I have always wanted to make a grilled beer can chicken recipe. I love to grill but have failed miserably at grilling whole birds. Thanksgiving, 2008 is a case in point. I followed the prep directions for a grilled turkey to the tee. After the coals were hot and arranged in a perfect circle around the perimeter of my Weber grill, I placed the seasoned turkey, in its roasting pan, on the grill and put the cover on. Well, I tried to put the cover on. Alas, I had not checked to see if it would actually fit over my 14 lb bird. I then removed the grill and nestled the turkey down into the coals. Things went from bad to worse very quickly. The turkey was not cooking evenly, and I had to keep adding coals. To add insult to injury, I had run out of my hardwood charcoal and only had the chemical laden, toss a match at the bag coals, as a backup = yuck. The turkey just smoked in a sea of carcinogens. I eventually moved the turkey inside to a hot oven, not realizing the roasting pan had a few holes from the hot coals. My kitchen became a smoke filled mess from the fat dripping into the bottom of my oven. Actually, the entire house was filled with smoke. The bird was not really edible, in my opinion. Though, my family was polite and ate what tasted like a lighter fluid enhanced campfire.
I suppose everyone has a mishap with cooking whole foul at least once in their lifetimes. I was determined not to mess up my first try at grilled beer can chicken. I brought my chicken to room temperature, as well as the can of beer and then checked to see if the cover would fit. Voila, I was ready to start the coals and then clean and season my bird. Not so fast……I was out of charcoal. Much to my surprise, I actually felt a sigh of relief coming over me. I could just abandon this plan and roast the chicken in an oven like normal people do. But wait, could I do that and still use the beer can? I decided to try it. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was very moist with a crispy skin. It turned out so well and was so easy that I am sharing my recipe.
I recommend using a good quality free range, preferably organic, chicken that has less fat and more muscle. I like pistou as the seasoning rub, as it is very fresh tasting. Pistou is the French version of pesto. When I was in Provence, pistou was served alongside bowls of soup or with vegetables for extra flavor. It is also slathered on baguettes, instead of butter. It is basically a combination of fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, salt and sometimes parmesan cheese. I find it to be really wonderful as a poultry seasoning. You can use any variety of herbs for your own pistou.
• Take out the top rack of the oven so that the bird has enough room to sit upright on the lower rack. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove the giblets from the chicken. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
• In a food processor or mini chopper, chop the garlic cloves. Add the herbs and chop again. Add the olive oil a tablespoon at a time and chop until blended well, almost like a soft paste. Add the lemon, salt and pepper and give it one last chop.
• Rub the inside of the chicken with the pistou mixture. Reserve half some for the outside.
• Open the beer and pour out 1/4 of the can. Remove the flip top ring. With a pointed can opener, make two more holes in the top of the can. Place the chicken carefully on top of the beer can. The legs should be down like it is standing up to walk, or run away from you.
• Rub the remaining pistou all over the outside of the chicken.
• I recommend placing a wire rack in the bottom of a roasting pan to hold the legs of the bird in place. I use a cake cooling rack. Carefully place the “canned” chicken on the rack in the pan, wedging the tips of the drumsticks into the rack to help hold it in place.
• Using your best balancing skills, or enlisting the help of a friend, place the chicken in the oven, set the timer for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh meat registers ok for poultry. Go read or book or take a nap. You don’t need to do any basting. The steaming beer will take care of that.
• After removing the chicken from the oven, let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Fifteen is even better. Remove the can (it will be hot) with oven mitts or tongs. Place the chicken on a cutting board and you are ready to carve and serve.
