Beer can chicken will soon be your go-to on the grill this summer.
This barbecue staple is delicious, easy to make, and basically guarantees crowd-pleasing oohs and ahhs. The steam from the beer keeps the chicken moist while grilling, and since the it’s propped up on either a roasting rack or a beer can, you don’t need to worry about burning or charring, resulting in a perfectly evenly cooked (and beautiful looking!) summer dish.
What you need
KSP Epicure Stainless Steel BBQ Chicken Roaster, $15.99
Apart from the beer and chicken, you need a great roaster to keep the chicken in place and hold the beer (or any other seasonings you want to include.)
We love the stainless steel roaster shown above or this non-stick, round roaster option. Both have a built-in cup to hold the beer and will keep your chicken propped up to sure even roasting.
If you prefer to use the actual can of beer to hold up the chicken, you might like the Outset Beer Can Flavour Roaster, which also has prongs to hold potatoes!
Since you’re not meant to slice into the chicken or flip it around while cooking, it’s great to have a barbecue thermometer on hand too and a great serving outdoor platter in fun summer patterns to bring it all together.
Tasty’s take
This recipe from Buzzfeed starts off with a yummy sounding spice rub made of brown sugar, paprika, tarragon and more.
Beer can chicken with a British accent?
Barbecue isn’t traditionally a British thing, but perennial fan favourite Jamie Oliver throws his hat in the ring with a ‘Spicy & Sweet’ recipe.
His spice rub features cumin, fennel and chili powder, and got rave reviews. If this sounds like the perfect blend to you, give this version a try with his complete recipe here.
Smoke out more flavours
Outset BBQ Wood Chip Smoker Box, $9.59
Canadian chef Ricardo recommends using wood chips in his recipe for beer can chicken, to give it an extra boost of flavour. (Trick: rather than prep a wood chip packet, you can use this handy smoker box.)
To give this version a try, first mix together his basic barbecue rub in this recipe and then follow full directions here, including pouring some of the beer onto the wood chips to bring all the flavours together. Love it!
Ready to roast?
We are so excited to get out there and start grilling. We’d love to hear more about what you’ll be barbecuing this summer.
Find more barbecue essentials here and be sure to share with us on Instagram at @kspstuff. We’re sharing daily inspiration to get you ready for another great season.
