Recipe - Beer Can Chicken

I don’t know about you, but I live in a college town. Most of the time, being a townie in a place like this is great. There’s lots of cool stuff to do for younger crowds, nifty bookshops, quirky knickknacks, fun music venues, cheap food, etc. There’s just one problem…
 
Undergrads.
 
Even other undergrads don’t seem to care for them. Well, my friends, the undergrads are back. In fact, a passel of them were loitering in the middle of the street this morning, having decided that this particular portion of my commute was the perfect place to congregate for a pre-class tête-à-tête.
 
At any rate, I’m willing to grant that there’s one good thing about the school season starting back up: the local liquor store starts running deals. And since it’s not yet so cold as to pack away the grill, I think it might be time for Beer Can Chicken.
 

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit
 
Beer Can Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1-1¼ hours
Serves: 4
 
Rub
 

• 4 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

 
Beer
 

• Any light lager in a can. Go with something cheap, but relatively drinkable.

Chicken

• A 3½–4 lb. chicken
• Foil baking pan (for drippings)

The Nitty Gritty – Rub
 

1. Combine salt, brown sugar, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl or resealable container.
2. Make as much as you want, but maintain the ratio of 4-3-2-1 as outlined in the ingredients.

The Nitty Gritty – Chicken & Beer
 

1. Pour out (drink, you fool!) half a beer.
2. Prepare grill for high, indirect heat and fit with grill pan. For a charcoal grill, bank coals on 1 side of the grill and put the drip pan on the empty side; for a gas grill, leave 1 burner turned off and place the drip pan over the unlit burner. Add water to the pan to a depth of ½ inch.
3. Season the chicken with at least 2 tablespoons of spice rub.
4. Place the cavity of the chicken, legs pointing down, onto the open can so that it supports the chicken upright.
5. Place the newly assembled beer-chicken tower on the grill over indirect heat, above the drip pan.
6. Grill chicken, covered, until cooked through, with the thickest part of the thigh registering an internal temp of 165°. (45-60 minutes. If using charcoal, you may need to add more to maintain the heat.)
7. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
8. Serve with drippings. And whatever’s left of the case of beer.

Here’s to you, undergrads. You keep Boulder cool, even if your presence annoys the heck out of us townies sometimes.

(Great Scott, when did I get so old?)
 
Brought to you by our resident copywriter and culinarian, Justine Kurtz