Hi Gang! Welcome to Uncle Sawhorse's Grillin' & Chillin' Page. I am going to share some of my thoughts, recipes, and pictures of Barbecue and grilling here....feedback is always welcome.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Dancing Chickens aka Beer Can Chickens






I am a carnivore as most of my friends know, and when i want a light meal I opt for chicken. I really only know one way to cook chicken and that involves shoving a can of beer up its ass. Beer Can chicken (known as Dancing Chickens when cooking 2) is a fool proof way of ensuring moist, succulent meat every time.

There are many different tastes and marinades available but i prefer a zesty Italian salad dressing. I marinate the chicken a few hours before cooking time by placing each chicken in a large ziplock bag and pouring the marinade in, completely immersing the bird. Make sure to refrigerate until time to cook.

Light the grill and enjoy a nice, cold beer while waiting for it to get up to medium high heat (325-375 degrees f). Now comes the fun part...drink about 1/2 of a can of beer for each chicken, these are going to be inserted in the large cavity at the bottom of the chicken ( make sure to remove the giblets and neck from here ). I like to add a bit of garlic and butter to the can before inserting it.

Carefully stand each chicken standing up on a tinfoil pie plate to catch the drippings ( flareups from the oil and fat can quickly ruin a good planned feast).
Close the lid and walk away...for 1-1 1/2 hours with an occassional basting. The internal temperature of the meat should be 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh. Remove the chickens from the grill and remove the cans using an oven mitt before laying them to rest on a cutting board for a few minutes.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Bruce, I'm loving your blog. Have you ever brined the chicken first? I'm becoming a huge brine fan...

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  2. I have not tried a brine on chicken... I would love to hear how you do it with a couple of pics

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  3. No pics, but I got the idea from America's test kitchen. Details here:

    http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/312785

    I just brine then rub & grill... (usually with a lower salt rub).

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