Oiled Up, S & P Slapped, Sierra Nevada Infused Chicken!

It's a little bit funny that I would have two blog posts about chicken butts (Click Here) within my first year of blogging! 

This time I didn't burn the buns off my bird; I oiled it up, slapped some s & p on it and shoved a can where the sun don't shine...and it was INCREDIBLE!

The only way I can get you to understand the state I was in after my first bite is to show you this.

That's right...six years old on Christmas morning!

So without further ado...

Beer Can Chicken {Beer Butt Chicken}

Ingredients

• 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
• 1 can beer (some said use light beer, but Sierra Nevada Pale Ale worked great!)

 This past Saturday I had lunch on the street in Walnut Creek at Tender Greens and they had the most mouthwatering roasted chicken.  It was simple but sensational and that's what I wanted to recreate here so I actually left out the dry spice rub.  Where I did add a little flavor was the oil.  Meyer Lemon oil screams Spring to me and even if it didn't I would continue to douse everything in it! 

Side Note: If you find yourself at a Tender Greens I don't care how full you are you absolutely MUST order the lemon & olive oil cake! 

Directions

Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside. 

Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). {This is what I love most about this recipe!  I read a couple that said discard 1/2 beer...really?!} Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod. 

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife {and this was my least favorite part...seriously STAB the leg?! Can you tell a guy wrote this recipe? ;)}

Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

The outside is so ridiculously crispy and the inside is so moist...it's perfect!

 My only regret is that I instagramed, tweeted and facebooked my triumph because it meant that eventually I had to share it.  Being home alone for the evening I ate directly off the cutting board while envisioning myself polishing this beauty off and getting rid of the evidence.  Normally for me to have thoughts of such gluttony it would have to involve cheese or chocolate, now I can add chicken to the short list.