Apron Tackles Beer Can Chicken

Having not eaten red meat for half of my child hood, I grew up with a strong appreciation of chicken. Sadly, my knowledge was somewhat limited to boneless skinless chicken breast and the occasional wing. Since I've never made a whole chicken, it was a task I wanted to tackle. My coworker Eric is a grilling expert and recommended beer can chicken, a surefire way to make delicious, moist chicken with little effort. I must say the result was really delicious.

Beer Can Chicken

1 4-lb. chicken
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons creole seasoning
1 can beer

First, start drinking the beer. You need about half a can for this recipe. Fire up the grill with coals on the left and right side, but don't put any in the center. In the meantime, remove the giblet and innards from the chicken. Then rinse inside and out with water and pat dry with paper towels.

Rub the chicken with the oil both inside and out. Combine the seasonings and thoroughly rub inside and out. Place the beer can right side up in side the chicken and then make the chicken stand up (kind of like a tripod with the beer can and two legs stabilizing it).

Place in the center of the grill and close the lid. Cook about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until the chicken is 165 degrees. Note: don't open the lid of the grill unless necessary, as that causes you to lose heat and results in a longer cook time.

Luke, Rachel and I enjoyed our new hammock while the chicken cooked. My mom's dog Snickers enjoyed the nice afternoon weather as well.


I thought of purchasing a beer can chicken stand (they sell them at most grocery stores for about $7), but I figured this was one of those kitchen gadgets that wasn't really necessary. My chicken ended up taking a tumble in the grill sometime during the cook time, so I'll be purchasing a stand before my next attempt!

I served this with baked potatoes that I cooked directly on the coals (about 25-30 minutes) and a fruit salad consisting of mango, strawberries, grapes, peaches and blueberries.