As is the selection of beers. Some people are militant about this decision. You will see advice telling you stout is the only beer for beer can chicken, while others will tell you any beer but stout. I don't want to get into that here. Personally I like a good, malty beer with lots of flavor, but then I like beer and I like the taste of beer. (My friend Bryce has much more to say on the subject).
You don't even have to use beer. Wine has become a popular substitution for this recipe. People who prefer to keep their alcohol as far from their food (or themselves) as possible have started using canned chicken broth with seasonings in it. Pretty much anything you want can end up in your chicken. What's important is that there is a good source of liquid to keep the chicken moist as it cooks.
For that matter you don't even need to use a can. I know some guys who cook up hundreds of beer can chickens on any given weekend and they use one pint mason jars. There are also a wide range of chicken roasters on the market that do exactly what the can will for nearly infinite more money.
Having said all that the ingredients for this recipe are:
- 1 whole 5 to 6 pound chicken
- 1 can of beer
- 1 cup spice rub
Tip 1: Before we get started. Make sure that the can of beer fits inside the chicken. You don't want to fight with this issue over a live fire.
Tip 2: Make sure that the place you are going to place this bird is tall enough for a chicken to sit up in. You don't want to lower the lid on your grill only to find that the chicken doesn't fit.
