This recipe for beer can chicken is a favorite among the tailgating crowd. The group at Clubhouse Tailgate call it Tailgate Chicken on a Throne

Ingredients:

  • Wild Willy’s Number One-Derful Rub or mix
  • Two 3½ lb chickens (Note: Larry uses 7 lb roasters and adjust the recipe)
  • Injection Liquid:
  • 12 oz beer
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 2 tsp Wild Willy’s Rub or mix
  • ¼ cup white vinegar (Larry uses Alderson’s homemade hot vinegar if you have it, or use cider vinegar that jalapeno peppers have been soaking in)
  • Throne Mop (Optional…Larry does not use it!)
  • 1 cup chicken stock or broth
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • Beer Can Filler
  • ½ medium onion – chopped
  • 1 tbs Wild Willy’s Rub or mix
  • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • ¼ cup vinegar (Alderson’s homemade if available)

Directions:

  1. The night before combine rub ingredients in a bowl
  2. Combine injection ingredients in another bowl
  3. Using a kitchen syringe, inject the birds (inject into breast, legs, thighs)
  4. Massage the birds with whatever injection liquid you can’t get to stay in through injection, then rub birds down inside and outside with Wild Willy’s or mix (keep some rub for the Throne Mop)
  5. Place birds in plastic bags and refrigerate overnight
  6. Prepare smoker with temperature in the area of 200-220 degrees F, put in drip pan and fill with water, 2 beers, and a shake of rub
  7. Take chickens out of refrigerator and let sit a room temperature about 30 minutes
  8. Remove the top of the beer cans, place ½ of the Beer Can Filler in each can
  9. Insert each can into the body cavity of each bird, put bird on grill balancing them so they rest upright with legs bent forward, cans should sit flat on grill holding birds at attention (it is permissible to use the handy “bird holders” now available – see below)
  10. If mopping, mix the Throne Mop ingredients and keep warm
  11. Cook birds approximately 3½ to 4 hours (mop every 30 minutes is you wish)
  12. When birds are done, legs should move freely and internal temperature should be 180-185 degrees F (Larry cooks about 4 hours as birds are bigger, also uses hickory chunks for additional flavor)
  13. Use a meat thermometer to ensure birds are full cooked

[ratings]

Recipe courtesy of Lt Col Lee J. Viverette, III, USMC (Ret) with modifications by Larry Ramsey