Recipe: Beer Can Chicken On Big Green Egg

I did up a beer can chicken on the Big Green Egg today and wanted to share the recipe. Nothing like celebrating the first day of parental leave with a juicy chicken, slow cooked to perfection.

Original post was featured on The Big Green Cuz.

The recipe and cooking details

What you need

• 1 chicken cleaned out. Can be anywhere from 10-15lbs. Cook a little longer the bigger the bird of course.
• Your choice of rub. Today I used brown sugar, salt, onion salt and pepper.
• Half a can of beer with a few garlic cloves tossed in. Drink the other half of course. Today I am using a pale ale.
• 4 pieces of bacon added to the top of the bird once it is sitting on the can.
• Aluminum tray or plate setter which is what I will use on the Big Green Eggs. You don’t want anything dripping in the charcoal.
• Big Green Egg primed to sit at 375 F.
• Cooking time 1.5-2 hours.

Process

1. Prep the chicken by rubbing the spices all over the bird and even putting it inside the chicken. Put it back in the fridge for a few hours.
2. When you are ready to cook, take it out of the fridge and let the bird get to room temperature.
3. Start up the Big Green Egg and let the temp get to 400 F or so.
4. I use a can opener to take off the top of the beer can and then pour out half to drink. Then I throw some garlic cloves and any left over dry rub in the can.
5. Stick the chicken on top of the can so it looks like it is sitting, feet on the floor.
6. Open Egg and put chicken in. Close lid and hang around until the temp locks in at 375 F. Don’t open it.
7. Go do something else for a few hours. For me, that means hanging with the baby boy.
8. After 90 minutes, check on the bird. Check the internal temp to see if it hits 180 F. That is when you know it is done.
9. Take in house and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then just start pulling it apart. It should fall right off the beer can.
10. Add your favourite sauce and enjoy.

The chicken that comes out of this is juicy and will disappear pretty fast. So if you are hoping for leftovers, you are out of luck.

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