Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken with Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken with Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Have y'all ever had Beer Can Chicken? It was one of my favorite meals growing up. I think it was because of the sheer amazement and excitement that a whole chicken was stuffed with a beer can and then cooked on the grill to absolute perfection. It's almost like it is poached on the inside from the beer, but crispy & smoky from the grill. My dad was the ultimate grill-master, me? Not so much. So, I decided to try and make Beer Can Chicken in the oven. Well people, it was so good. So good that we made it the next night. And well, we don't do that a lot. First, you gotta rub the chicken down with your favorite dry rub. I'm partial to mine because it's smoky, sweet, & a little bit spicy. And it goes good on anything, especially this chicken and BBQ. Then, you shove a bunch of fresh herbs and lemon inside the chicken, which just gives it the best herby & lemony flavor. Well, after that you just pop it in the oven until it's golden brown & crispy, then cut it into pieces (or if you are disgusting like us, pick off half the meat and eat it straight). I drizzled our chicken with a classic Alabama White BBQ Sauce, which a lot of people have not heard of, but it is dear to my heart. It is a mayo based sauce, that is super vinegary & peppery, and it goes perfectly on chicken. Most people in Alabama actually marinate the chicken in the sauce and then grill 'em up... and that's super good too (so try that soon as well). We served our Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken with Mexican Grilled Corn, which I'll post in a day or so!! Enjoy :)

Look at the gorgeous brown skin...

And that yummy drizzle of Alabama White BBQ Sauce... 

Here's some chicken without the sauce.

Here's the chicken right out of the oven, beer can still in baby. 

For the Dry Rub:

1T Salt

2T Brown Sugar

2t Garlic Powder

2t Onion Powder

1t Ground Cumin

1t Chili Powder

1t Black Pepper

Vegetable Oil

3-4lb Whole Chicken (sometimes referred to as a young or fryer chicken)

For the Beer Can Chicken:

Prepared Dry Rubbed Chicken

1 Can of Beer (your choice of beer)

2 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs

Handful of Fresh Parsley

½ Lemon, Sliced Thinly

1 Small Vidalia Onion, Quartered

3 Garlic Cloves, Smashed

For the Alabama White BBQ Sauce:

1C Mayo

1t Dijon Mustard

¼C Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Drops of Worcestershire

1T Sugar

¼t Cayenne, Paprika, Onion Powder, & White Pepper

2t Prepared Horseradish

1 Large Clove of Garlic, Finely Minced

1T Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper, To Taste  (I like a lot of pepper for this recipe)

Directions:

1. For the Dry Rub: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and its packaging. Wash and dry the chicken completely. In a small bowl, combine all of the spices and seasonings to make the dry rub. Rub a little bit of vegetable oil and the seasoning mixture all over the chicken until it is completely coated and covered. Stuff the inside of the bird with the lemon, onions, garlic, and parsley. Let this marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a roasting pan with tin foil. Set out and open a beer to allow it to get to room temperature (making sure to pour out half of the beer for your drinking pleasure). Stick the sprigs of rosemary and thyme into the beer can. Place the beer can into the center of the lined roasting pan, and then slip the chicken on top of the can, using its legs as a tripod, so it will stand up straight.

3. Cook the beer can chicken in the preheated oven for 1 hour, rotating it halfway to ensure even cooking (It’s also yummy to baste the chicken in some of the beer reduction every 20-30 minutes or so). After an hour of cooking, bump the oven heat up to 450 degrees. Cook the chicken at this high temperature for 10-15 minutes, turning the pan to make sure the chicken skin crisps and browns evenly on all sides. After the chicken skin has crisped, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. The juices should run clear and the temperature of the thigh meat should be about 170 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer. Gently remove the hot beer can from the chicken and place onto a cutting board. Cut the chicken into pieces, brush with some more beer reduction, and serve with the Alabama White BBQ Sauce.