making Drunken chicken

Ok since im feeding the internet spiders info so they dont think im gay , it got me to thinking whats more manly then grillin. So i fired up the ole grill for Beer Butt Chicken, Drunken Chicken, Beer Can Chicken or whatever you want call it. ( watch google will just pick up on the gay and butt thing ) . Yes you heard me right beer butt chicken , trust me its better then it sounds, and real easy. Total cook time is about an hour and a half and you can do the whole meal on the grill.

Heres your grocery list:

1. 1 four to five pound chicken


2. 1 bottle/can malt liquor


3. 1 Potato


4. Some seasoning


5. 1 cast iron frying pan ( optional )


6. 1 beer butt chicken rack ( optional but real handy)


7. 1 marinade injector ( again optional but good for seasoning)

First thing is make sure your chicken isnt frozen, if it is this will take way to long and it probably end up like a microwave burrito, burnt on the outside and frozen in the middle. If the chicken isnt frozen then its time to add your seasoning rub. A rub is nothing more then a mix of different seasonings and spices , you can make your own or buy it from the store, using a good season salt as a rub is pretty good for starters. The way a rub works is the rub pulls moisture from the air, and draws the juices from inside the meat this reaction causes the meat to literally marinate itself. The best way to apply the rub is to sprinkle the rub onto the bird, wrap in plastic wrap and store in a refrigerator overnight. If your like me you dont plan that far ahead and i just put it on the chicken 20 minutes before i cooked it, which still works but overnight would be better.

Now its time to prep your beer can, i was drinking bottles when i started this so i had to swipe an empty soda can from my wife. Rinse the can out and fill it about half way full of beer and set it in the beer butt chicken rack if you have one. If you want you can add some other spices to the beer like cut up jalapenos or onions in the end it will steam into the meat as flavor. Beer selection is important, you will notice i used king cobra malt liquor versus a plain jane keystone light like i normally drink there is a reason for this. Light beers are just that , "light" they are even light in flavor no matter what Budweiser says. We are looking for a malt flavor here so go to a malt beer , any malt liquor will do but the cobra was cheap and hey i get to drink the remainder. For some added flavor you can inject some butter or other spices into the breast of the chicken. Personally i recommend a few squirts of papa johns garlic butter into each breast but its optional so if you have a marinade injector already.

Next you put the half full beer can into the chickens rear, ( hence the beer butt name ) dont spill the beer when you do this! your wanting a half full beer in the can. The can should fit pretty snug if it wont fit at all then you dont know the chickens ass from its neck ( try the other end ). Just in case someone out there doesn't know this , make sure you remove the neck and the livers before inserting the can. If you dont have a beer butt chicken rack you can prop the chicken up using the can and the chickens legs like a tripod to balance it. Then take your potato and jam it in the neck of the bird, this will keep the flavorful steam inside the meat.

I mentioned the skillet was optional earlier and that all depends on how good of a grill you have. I have an old piece of crap grill thats small, flames up bad, and has two flame settings on or off. If your like me then set the chicken on a skillet on the grill to catch some of the grease and keep the grease fire down. Set the chicken on the grill and turn the flame down to medium if you can and close the lid to the grill. The lid being able to close is important , your making a backyard oven here , also try to make it so the lid doesn't hit the chicken or it might burn. I check the grill every fifteen minutes or so when i cook one of these but for first timers check it about every ten. Normally it takes about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes to cook a 5 pound bird this way but thats going to vary from grill to grill so its good to have a meat thermometer. Dont check the temp on the bird to often because each time you poke it your letting juices and flavor out but in the end the chicken should be 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) when done.

What i do is about a half hour before i think the chicken will be done is i start getting my corn on the cob ready. Simply take some corn thats been husked , some butter, some season salt, and wrap it up in some foil. You can use non husked corn and just toss it on the grill its all up to which tastes better to you. Put your corn on the grill about twenty minutes prior to when you think the chicken will be done and it should be ready about the same time. Every five minutes or so you want to roll the corn to keep it from burning on one side. If you want to add a baked potato to the mix then do the same with it but throw it on the grill when you first start the chicken. Quick and easy and MANLY google!

If your bored and need a good laugh you can also take tinfoil and make a bikini for the chicken. Wrap it around the bird before you cook it and add some tan lines like the picture at the top. Oh and if you want you can do this in the oven inside the house but then it becomes womens work.