What's for Dinner ~ Saturday May 12th

[Cairycat]

12. Beer can chicken report

Husband says "it's the chicken equivalent of arm roast" (pot roast is his very favorite meal). It was tender and moist, even the breast.

But - it's a job, getting it on the grill, and then getting the can out when it's done. We ended up setting the chicken on the pop can 3/4s filled with the Sam Adams lager on a foil pie plate. It still wanted to slump over, so we propped it with potatoes. I should have done enough potatoes for everybody - they made a tasty, easy side dish. But in trying to figure all this out, my poor son singed his arms pretty well.

To get the chicken off, we put chicken and can on the plate. My son pulled up on the chicken with tongs, and I put on my dish washing gloves and held onto the can. I didn't put foil on it, maybe should have. It wasn't too difficult to get off that way but maybe should have sprayed it with Pam first.

Chicken this way is very tasty, and whole chickens go on sale often enough to make it a cheap dish. Plus, if you don't have a hungry husband and two hungry teenage boys devouring nearly all of the chicken, you could have enough for sandwiches or a second meal. I may look for a reasonably-priced vertical roaster thingy, that would make it easier.

Here is the rub recipe I used:
2 T smoked paprika
2 T salt
2 T onion powder
1 T cayenne
1 T ground cumin
2 t dried thyme
2 t dried oregano
2 t black pepper
2 t garlic powder

Wash and dry a 4 pound chicken. Rub the chicken and cavity with vegetable oil, then pat on rub. Pour out 1/4 of beer in can and set chicken on can. Grill over medium high heat until thermometer reaches 165, a hour to an hour and a half. Let chicken rest 10 minutes, covered with foil, before serving.