Take A Bite Of: Beer Can Grilled Chicken

Something a little avante garde for the grill. It's Memorial Weekend...even the chickens want to imbibe. Now, normally, I am all about aesthetics with food presentation, and this, well, doesn't exactly fit the bill. But The Neely's know Southern Cooking and this is one of Pat's recipes. It takes a little muscle, and a little time but you aren't doing any laborious tasks this weekend anyway, are you? Buon Appetito! Or as some say in the South, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, tasty!"

Beer Can Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

Beer Can Chicken Rub:

2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder

For the Chicken:
4 pounds chicken, washed and dried
Vegetable oil
Beer Can Chicken Rub
1 (12-ounce) can beer

Directions:
For the chicken rub:
In a small bowl mix all the ingredients together and use for the grilled chicken. You can store extra rub mixture in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

For the chicken:
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

Rub the chicken and its cavity down with the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with rub mixture, remembering to season the cavity. Pour out 1/4 of the beer and sit the chicken on top of the beer can. Place the chicken in the center of the hot grill and cover. Cook the chicken for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F.

Once cooked, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.