Beer Can Chicken

One of the few things that I did do over the long weekend was barbecue my first Beer Can Chicken. I had been wanting to try this since I first heard about it years ago. My wife had picked up on my interest in it and bought me a Beer Can Chicken Roaster for Christmas. Its a little handier then shoving a beer can up the chicken's butt and propping it up on the grill since it comes with a stand and drip tray. It also has a stainless steel "can" so you don't have to use a real beer can which also allows you to use whatever liquid you want.

The first thing you need to do is mix up a dry rub using your favourite seasonings. I mixed up a Southwestern spicy one, rubbed down the chicken inside and out (don't forget to get under the skin) and let sit in the fridge for about 8 hours. I then filled the "can" about 2/3 full with Independence Austin Amber and added some of the remaining rub. I also put a large aluminum pan under the grate on the grill and filled it with beer and spices to add even more moisture and flavours while the chicken was cooking. The chicken was placed over indirect heat and the internal temperature of the grill was kept at about 300F. I let it cook for about 1.5 hours which was probably a little too long as the breast meat was not as juicy as I hoped it would be. However, the flavour was fantastic and the skin was crispy and spicy. I'll definitely try this again and experiment with some different rubs and cooking temperatures and times.

In my excitement to actually try it once it was done, I forgot to take a picture of the cooked bird. However, here's the spice rub that I made in case you need some inspiration:

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground oregano
2 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon salt