For those of you scared of roasting a chicken, wanting to wow your dining guest, or even just looking for an escape from grilling yet another burger; behold, the beer butt chicken!
Ingredients:
- Olive Oil
- 1 Whole Chicken
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Pepper
- 1 Can of beer
Also, if you want a little more flavor, rub the outside of the bird with this rather than just salt and pepper:
- 1/4 cup of minced rosemary and crushed and minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
- Ground coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper equal portions
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees; make sure that it is heated all the way, don’t throw the bird in to the cold oven. Check the temperature using an oven thermometer.2. 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. 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. See below for other seasoning variations.
5. Place baking sheet with beer and chicken in the pre-heated oven. 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 minuets so that your guest have time to view and wow over it 🙂 Okay, so 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 spring-loaded 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.
