Drunken Beer Butt Chicken

There have been several asking about this method of preparing chicken so here it is.... behold, the beer butt chicken!

Beer Butt Chicken Recipe (What you will need)

Olive Oil
Whole Chicken
Kosher Salt/ or Lowery's Seasoning
Fresh Pepper
Can of beer (if you are anti-beer you can use Sprite or Mt. Dew with great results)

How to Make Beer Butt Chicken
1.Heat the grill ( or even your oven) to 375 degrees; make sure that it is heated all the way, don’t throw the bird in to the cold grill. Now open the can of beer, take a good swig, and enjoy the cold refreshing drink.

2. If you take small drinks take another sip leaving just over half the liquid in the can. Resist the temptation of finishing what is left, you need this for the roasting. The beer will make the chicken exceptionally juicy and moist.

3. Set chicken on can, inserting can into the cavity of the chicken. The chicken should be standing on its legs supported by the beer can inserted in the cavity, hence the name of beer butt chicken. You can purchase a can holder as pictured below to help balance the bird. Lightly oil, using enough to make the entire surface of the meat glisten, but not so much that you leave a puddle.

4. Season the chicken well. Kosher salt and freshly ground peppers are all the seasonings you need. Most people go too easy on them, I say don’t be shy.

5. Place baking sheet with beer and chicken on the grill. Word of advice: two sets of hands here are better than one! The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. For a 4~5lbs bird, you are looking at any where from an hour to an hour and half, at the most. But don’t let the time decide the fate of your dinner guests; stick an instant read thermometer to make sure that you don’t undercook, or even worse overcook.

6. Once the chicken is done, let the bird rest for 10~15 minutes so that your guest have time to admire it and wow over it :) Okay, this is to allow the juices to settle back into the meat, but there’s nothing wrong with impressing. Remove the chicken from the beer can using oven mitts and tongs. Be very careful, the can is still very hot. Again, two sets of hands are best.

The end result, is roasted chicken without the usual hassle. Brown and crusty all over, juicy and flavorful inside; and some argue, superior to the standard oven roasted bird.