the alcohol content in the beer will evaporate, but everything else will be absorbed by the chicken. This is why you want to use a beer that is filled with lots of flavour (lots of hops and strong malts used in the making of the beer). Usually this flavour can be found in the colour of the beer - the darker the beer, the more flavour will probably be in it. Usually these beers are quite bitter as well (sweet beers are not ideal for this recipe, as there is enough sweetness in the rub). I would suggest ales and porters and stouts; do NOT  use a lager - they are too light in colour, flavour and are usually quite sweet.
6. Once you've chosen a beer that you're satisfied with, pour half of it into a glass. Gulp down that beer, have another whole one for good luck, then light only half of your barbecue, put the lid down and let it heat up. Lower the flame down to minimum.



Two hens on the can

7. Grab your chicken, a leg in each hand and lower it onto the beer can so that the beer can slides into the chicken. Cover the unlit part of your barbecue with aluminum foil and place the chicken standing upright on the aluminum, the can and two legs acting like a tripod to hold itself up. The reason for cooking the chicken upon the unlit part of your barbecue is for indirect heat. If the chicken is over top a flame (direct heat), it will be too hot, and the outside of the chicken will be burned while the inside remains raw.
8. Cook for 1hr 15min to 1hr 30min or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F in the breast, and 180 degrees F in the thigh (reference: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-surreal-gourmet/beer-can-chicken-recipe/index.html).
9. Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes and let the juices accumulate. Carve. Eat. Enjoy.