With Father’s Day barely behind us, I am already looking forward to our family gathering for the upcoming 4th of July. Independence Day is one of those holidays when men often involve themselves with manning the coals and skewering things. My family is no different.
So, for a great guy kind of 4th of July feast, try Beer Can Chicken, a recipe that has become popular in recent years. Here's our take on this fun meal.
3 or 4 Whole Bodied Chickens (My family is large).
Rub recipe for the chickens is as follows:
- 3 Tbsps. black pepper
- 3 Tbsps. granulated onion
- 3 Tbsps. granulated garlic
- 1 tsp. ground chili pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. celery seed
- 1 tsp. ground fennel seed
-
½ tsp. ground cumin
Rub down the chickens, while you are allowing the coals to burn bright and mature to the proper stage for cooking the chickens. While this is happening, open the same number of beer cans, for the number of chickens you will be cooking.
The next step is very important - Open the beer cans, and allow the BBQ guys to drink half of each can of beer, along with any beer they already have in their other hand:-) This accomplishes two things. (1) It keeps the guys humored, while the coals are being tended, and (2) it will allow you to place the half full cans of beer into the chicken butts without spilling.
When the coals are ready, place all the standing chickens up on their beer cans onto the grill. The liquid inside the can boils forcing flavor up and through the meat. It also provides entertainment while watching the little chickens on the grill, when they appear to dance around giving new meaning to the Chicken Dance.
You can use fruit juice in a can instead. I know that apple cider is also very good.
The cooking time on the grill is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. You can serve with your traditional BBQ side dishes - Corn on the Cob, Baked Beans, Potato Salad, and Apple Pie.
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