Grilled Beer Can Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Grilled Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken looks a little silly while cooking, but it results in the most flavorful and juiciest chicken you've ever had!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Chicken and Turkey Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Cassie Johnston

Ingredients

For the Dry Rub:

¼ cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon finely ground sea salt
2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper more or less to taste
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander

For the Chicken:

1 large whole fryer chicken approximately 3-4 pounds, gizzards removed
1 lemon sliced in half
Olive oil or avocado oil
1 can of beer cider, soda, or juice

Instructions

Mix together all the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
Place the whole chicken on a baking sheet, and rub all over with the lemon halves (make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies). Discard the lemon halves.
Liberally sprinkle the dry rub on the chicken—making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies. Do NOT rub the spice mixture in (see the notes). You will likely have some rub left over. Place the chicken, uncovered, in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat a gas or charcoal grill to about 375°F. Make sure to turn off the middle burner of the gas grill or divide the hot charcoal into two piles on the edges of the grill—you want to cook the chicken over indirect heat.
While the grill preheats, liberally drizzle both sides of the chicken with olive oil or avocado oil.
Open your can of beer, cider, soda, or juice, drink about half of it, and then carefully wiggle the whole chicken on top of the beer. Really wedge it in there. Place the chicken on a small baking sheet, cast iron skillet, or other grill-proof pan to help collect the drippings (unless you want to do some serious post-grilling clean up). Use the chicken's legs to help prop up the chicken.
Place the chicken in the middle of the grill, close the lid, and cook for about one hour and 15 minutes for a four pound bird, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Check on your chicken occasionally during the cooking time, but don't open the grill lid too often—it'll release all the heat.
Once cooked, remove chicken from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Carefully remove the beer can from the chicken cavity and discard. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tallboys are less than ideal for this, because the height of the can makes it to where you can't use the chicken's legs for stability. Stick to a 12 ounce can.
Even though this is called a dry "rub," I recommend not rubbing it in. Rubbing it in clogs the pores of the chicken skin, which doesn't allow any of the gloriously smoky flavor from the grill into the chicken. Just sprinkle it on.
If your chicken is bigger or smaller, adjust your cooking time accordingly (you'll probably want to go off of temperature instead of time anyway).
You can use whatever liquid in the can makes you happy. I've used half cans of sparkling water, juice, and I've even filled an empty can with wine before with good results!
To cook this in the oven, preheat to 375°F and remove the top rack. Roast chicken in oven for about one hour and 15 minutes for a four-pound bird, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F

Nutrition