I love my life.

It has not been easy all of the time, but I have been fortunate in so many ways.  It is far from a “perfect” story, but it is all mine… good and bad choices… and I am happy to be living it.  I am happy for my curiosity and my willingness to try new things.

Some of those “new things” have not always been good choices.

Nonetheless, here I am.

Happy.

I love food. 

Again, my food choices are not perfect by some standards, but they are mine.  I have fun trying new foods and experimenting with new recipes.

At home, I am not the grill master.  That role falls to Hubby.  In many homes it seems the grill is relegated to a “male” role.   At my childhood home, it was Dad who did the grilling.  Since he has been gone, Mum either grills for herself, or for Sunday dinner, the task can fall to my brother, Hubby, or me.

I am not a grill master, but again, I am not afraid to try!

Last week, I pulled a whole chicken from the freezer.  Thanks to our friends at Backfield Farm in Etlan, Virginia, the chicken came from a local farmer from their area.  It has been a treat pulling high quality, locally raised beef, chicken, and pork from the freezer to use for meals.

I was contemplating roasting the chicken in the oven.  My friend in Low Places suggested Beer Can Chicken to avoid the oven heat.  Hmmmm…

Beer Can Chicken (or Beer “Butt” Chicken, given the placement of the beer can) was a treat my dad would make on the grill.  Hubby was not home due to extra work hours.  I thought, why not?

I got online to find a recipe.  I could not settle on any one recipe, so I decided to combine a few that sounded good and went to work.

The first task was mixing up the seasoning rub.  Not a hard task given all of the “flavors” were in the cupboard.  I am a bit of a spice collector.

The chicken was well thawed having spent enough time in the refrigerator.  The next task was rinsing and drying the chicken.  It is not a difficult task, but it is a bit ridiculous giving a bath to a chicken.  It made me chuckle as I did it, thinking Dad would NOT have done that task, but assigning it to my mother as “woman’s work”. 

Ha!

“Woman’s work”.  A term often used by father, and a story for another time!

After the chicken was washed and dried, I applied the seasoning rub inside and out.  I was generous with it, and even lifted the skin along the breast meat adding seasoning in the pockets created.  Drying the chicken helped the seasoning to stick to the skin.

Once the chicken was prepped, I started the grill to heat it to 375 degrees F.  Back inside while the grill was heating, I put the chicken on its cooking stand.

I used a disposable foil pan as a drip collector, although that is not necessary.  I then took a can of beer and emptied it to half-full.  Given the beer used, I elected to pour the wasted half in the sink rather than drink it.  There is no requirement to brand of beer used, and you can use regular or light beer.  I also read that you can use soda or another canned beverage.  To each his own!

Once the can was set at half-full, I inserted it into the empty bottom cavity of the chicken (hence the term “beer butt”).  I placed the chicken and can in the foil pan and headed back out to the grill.

Our grill is a 3-burner gas grill.  I turned off all but the left burner, and placed the chicken on the right side of the grill to allow the roasting to take place with indirect heat.  The chicken needed to cook for over an hour.  I had to do some adjusting of the burners to keep the heat consistent at 375 degrees F.  That is a bit trickier than the oven where you can just set the temperature and go about any other tasks that need done.  The grill needs to be watched.

When the cooking time was complete, the chicken was done given the reading on the instant-read thermometer.  I love gadgets.  I pulled the pan from the grill and covered the entire pan with foil, allowing it to sit for ten minutes.

My first attempt was a success!  The chicken was moist and delicious, and Hubby enjoyed it when he got home.  I served it with grilled zucchini (from the garden), and a sweet potato. 

I hope you have an opportunity to give this recipe a try.

I’m glad I did!

Miss Kim’s Beer Can Chicken

1 2-3 pound Chicken

1 Can Beer

⅓ Cup Brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder

2 Tablespoons Paprika

2 Teaspoon Dry Mustard

¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)

1. Heat grill to 375 degrees F. Pour out 1/2 can of beer (or drink). Place can in a disposable aluminum pan (for easy clean up).

2. Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Rinse chicken inside and out. Pat dry using paper towels, inside and out.

4. Rub seasoning mixture inside and out of chicken. Be generous. Can gently loosen skin along breast and spread seasoning mixture there too.

5. Place chicken, bottom end first, over beer can, setting upright, in pan.

6. Put the chicken on the grill over an unlit burner. If using charcoal, move coals to one side. Monitor heat to maintain 375 during roasting process.

7. Roast chicken 1 hour 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 180 degrees F at thigh, close to bone. If no thermometer, juices should run clear when poked with a knife.

8. When done, remove from heat and tent with foil for 10 minutes to rest. Carve, serve, and enjoy!