Guinness Beer Butt Chicken
I have been a grilling fool the last couple of weeks. Normally I am a huge fan of the gas grill during the week but lately my trusty Weber charcoal has been getting a workout.
After doing the herb butter smoked chicken my next goal was to do a beer butt chicken. For those who don’t know the prearation is done pretty much how it sounds. A can of beer is stuck up a chicken’s butt and the chicken rests on the beer can and cooks that way.
There are many fancy tools you can buy at the local mega mart to help you keep your chicken upright but I have found the best way is just use what the chicken does to keep it up. Put the beer can in about 1/2 way and use the two legs as tripods. I have never had a chicken fall over with this method.
I have also found the best way when grilling a beer butt chicken is to stick with an indirect method. This means coals on one side and the chicken on another side or if you are a gasser one burner on and the chicken opposite side of that burner. The skin will get plenty crispy with this method but if you like it a little more crispy start it with the chicken more towards the heat and then move it away after 10 or so minutes.
I also like to rotate the chicken 90 degrees every so often so all sides get equal treatment under the heat.
For this recipe you will need:
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 can of beer about 1/2 empty. The type of beer really does not make a difference which was disappointing to find out because I really wanted some of that Guinness flavor to get imparted into the meat.
- 3 cloves of garlic smashed
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 1/4 cup of your favorite dry rub (relax I have a simple one for you)
Simple dry rub (yes this makes more than 1/4 cup but you can never have to much dry rub floating around)
- 2 tb of paprika
- 2 tb of chili powder
- 1 tb of kosher salt
- 1 tb of onion powder
- 1 tb of garlic powder
- 1 tea of oregano
- 1 tea of coriander
Pat the chicken dry inside and out and cover the chicken in the rub. Take the beer can and cut off the top and drink 1/2 the beer or dump it out (wasteful bastard). Put the garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary, and if you want a TB of the rub in the beer can. Mix to combine. Finally, shove the beer can about halfway up the chicken’s butt.
Place the chicken on the grill over indirect heat, cover, and cook till the breast reads 160 (about 20 minutes a lb). Remember rotate him 90 degrees every so often so you have an equally browned chicken.
When done remove from the grill and discard the beer. Oh yeah be very freaking careful because the beer can and beer is hot.
That chicken sitting on the grill looks like it should be holding his own can of beer. What an awesome recipe!
lol, every time I see a photo of this recipe, it cracks me up. Yea, I’m mature. Sounds tasty though–its another one of those things I want to try but never have yet. I wonder if making some sort of brine from the initial half of the beer would help infuse Guinessy flavor into the bird…or if it would only create more work and a mess *shrugs*
i can’t get over how disturbing it is that the chicken looks like a headless little person sitting on a stool. i’m sure the smell wafting off the grill would ease my discomfort and i’d have no trouble eating said little person.
Awesome! I love beer can chicken and you just can’t go wrong with Guinness.
So do you cook it with the cover off the grill? What temperature should the grill be? I think i undercooked my chicken and now i have salmonella!
Chris: I do cover the grill the whole time. The only reason why it is uncovered is just for picture taking. Also, you sure teh salmonella was not for those tomatoes you ate?
Another easy way to tell if chicken is done is poke it and if the juices run clear you are good. Still pinkish undercooked and needs to go back on.
i have found using homemade beer is the best the more the alc.% the juicer the chicken i like to use an onion in the neck and marinate it over night in beer and hot musterd sauce and alot of pepper and season salt put veggies on the bottom of the chic 30 min before its done and i only use the weber charcole grill i wont use gas its the only way to do it with hickory smoke chips