Have you had beer can chicken? If not, you really need to try it. Because of the way it’s cooked, it’s crispy on the outside but the beer keeps it moist and tender on the inside.
Simply mix the dry rub ingredients together.
Remove the giblets if needed and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Give the chicken a rubdown with some olive oil and then with the dry rub.
Make sure to rub it all over the chicken, getting into all the creases and folds (under the wings and such). You can rub this on just before you cook the chicken but letting it sit on the chicken for a while (as you would with a liquid marinade) makes it even better.
I usually apply the rub in the morning before I’m going to cook the chicken, although you could even do it the night before.
I like to use some of the rub on the inside of the chicken too for added flavour.
Spray the beer can with some cooking spray for ease of removal. I also spray the grill surface to prevent the rub and juices from sticking to it. If I’m using a beer can chicken pan or using a roasting pan or something similar to make this in the oven instead of the grill, I also cover those with foil and then spray with cooking spray to make the cleanup much easier.
Place the beer can on a flat surface and shove the cavity of the chicken down over the beer can.
Cook the chicken over medium-high indirect heat, covered for about an hour and a half. If roasting in the oven, I set it at 425 degrees F.
I usually check it at the one hour point and then every 15 minutes thereafter until it’s done. You want the internal temperature reading with a meat thermometer to read 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh.