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Beer Can Chicken Recipe
What kind of chicken can you cook on the grill that is delicious and moist? Beer can chicken! This recipe for beer can chicken will teach you how to make this juicy, flavourful dish. But isn’t this just a fad?? I compared 2 chickens side by side, one as a beer can chicken recipe and the other a simple roast chicken on the grill.
What is beer can chicken?
Beer can chicken is a dish where you place whole pieces of bone-in, skin-on chicken on an open beer can and then cook it in the oven or BBQ. The liquid from the beer steams inside the cavity of the bird and creates moist meat that has delicious flavour because it absorbs some of this flavoursome liquid during cooking.
What type of beer for beer can chicken?
The lighter the beer, the better. I recommend a light lager for this recipe. In this recipe I used a light IPA called Love Hate.
Beer can chicken is delicious and moist no matter what type of beer you use! But because it cooks on an open can of beer, some people question whether or not cooking with alcohol will have any effect on your food’s taste. In my side-by-side comparison test, there was very little difference in aroma between the two chickens – one roasted over beers (beer can chicken) and one that did not contain any alcoholic beverage at all (simple roast chicken). The fair winners were both juicy and tasty so go ahead and try out these recipes to see if you notice a difference for yourself!
What can I use instead of beer for beer can chicken?
Many people are concerned with the alcohol content of beer can chicken and worry that it will affect the flavor for some reason. Luckily, there are a few alternatives to using beer in your recipe!
* Non-alcoholic beers have less calories than alcoholic ones, so if you’re watching your intake this is a great option to consider.
* Carbonated water has also been known to work as an alternative as well (although it’s not recommended). Any type of carbonated beverage should be just fine. In liquid form instead of on tap, any liquor like rum or vodka could replace the role of beer in cooking up delicious meat – but use sparingly! You don’t want too much raw alcohol near the naked flames of the BBQ!
*You can buy a simple Roast Chicken Roaster which allows you to place the whole Chicken in the upright position with maybe some wine on the holder.
What is a beer can Chicken Roaster?
Beer can roasters are the one of the healthiest and tastiest ways to BBQ Chicken. A metal frame that allows the Chicken to be placed vertical on with a choice of cooking liquids placed in the container simply lower the chicken on top. Monolith Chicken & Vegetable Roaster
Do you use a spice rub on a beer can chicken?
Of course you can! But in this instance I used a blend of butter, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic and tarragon. It’s your own personal preference.
A rub is a mixture of spices and flavorings that you apply to the outside of the meat before cooking. You can use any dry spice mix, just make sure it has salt in it as well – this will help cure the chicken which ensures juicier results and more flavourful skin.
The rub ingredients can include a blend of brown sugar (be careful if cooking at a high heat as it may burn), ground black pepper, salt, smoked paprika or plain paprika, cayenne pepper mixed together in a small bowl. Simply, coat the chicken in a light film of olive oil and season the chicken with rub.
How long does it take to cook?
Cooking time can vary, depending on how you cook the chicken. The average cooking time is about one hour and 20 minutes.
The key to tender and juicy meat comes with browning it evenly for good texture. When using indirect heat from coals, adjust the oven temperature by opening the vents on the barbecue.
I cooked the chicken at 200C (392F) which shortened the cooking time to just over 1 hour.
How many will it serve?
This totally depends on the size of the chicken and how hungry you are but on average it’s about 200g of cooked meat per serving.
How can you tell if the chicken is cooked?
Cook for 60 minutes, and check the temperature of the chicken by placing a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh and breast. I remove the chicken at 70C (158F) and let it rest for 15 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute but it will cook another 5 degrees which takes it to the recommend temperature by the UK government. If you don’t have a thermometer handy then using a sharp knife, cut it the thickest parts and check the juices run clear.
Ingredients
1.6Kg Whole Chicken
125g Unsalted Butter – softened
1/2 Shallot – diced
1 Garlic Clove – minced
1/8 TSP Cayenne Pepper
1/2 TSP Smoked Paprika
1TBSP Tarragon – chopped
1TSP Salt
2 Red Onions – peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters
1TBSP Vegetable Oil
1 440ml Beer Can (I’ve used a Love Hate IPA but use your own preferred beer)
Method
- In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, mix the butter with the tarragon, shallot, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, salt, cayenne and smoked paprika.
Note: the herbs and spices can be changed to your own liking or you could use your favourite chicken rub. - Firstly, locate the wishbone which is a V shaped bone at the neck end just under the meat. With a sharp knife, score the bone either side to loosen it from the breast and gently twist and pull it out.
- Carefully loosen the skin of the chicken with your fingers (you can use gloves if you prefer). Spread about 2/3 of the seasoned butter under the skin. You can use your hands or a spoon using the skin to remove the butter and then push the butter up under the skin.
Note: Using a piping bag makes it a less messy job. - Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the chicken. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Set the grill/smoker for indirect cooking and preheat to 200C.
- Toss the red onions with the vegetable oil and salt in a disposable tin foil tray.
- Open the can of lager and set in the centre of the tray.
- Place the chicken upright on the can and place in the centre of the cooker. Baste the bird occasionally with the pan juices, for about 1 hour, or until a thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 70C.
Note: the chicken will continue to cook after being removed from the grill. - Remove the tray and tent the chicken with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.
Note: Tenting is placing a loose piece of tin foil over the top. - Carefully transfer the chicken to a carving board and discard the beer can.
- Carve the chicken, season with flaky salt and serve with the onions and lime wedges.
Summary
The whole point of this cook was to actually find out if ‘Beer Can Chicken’ worked, did it impart the beer flavour on the meat or is it a fad. You can see from the video I removed some of the beer (100g) from the can to make less volume. It then weighed in at 348g, but after the cook it was down to 315g! Did the chicken actually taste of beer? I used a high strength IPA beer which had a lovely tropical taste, and yes it did come through in the chicken. An observation to the great minds that have already experimented, is that their oven temperature was not as high. It is normally recommended that the beer can chicken is cooked at 160C, however, I did this cook at 200C. Would I do it again? Yes, but I would remove more of the beer from the can before the cook as that quantity is not required as I had to discard what was left. An alternative method would be to mix a few tablespoons of beer into the butter or use it in your BBQ sauce. Whichever way you prefer, just enjoy it and happy Q’ing
