Pop Can Chicken (Also called Beer Can Chicken)

Looking for something new and delicious?  I found a great recipe for beer can chicken, which I altered a little bit since we don’t drink beer.  The recipe initially came from Steve Raichlen, a chef who appeared with Bobby Flay on the Food Network.  The rub portion of the recipe is only altered a tiny bit, but Steve deserves the credit for what my wife and I think is the best chicken ever.  In order to do this recipe you either need a grill with a hood tall enough for a chicken standing on end, or else you can use the oven.  If you have a meat thermometer, it will come in handy.

First, we need 1 whole chicken.  A broiler or fryer is best.  I have done this recipe with a cornish hen before.  It’s not easy but can be done.

Next, we need a can of pop.  I like to use Diet Dr. Pepper, but you can use beer.  You only need 1/2 the can, so drink the other half.  (Why let it go to waste?) You can buy little stands for making chicken this way, but you don’t really need them.  The chicken will be able to stand on its own as long as you aren’t out there moving the grill around.

Finally, we need the ingredients for the rub.  This is my modified version.  My wife and I don’t like paprika much, so we only put a little bit.  Also, we cut the amount of cayenne in 1/2.  You can add the full amount if you like spicy food, or more than that if you really like spicy food.

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoons sweet paprika
3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon hickory salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all of them together in a bowl.  The easiest way is to use one with a lid and just shake the mix together.  According to the original recipe, it will keep for 6 months in an air tight container.

Next, pull the giblets out of your bird if they were included, along with the neck, if included.  We don’t need them for this recipe so you can either use them for something else, or just throw them away. 

Note:  Don’t throw the neck down the garbage disposal.  I did that once and we heard bones crushing for several hours.

Wash the bird with water, and then pat dry with paper towels.  Put a little bit of the rub in the can, but hold it over the sink.  Diet Dr. Pepper always fizzes up.  Lay the bird on a plate or a pan - whatever you plan to use to get the bird from your kitchen to the grill.  Apply the rub to the outside of the chicken , as well as inside the body cavity.  Then, place the can in the middle of your plate and lower the chicken down on to it so that the can goes into the body cavity.  Using the legs, it will form a tripod, which should be able to stand.  You should probably do this out by the grill, otherwise you’ll have to carry it and hope it doesn’t fall over.  Transfer the chicken to the grill and balance it so it won’t fall over.

Turn the heat to low, close the hood.  If you are using a charcoal grill, you should already have known to move all the coals to one side of the grill and then place the chicken on the other.  Let the bird cook until the internal temp is 180F, which takes about one hour and 30 minutes.  Crack the hood once or twice just to make sure that there aren’t any flareups, but try not to open the hood all the way, thus letting the heat escape.  It really does take an hour and a half to cook (at least on my gas grill).  If you have a thermometer, stick it into the breast meat to verify the temperature.  If not, just cut into the breast to make sure it is done to the middle.  If you don’t wait the full hour and a half and you have to cut into the chicken to verify doneness, you will open up the meat to let out more of its delicious juices.  So be patient.

If you are going to use your oven (which happened to me once when I ran out of propane after 30 minutes of cook time), take out all the racks but one and leave it on the bottom setting.  You’ll want to put the chicken upright on a pan or something.  If you have a round cake pan, these work great since the sides will keep the legs from sliding.  I believe I just used the default temp of 350 for my oven model, but you could bring it down to 300.  We want it to cook slowly so that the liquid in the can has time to evaporate and soak into the meat, as well as allowing the flavors in the rub to absorb.

Once your bird is cooked, take it inside.  This part takes 2 people armed with tongs.  Have one person hold the bird under the wings with a pair of tongs while the other person grabs the bottom of the can and turns it until the can comes out.  Set this can in the sink.  It will be very hot.

For carving, you won’t want to eat the skin.  It will be super salty and is bad eats.  The part you want is the meat under the skin, which has absorbed the flavor.  The pop or beer will have evaporated and absorbed into the chicken as well, adding flavor and moisture.  The recipe above also has a cola barbecue sauce, but we never use it.  Usually, we eat what we can and then pick the carcass clean.  If you put it in an airtight storage container you can freeze the meat for use in soup, other recipes, or in our case, chicken quesadillas.