Beer Can Chicken Recipe

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Beer Can Chicken
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Ingredients
3
Count
Nutrition
1226
Calories
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Ingredients:

  • 1 large whole chicken (4 to 5 lb)
  • 3 tbsp memphis rub
  • 1 can (12 oz) beer

Directions:

  1. 1. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the chicken. Remove the package of giblets, and set aside for another use. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the body and neck cavities, the rub another 1 tablespoon all over the skin of the bird. If you wish, rub another 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture between the flesh and the skin. Cover and refrigerate the chicken while you preheat the grill.
  2. 2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling** placing a drip pan in the center. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium.
  3. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; then, when smoke appears, lower the heat to medium.
  4. 3. Pop the tab on the beer can. Using a church key style can opener, make 6 or 7 holes in the top of the can. Pour out the top inch of beer, then spoon the remaining dry rub through the holes into the beer. Holding the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity down, insert the beer can into the cavity.
  5. 4. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss half the wood chips on the coals. Oil the grill grate. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan. Spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, to support the bird.
  6. 5. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until fall-off-the-bone tender, 2 hours. If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side and the remaining wood chips after 1 hour.
  7. 6. Using tongs, lift the bird to a cutting board or platter, holding the metal spatula underneath the beer can for support. (Have the board or platter right next to the bird to make the move shorter. Be careful not to spill hot beer on yourself.) Let stand for 5 minutes before carving the meat off the upright carcass. (Toss the beer can out along with the carcass.)
  8. *Memphis Rub: 1/4 cup paprika
  9. 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
  10. 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  11. 2 teaspoons salt
  12. 2 teaspoons accent (MSG; optional)
  13. 1 teaspoon celery salt
  14. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  15. 1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
  16. 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  17. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  18. 1 teaspoon onion powder
  19. Combine all the ingredients in a jar, twist the lid on airtight, and shake to mix. Store away from heat or light for up to six months. Makes about 1/2 cup. Enough for 4 to 6 racks of ribs.
  20. ** Indirect grilling on a Charcoal Grill: To set up you grill for indirect grilling, light the coals. When they are blazing red, use tongs to transfer them to opposite sides of the grill, arranging them in two piles. Some grills have special half-moon-shaped baskets to hold the coals at the sides; others have wire fences that hook onto the bottom gate. Let the coals burn until they are covered with a thin layer of gray ash. Set the drip pan in the center of the grill, between the mounds of coals. Place the food on the grate over the drip pan, and cover the grill. You'll need to add about 10 to 12 fresh briquettes to each side after an hour of cooking.
  21. If you want to add a smoke flavor, add 1 to 2 cups of presoaked wood chips, or 2 to 4 chunks, to the coals just before you start to cook, and again whenever you replenish the coals.
  22. Excerpted from The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition. © 1998, 2008 by Steven Raichlen. Workman
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Nutrition Facts

Per ServingPer 100 g
Amount Per 1 Serving
Calories 1226.24 Kcal (5134 kJ)
Calories from fat 770.33 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 85.59g 132%
Cholesterol 514.56mg 172%
Sodium 427.59mg 18%
Potassium 1073.31mg 23%
Total Carbs 1.24g 0%
Sugars 0.84g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0.06g 0%
Protein 103.72g 207%
Vitamin C 17mg 28%
Iron 5.7mg 31%
Calcium 62.6mg 6%
Amount Per 100 g
Calories 209.59 Kcal (878 kJ)
Calories from fat 131.67 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14.63g 132%
Cholesterol 87.95mg 172%
Sodium 73.09mg 18%
Potassium 183.45mg 23%
Total Carbs 0.21g 0%
Sugars 0.14g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0.01g 0%
Protein 17.73g 207%
Vitamin C 2.9mg 28%
Iron 1mg 31%
Calcium 10.7mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Tastes

  • salty
  • savory
  • bitter
  • sweet
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Recipe Tags

Weightwatchers Points

  • 31.6
    Points
  • 32
    PointsPlus

Good Points

  • saturated fat free,
  • low sodium,
  • sugar free

Bad Points

  • High in Total Fat

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