Steve’s Chicken and Potatoes – Beer Can Grilling
Posted July 29th, 2009 by AmandaFiled under: Chef's Blend, Chicken, Potatoes, recipe, Windy City Celery
My friend Steve makes a hell heck of a good great chicken on the BBQ grill. His secret is something I have seen on TV many times, but never in person. An open beer (in the can) is used as a stand for a whole chicken, and the chicken then sits on this little hops-filled throne while cooked in a gas or charcoal grill. Steve swears he has tried every beer under the sun, and the cheaper beers work the best as long as they are not the ‘lite’ or even ‘light’ version. Of course the beer not only works as a way to secure the chicken in an upright position, but it also provides steam and flavor that permeates the chicken.
Recently Steve made his famous whole chicken for me using Chef’s Blend as a rub for the outside of the bird prior to grilling. He cleaned the entire chicken first, then hand dried it, rubbed it with olive oil and liberally applied Chef’s Blend to the chicken’s skin (more than just at typical rub, he actually applied force as he pressed the Chef’s Blend onto the outside of the chicken). He then opened a can of a beer I only thought was available at ball parks, took a swig, and sat the whole chicken on the beer in an upright position. This whole set-up then was placed in a pre-heated grill to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. Obviously your time may vary based on the heat of your grill and size of your bird, but the goal is to have a very crisp skin and of course cook the chicken entirely through (always take care to make sure chicken is properly cooked). The steam from the beer kept the chicken very moist as it cooked away. Steve checked on it periodically, but mostly left the chicken alone as to keep the steam inside the bbq to work its tasty magic.
Once the chicken was done, he pulled it out and let it ‘rest’ for another 10 minutes with a bit of aluminum foil draped over the top to keep the heat focused on the bird. He then carefully pulled the chicken off the top of the beer can and threw the can away (it had served its purpose, but take care that when you do this at home you are mindful the beer in the can is still boiling hot). Once we carved into the chicken it was clear that this method was brilliant since everything bit was moist and full of flavor. The crispy skin melted in your mouth with the taste of the Chef’s Blend adding a salty/spicy kick.
As a side course, Steve paired some potatoes which were prepared with Windy City Celery salt to boost the terrific flavor. The recipe was easy — cut up Yukon Gold potatoes and put them on tinfoil. Splash on some olive oil, butter, parsley and Windy City Celery salt. Throw this whole thing on the grill. Remove when the outside of the potatoes become crispy and remember to reposition the potato pieces often to have them cook evenly. Delicious and easy.
Anyway, Steve showed me once again that a fantastic meal does not require a lot of time, ingredients or even special skills. Having the right salts on hand makes a huge difference and transformed this dinner from good to absolutely amazing. We are anxious to explore more of the ‘beer can’ method and welcome your comments/experience notes.
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