Sunday Beer Can Chicken Dinner

I thought I'd start the recipes with my favorite day, Sunday. Why is Sunday my favorite?

Because around the Stoesz house, it's known as family day. It's the one day a week that we let others take over at the restaurant and my little Stoesz clan (me, my husband and daughter) take some time together. It doesn't seem like much but we put an emphasis on quality, not quantity. Part of our Sunday ritual is cooking dinner together and sharing the time with good food, a game of HORSE (basketball game that I'm terrible at) and just hanging out with each other. We serve this at the restaurant as a special on Sunday for families to gather around our tables and feast.

Enough about my day off, let's get to the chicken......

I like to keep my recipes a little fluid. As in, you should modify them to your tastes. So I'll give you some alternatives to certain aspects. If you aren't familiar with beer can chicken, it is when a whole chicken is cooked with the cavity placed on a flavor infused beer can and either grilled or smoked. I will give you the preparation but the decision on smoking or grilling is up to you.

Here's what you need:

1 WHOLE CHICKEN

RINSE & PAT DRY

1/4 CUP PACKED BROWN SUGAR

2 TABLESPOONS PAPRIKA

2 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER

2 TEASPOON CHILI POWDER

2 TEASPOON KOSHER SALT

2 TEASPOON ONION POWDER

2 TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER

1/4 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER

MIX ALL OF THESE TOGETHER AND SET ASIDE. THIS IS YOUR RUB FOR THE CHICKEN. IF YOU WANT A SHORT CUT, YOU CAN MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME, IN A BIGGER BULK AND SAVE FOR LATER. THERE ARE STORE BOUGHT RUBS OUT THERE AS WELL. IF YOU LIKE THINGS SPICY KICK UP THE PEPPER. IF YOU LIKE IT NOT SO SPICY, ADD LESS. THIS CAN BE ADJUSTED TO YOUR TASTE.

1 CLOVE OF GARLIC

SPRIG OF ROSEMARY

SPRIG OF THYME

A RING OF ONION

IF YOU DON'T HAVE FRESH ONION, A DASH OF ONION POWDER

ONE CAN OF BEER

1/2 EMPTY, I THINK YOU SHOULD DRINK IT, BUT AT LEAST POUR HALF OUT. TAKE THE CAN AND PUT THE GARLIC, ROSEMARY, THYME AND ONION INSIDE THE CAN

NOW IT'S TIME TO RUB YOUR CHICKEN!! I THINK IT'S EASIEST TO RUB IT WHILE ALREADY ON THE BEER CAN. PLACE THE CHICKEN, OPEN CAVITY ONTO BEER CAN, STANDING UP. BUT YOU CAN DO IT EITHER WAY.

ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR CHICKEN RUBBED AND PLACED ON ITS THRONE IT IS READY FOR THE GRILL OR SMOKER. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR CHICKEN COOKS TO AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF 180 DEGREES. I LIKE TO GRILL FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR AT 350/400 DEGREES OR SMOKE WITH A MIX OF HICKORY AND APPLE WOODS AT 250 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 2-2 1/2 HOURS. BUT INTERNAL TEMPERATURE IS ALWAYS KEY SO CHECK WITH A THERMOMETER. While the chicken is cooking, this is a good time for that game of HORSE.

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Serve your chicken with your favorite sides and any of our signature barbecue sauces. Kansas City Sweet, Smoky Smoky, Spicy Whiskey and Carolina Mustard all compliment the chicken well. Hope this serves you well and you find your perfect balance of flavor with the rubs and sauces! You can find our sauces for sale on Esty. Go to our HOME page and click on the Etsy link. They are also for sale at the restaurant 6604 Mineral Point Rd Madison Wi 53705. Made in small batches so they are limited availability!!

Sunday Beer Can Chicken Dinner

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