Chicken

Hold My Beer Can – Check Out Iced Tea Can Chicken

Ah, beer can chicken. Yes, that beer can chicken! he most singular way I know to cook a chicken. Once of the best ways I know to cook a whole chicken. The subject of my latest book: Beer Can Chicken—the revised edition of my 2004 classic.

In case you’ve been hibernating for the last 20 years, beer can chicken arose from the Memphis in May Barbecue Cooking Contest at the turn of the century and quickly became a barbecue icon.

In a nutshell, it involves roasting a chicken upright on an open can of beer.

The advantages of this unusual method are many: the vertical position helps the bird roast quickly and evenly, draining out fat and crisping the skin. The beer may or may not flavor the chicken, but it can certainly enhance the flavor of the accompanying barbecue sauce.

Most important—it looks cool, and it never fails to delight when you lift the grill lid.

But beer cans are only a start because you can make “beer” can chicken with sodas, such as cola and ginger ale; with fruit juices, such as cranberry juice (served with—what else—cranberry salsa) or apricot nectar; and even with—why not—iced tea.

Sweet tea—heavily sweetened iced tea—is popular at barbecue joints in Texas and the rest of the South, so I thought, why not use iced tea mix in a barbecue rub and grill the chicken on a can of iced tea? It sounds outrageous. It is outrageous. But being outrageous should be one of the goals of any intrepid griller. And, besides, you’ll be surprised how well the tea flavor marries smoke and spice in this chicken.

And chicken is only part of the story, because who doesn’t want to fire up his grill for beer can turkey, pineapple juice quail, and root beer game hens.

You’ll find all these in my new Beer Can Chicken revisited book—plus side dishes and even dessert. And this month we’re offering a 20% Discount on the Hachette Web Store. Use discount code SCHOOL24. Good until 9/4/24.

Beer can chicken. Because sometimes the secret ingredient for great barbecue is whimsy.

Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com

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