Grilled Beer Can Chicken Using A Hooded Barbecue

Grilled beer can chicken is one of two basic methods for cooking beer can chicken; smoked in a barbecue smoker and grilled using indirect grilling in a covered barbecue grill.

The recipe below is for the grilled version.

If you've a bbq smoker, here's a version for smoked beer can chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 12 ounce can of beer
• 1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds
• 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of any barbecue rub

Preparation.

• Set-up your barbecue grill, set it up for indirect grilling.
• Trim off any excess skin and fat and remove the giblets.
• Rinse the chicken well under cold water, inside and out. Then pat dry.
• Lightly oil all over the outside of the chicken and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the rub.
• Crack open the can of beer and either pour it away or drink it.
• Punch another three of four holes in the top of the can.
• Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon to the can of beer.
• Hold the chicken verically with the legs pointing downwards and lower it onto the beer can.
• Steady the beer can chicken using the chickens legs and the beer can to form a stable tripod.

I’ve assumed that you have the charcoal or gas at the correct temperature. Your grill is set-up for indirect grilling, and if you’re using wood chips or chunks, you have them in place.

1. Place a drip pan below the grill where you're going to stand the chicken.
2. Carefully stand the chicken on the grill above the drip pan.
3. Cover the grill with the hood and let the beer can chicken cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or even longer (I've let my beer can chicken cook for up to 5 hours). Check the chicken at intervals, say every half hour to start with. The chicken will be cooked when the skin is crisp and is dark brown going on black. If the skin goes brown too quickly shut the vents on the grill to reduce the heat.
4. When cooked and ready to eat, carefully remove your grilled beer can chicken from the grill. I find the best way is to use a large, clean, cloth or oven gloves. Take care as the beer can will still have about half the beer and drippings from the chicken in it, and it will be very hot.
5. Put the chicken on a board and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the beer can from the chicken. Discard the can and carve the chicken.

Recommended Accessory.

Balancing the chicken can be a bit tricky in that you use the legs of the chicken and the beer can itself to act as a sort of tripod.

Sometimes the chicken can tip over. For that reason I would recommend that you use a beer can chicken roaster.