Beer Butt Chicken

This cooking technique has been around for a while and I wouldn't be surprised if most have already tried it. For those of you that haven't tried cooking a chicken this way, you have just found your go-to recipe that ensures perfectly tender and juicy chicken every time. Having said that, I will also stress to you the importance of a meat thermometer. We use a digital meat thermometer in our house and I don't know what I would do without it. Back to the chicken... I use this recipe quite often. When chicken is on sale you can't beat the price. I find that you can get a lot of meat from roasting a whole chicken, usually close to 6 cups. I like to purchase two at a time, cooking them together, serving one for dinner and saving the other to chop, shred, and separate into freezer bags for use in recipes that call for shredded or chopped chicken such as soups and casseroles. Even after freezing I find the meat to still remain tender and juicy.  If serving as a meal, I like to have my favorite condiments on hand, such as barbeque sauce or honey mustard.

Beer Butt Chicken

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Olive Oil

Whole Chicken (4 to 5 lbs)

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground Black Pepper

Can of beer

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash chicken and pat dry with a towel. Drizzle enough olive oil to cover the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Open can of beer and pour out half (or drink it). Cut a bigger opening on the top of the can using scissors.

Set the chicken over the can. The can should help to support the chicken so that it does not fall over. Place on a baking sheet or other pan that will catch the drippings from the chicken. Insert a thermometer into the thigh of the chicken. Cook until the chicken reaches 180 degrees.

Once the chicken is done, let rest for 10 to 15 minutes in order for the juices to settle. Remove chicken from beer can, being careful not to burn yourself…the can is still very hot. Cut and serve chicken as desired.