Of all foods I think roast chicken is one that practically everybody (barring vegetarians) enjoy.  It is really easy to cook, cheap and it looks pretty cool as well.  I like the fact it can be enjoyed on its own or as leftovers in a myriad of different dishes.  However with all the great things about roast chicken come some draw backs.  Firstly it isn’t completely foolproof.  If it is cooked too long it can come become dry and unpalatable.  People usually overcome this issue by drowning the dehydrated carcass in lashings of gravy (often Gravox :( ).  The other issue is the mess.  The spitting fat off the chicken goes everywhere, all over the oven and often on the benchtops and floor.  So what is the solution to these problems?

You could purchase a precooked chicken in a paper bag from the local supermarket.  These taste okay but are nothing like cooking it at home and are kind of a rip off.  Alternatively you could get some from a takeaway store.  These often taste great but are very expensive and if you are feeding many people it can be a costly exercise.  Besides it isn’t cooked by you.

My solution is barbeque chicken.  I have been investigating different ways of cooking it.  One method is a rotisserie.  This is probably the best way to cook it on the BBQ but it requires some expensive equipment.  Alternatively you could cut the chicken on either side of the backbone, butterfly it out and cook it on the grill.  I have tried this method with almost catastrophic results (I might post it later, one word, phoenix).  However, the chicken requires constant attention which is far from ideal when you have people over.

This lead me trying beer can chicken.  I had heard of it before and there are plenty of instructions and recipes on the internet.  The concept interested me.  Basically this method involves stuffing a half full can of beer into the cavity of a chicken.  Then you stand the chicken on its end, resting on the bottom of the can on the barbeque.  Unfortunately the base of a can is notoriously unstable.  Luckily there are little stands on sale at barbeque stores expressly for this purpose.  The theory is that the beer in the can boils and the resulting steam cooks the chicken from the inside.  This also keeps the meat moist.

Beer can chicken is a great way to cook and provides a little spectacle when you are cooking for a party.  I served my chicken with Trissa’s Mexican Corn and Kartoffelsalat.  It was enjoyed by all however one guest put too much chilli powder on his corn and he turned a funny shade of red.  Whilst this is a novel way of cooking a chicken it is actually works, which is surprising.

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients
1 Chicken
1 can Beer
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
6 cloves Garlic, halved
10 sprigs Thyme
Parsley, small bunch
Caraway seeds
Rock Salt

Method
  1. Fire up a barbeque with a hood to a medium heat or prepare a Weber (I have no idea how this is done).
  2. Clean out the inside of your bird and dry the skin with paper towel.  Sprinkle the skin with salt and caraway seeds.
  3. Consume half of the can of beer (yay!) and cut the top of the can off with a sharp knife or a can opener.  Place onion, garlic, thyme and parsley in the can.
  4. Politely wedge the can (taking care not to spill the beer) into the cavity of the bird leaving about a third protruding.  Stand the beer on the can and place on stand.  Sprinkle with more salt and caraway seeds and salt.
  5. Place chicken on barbeque over an indirect heat (approximately 180°C -210°C).  Place a temperature probe on the thickest part of the bird (either the thigh or the breast).
  6. Cook with the hood down until core temperature is 75°C, timing will be dependant on the size of your bird.

P.S.  Hello to all the Sydney Food Bloggers I met the other night at drinks.  I had a great night and it was great to put faces to all the wonderful blogs I have been reading.  I look forward to following your future posts and maybe catching up again :)

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