Big Gnome is awed by the Little Chicken

I can now add beer-can-chicken to the list of “things I regret missing out on for years because I never tried it,” which includes humus, Thai green curry, and playing the guitar (which I just started learning last week, so it’ll be a while before I’m playing with Jack White).

We finally tried to make this this last night after talking about it for years, and it may have been the best chicken I’ve ever had. Coated with a home-made barbecue rub featuring cayenne, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, and salt, slow-cooked on the grill over hickory wood chips for about 75 minutes, and steamed from the inside with Schlitz, this chicken was flavorful, spicy and tender.

I’ve had my beer-can-chicken cookbook for about two years and I can’t believe I didn’t try this sooner. It was so easy! While there are infinite possibilities, the basic recipe involves cleaning out a whole fryer chicken, using a dry rub or marindade, then sticking a half-full can of beer up its butt and propping it on a grill for 75 to 90 minutes.

I got my recipe from Beer Can Chicken and 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill by Steven Raichlen. I’m sure you can find other recipes online. The basic premise is the same on most recipes. The summer is running out, so I highly recommend trying this soon while it’s still good grillin’ weather.