Do you want to come off as a grill master? Well, you can make your friends and family think you are a master of the barbecue when they taste this beer can chicken that you smoke on your grill. The limited amount of preparation and attention you have to give to the chicken while it barbecues makes this a high-value meal.
Instructions
Preparing To Grill The Beer Can Chicken
1. Soak 4 cups of wood smoker chips in a bowl of water. Soaking the chips allows them to smolder on the grill instead of lighting on fire. The slower the wood chips smolder, the more smoke they produce, and the more smoke they produce the more intense the smoked flavor of the chicken. Smoker wood chips that work well with chicken include apple wood, hickory and cherry.
2. Stick your hand underneath the skin of the chicken. This may feel odd, but remember you are a grill master. This loosens the skin of the chicken so you can apply the rub to the meat of the chicken. Don't worry if the skin tears slightly, as this can be repaired later in the preparation. This is a good time to start the coals for your grill, too, and a chimney starter is the recommended method. If you are using a gas grill, wait until Step 3 to start it.
3. Take a handful of your favorite spice rub, and slip your hand between the skin and the meat of the chicken. Slowly rub all the spice rub onto your chicken. Make sure you coat all the meat of the chicken, and also pour some inside the neck cavity.
4. Drink half of the can of beer--this is why you should purchase a can of beer that you like. Keep in mind many liquor stores will sell a single can, but if you like the beer, a whole 6-pack will last you while the chicken smokes. Add some of the remaining spice rub to the half can of beer and punch several holes in the lid of the beer can using a can opener. This will allow the beer to steam the chicken while it smokes.
5. Prepare the chicken for the grill by standing it up and lowering the bottom of the chicken's cavity onto the beer can itself. Use the legs of the chicken to form a tripod with the beer can to support of the body of the chicken. Use toothpicks to pin down any flaps of skin that might have torn while applying the rub and preparing the beer can chicken for grilling.
Grilling The Beer Can Chicken
6. Use a spatula to move the charcoal to each side of the grill when your coals on the grill are covered with a thin coating of gray ash, and place a drip pan in the middle of the grill. Place the grill grates above the drip pan and put the chicken in a tripod form with the legs and can supporting the chicken.
7. Sprinkle 1 cup of wood chips on each side of the grill on top of the hot coals. When smoke starts to form, close the lid. You do not want the smoke to escape too quickly. It will escape from the top and sides of the grill.
8. Leave the chicken alone. This is the tough part. Check it after about 1 1/2 hours. If the heat is dropping in the grill you will want to prepare another batch of charcoal. If it is still producing sufficient heat, add the last 2 cups of smoker to the coals as you did at the beginning of the grilling cycle. If you need to replenish the coals, add the wood chips after replenishing with hot coals.
9. Check to see if the beer can chicken is done after a couple hours. The chicken will be done after anywhere from 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours and 15 minutes on the grill. The best way to tell if your chicken is done is to poke the chicken with a meat thermometer in the thigh area. A temperature of 170 degrees F indicates the beer can chicken is done. This is when you should remove it from the grill. Remember it will continue to cook after removal from the grill due to the heat stored within the chicken.
10. Place your beer can chicken on a grilling tray to cool, allowing it to remain in the upright position it was in on the grill. Keep in mind the beer can and the beer inside will be very hot, so you must let it cool. Even after cooling the beer will be hot, so treat it with caution. After removing the beer can from the chicken, carve and serve.
Tags: wood chips, beer chicken, chicken done, meat chicken, beer chicken done, beer chicken grilling, chicken grilling