I wanted to grill a beer butt chicken but all I had was bottled beer. You know what that is. It's when you set a can of beer inside the cavity of a whole chicken, then grill it in a vertical position. So instead, I decided to brine the chicken in the beer first, then grill it. It was really good and very moist. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 bottle of beer
- your favorite grill seasoning.
When I grill a whole chicken, I like to remove the backbone and spread the chicken out so that it cooks more evenly. Just put the chicken back side up on a cutting board. With sharp kitchen shears, cut from the neck to the tail along one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side to remove the bone. Now apply pressure with your hand to flatten it.
Put the chicken in a large, heavy-duty zip top bag and add the beer. Seal the bag, put it in a bowl and put the bowl in the refrigerator for several hours.
While your grill is heating up, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and drain the beer and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the seasonings of your choice and put it on the grill skin side down first. Close the lid and let it cook (at 325 degrees) for about 30 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook until done. My total cooking time was about 1 1/2 hours, but that will be determined by the heat of your grill. Try cooking is at a lower temperature for a little longer and you'll get a really moist chicken.
I served this with champagne vinaigrette potato salad and a sliced avocado. Delicious! The low and slow cooking gave it an amazing smoky flavor and it was really moist. Give it a try.
Enjoy!
Lynn
