Drunken Chicken!! (Beer Can Chicken)

In an effort to make my butt smaller I am trying to eat a little bit healthier.

The problem I find when I am trying to be "careful" eating is I hate bland food!!

I LOVE butter!!
I love cheese!
I love rice & potatoes!!
But... **sigh** I am trying to cut down on the carbs....

One way to get maximum flavor with less or no added fat is to smoke or grill your meats.

Here is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken.

Enjoy!!!

Beer Can Chicken

You will need....

1 whole chicken
1 tall can o' beer (16 oz. tallboy is best but a 12 oz will work too!)
olive oil 4 cloves garlic crushed
salt and black pepper
your favorite beer (for marinating the chef AND the bird!)

seasoning for chicken (or just use a seasoning blend of your own favorites):

4 cloves garlic, crushed
fresh basil
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Rub your seasoning blend all over the chicken.....

I also like to add a few slices of lemon or some crushed garlic under the skin... (I used to add butter **sigh**)

Just season your bird the way you like it.. you can't go wrong.

For grilling = Start with a hot grill (coals all white and ready to cook).

For smoking = get your smoker up to temperature (I like to start it out around 300 degrees then let it cook at 250 degrees till done.)

Open the can of beer. I like to also punch a few more holes in the top with a can opener to allow the steam to escape more evenly.

Drink or dump out about 1/4 of that can of beer. Drop a few cloves of garlic into the beer.

Oil up the can and lower that chicken over top of it. The beer can goes into the chicken's body cavity and allows the bird to stand upright. (see the above picture)

close your grill or smoker and cook the chicken until its wings are loose and the skin turns clear.

as the beer/garlic mixture heats up, it permeates the meat with flavor. it Tenderizes it... It basically yummy-fies it. I dare you NOT to LOVE this chicken!!

Grilling/Smoking times vary pretty dramatically—from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the size of your bird and the heat of your coals. Use a meat thermometer to check for a breast (not touching the bone) temperature of 160°.

Dig into some of the most tender & flavorful chicken you have ever eaten!!