Derek's Grilled Beer Chicken

[Darling SilverDodger]

Derek's Grilled Beer Chicken:
Ingredients:

1 whole medium sized chicken (about 5-6 lbs - make sure you can fit a can of beer inside, and it will fit on your grill with the top down)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped, or a teaspoon of dried rosemary
1 large clove of garlic, minced; or garlic powder
12 ounce cans of beer (only 1 is needed, but if you spill it on the grill, you'll need more)
1 small onion, peeled and quartered

Remove giblet bag from cavity of chicken; rinse inside and out under cold running water; pat dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix the pepper, seasoning salt, and rosemary; season chicken inside and out with the mixture.
In order to smear the diced garlic under the skin of the chicken's breast, push your index and middle finger under the skin on the breast to form a pocket between the skin and the flesh.

Prior to opening, rinse off a can of beer; Now, here's where it gets tricky: open the can of beer and while holding the chicken neck-end up, insert the beer can into the cavity of the chicken (open end toward the neck to avoid spilling the beer out); use the onion quarters to wedge the beer can in place.

Place the chicken on the grill like a tripod using the 2 legs and the can of beer as the frame (you will need to pull the legs of the chicken outward a bit to make it stand-up). It might take some practice to get the chicken to stand-up without tipping over. You may want to try this before the grill is hot. If this is your first attempt, you will probably need a couple cans of beer; but, be careful, the beer will flame up when it hits the coals. A few well placed metal skewers can help stabilize it.

Cook until the temperature registers 180 degrees with a quick read thermometer inserted into the fleshy part of the thigh. The base of the chicken may become slightly blackened, but the beer will evaporate and help keep the chicken moist and tender.


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