It's Father's Day, your day off, but you won't relinquish control of
the grill. Not this day, maybe not ever. No one tames the grill fires
like you. You've seen far too many chickens tortured on the grill –
black on the outside and raw in the middle.
But on this national day of rest for dads, you deserve to relax, kick
back and still have moist, perfectly grilled chicken. You deserve The
Culinary Institute of America's "Beer Can" Chicken. Combining two of
your favorite things – grilling and beer – Beer Can Chicken delivers an
incredibly succulent bird without all the fuss.
"Vertically roasting a chicken on the grill is not only simple but it
makes perfect sense as a cooking method for a whole chicken," said CIA
BBQ Boot Camp Chef David Kamen, "The dark meat of poultry requires a
longer cooking time than the white meat. Vertical roasting brings the
dark meat closer to the heat source and keeps the tender white meat
slow-cooking away from the direct heat."
A beer can is just the right size and height for such a roasting method.
The seasoned whole chicken sits atop the half-full beer can with the
legs set to balance the chicken on the grill. As the beer evaporates,
it imparts a delicate flavor to the chicken and helps keep it moist.
Using a beer can is traditional but a store-bought vertical roasting
pan helps catch all the delicious juices that are released as the bird
cooks providing you with a handy basting liquid.
The perfect accompaniment to beer can chicken? Beer, of course. CIA
Professor Chef Mark Ainsworth suggests a more serious beer than the one
your chicken is roasting on.
"Try a summer beer such as a Hefeweizen, or yeast wheat beer," said
Ainsworth. "This is very refreshing, effervescent beer with great
floral and yeast notes and should be poured into a Weizen glass which
is very tall to contain the substantial head in the beer."
This and other great summertime recipes can be found in The Culinary Institute of America Grilling (2006, Lebhar-Friedman), The CIA's ultimate grilling cookbook is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or at www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts/cookbooks/.
Mop the chicken from the top every 15 minutes.
"Beer Can" Chicken
Makes 8 servings
Use a clean cotton mop to daub the chicken with the mopping sauce as it roasts on the grill.
- 2 fryer chickens, about 4 lb each
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- Two 12-ounce cans lager- or pilsner-style beer
- 10 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce
- Preheat a gas grill to medium-high; leave one burner off. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a moderate coating of white ash. Spread the coals in an even bed on one side of the grill. Clean the cooking grate.
- Blot the chickens dry and season with 2 tsp of the salt and 1 tsp of the pepper.
- To make the mopping sauce: Pour half the beer from each can into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, Barbecue Sauce, the remaining 2 tsp salt, and the remaining 1 tsp pepper. Leave each beer can half full of beer and set aside.
- If you are using vertical roasters, add the reserved beer to the reservoirs in the roasters, assemble the roasters, and set the chickens on the roasters. If cooking the chickens on the beer cans, set the cans on the grill over direct heat and carefully lower the chickens onto them. Position the legs so that they balance the chickens. Grill over direct heat, covered, until golden, mopping the chickens every 10 minutes with the mopping sauce, about 20 minutes.
- Move the chickens to indirect heat, cover, and continue to cook until brown, mopping every 10 minutes, for another 20 minutes.
- Move the chickens to indirect medium heat and continue to cook them until they are a rich brown and cooked through (165°F), another 20 minutes.
- Remove the chickens from the beer cans or roasters, transfer to a platter, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Cut into quarters with a kitchen fork and boning knife. Serve on a heated platter or plates.
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