Life's Ambrosia

Dill Beer Can Chicken

I have been wanting to try Beer Can chicken for a long time now. I always hear how wonderful it is. How moist the meat is. How crispy the skin is, but I didn’t try making it myself until just a couple weeks ago. And then on Monday, I made it again using a simple blend of dill, salt and pepper to coat the skin resulting in this perfectly moist, perfectly crispy Dill Beer Can Chicken.

Guys, it is everything that I ever heard it was. The meat is so tender and moist. And the skin… oh my gahh the skin

Seriously, if someone packed and sold crispy chicken skin chips I would be all over it. Who needs potato chips?!

The skin of this chicken would make a great addition to the chicken skin chips line. Cooking it on the grill it gets that perfectly crisp, golden color that I love. And the salt/dill/pepper rub makes it salty and flavorful. Really, it’s chicken skin perfection.

The meat is pretty nice too though. I don’t know about you but the bummer for me when roasting chicken is that the breast is always so so dry. Not so with this. The beer (to which I added a few dill sprigs and garlic) adds just the right amount of moisture to the chicken as it cooks.

And guys, it is beyond easy. Turn on the grill for indirect heat. Rub the chicken with a little olive oil and spices. Place half of a 16 ounce can of beer (drink the other half! I did :) ) with a little dill and garlic into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken on the part of the grill that is not on. Cover and cook. And in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours you will have one of the most succulent bites of chicken you have ever had.

Dill Beer Can Chicken Recipe

Serves 4 - 6 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) can of lager beer, half empty
4 sprigs fresh dill
4 cloves garlic
1 (5 - 5 1/2 pound chicken), gizzards removed, pat dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

Prepare your grill for indirect heat.

Place the dill sprigs and garlic cloves inside the beer can. Place the beer can inside the cavity of the chicken. The bottom will stick out, this is how the chicken will be stabilized on the grill. Place the chicken upright on a plate or baking sheet to make it easier to carry to the BBQ.

Rub the chicken all over with olive oil.

In a bowl, combine dill, kosher salt and black pepper

Rub the mixture all over the chicken.

Place chicken on the part of your gill that is not on, using the beer can so it sits like a tripod. Cover. Adjust heat if necessary, the chicken should cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours at about 350 degrees.

After an hour, check the chicken. If the temperature in the thigh registers 165 degrees, carefully remove it from the grill. I used tongs to hold the beer can and a pot holder to stabilize the top part of the chicken. Use tongs to carefully remove the beer can and discard. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, carve and serve.