Since there is an extra week in August where The Secret Recipe Club doesn't have any groups posting, the owner, Sarah, thought that it would be fun to do something special! An extra bonus addition to the regular monthly edition if you will! 😉 By popular vote, the theme "Tailgating" sounded like a winner to all! I LOVE to grill, so I quickly signed up! So this month, I have had double the pleasure of making, enjoying, and sharing TWO special recipes by two wonderful food bloggers! 😀 I hope that you try them both! 😀 (Click here to see the other August reveal!)

 

 

For the second one for this month, I was secretly assigned, ("Secret Santa-style"), to a terrific blogger named Heather who is the creator behind the blog Join Us, Pull up a Chair!  Heather and her hubby have two children, a boy and a girl, and started her blog for the same reason I did, too. To get all of our recipes from printed-out papers, scribbles on napkins, tattered magazine pages, and labels off of boxes and cans organized into one, safe, organized place. (I know how she feels, I still have a few "stacks of shame" lurking in a cabinet that I'm afraid to open). When Heather isn't in the kitchen teaching her kids how to cook, and enjoying creating new dishes for her family, she keeps herself very busy with her full-time job in marketing, and running her own skincare business! I don't know how she does it all! You rock, Heather! 😀

I have been craving a great roast chicken lately, but it's just been too hot to have the oven on! Luckily, I have a deep love for grilling! So when I saw Heather's recipe for Sticky Chicken Rotisserie Style that was baked in the oven, I thought, hey! Why not just do it on the grill?! So that's what I did! The only two extra ingredients that I needed, that weren't in her recipe, were a little butter for basting and a half of a can of beer. I most certainly had that covered. 😉

 

Mix up your spice blend
and get your can of beer ready using an old-fashioned can opener.

 

 

As you can already see, I decided to try her recipe on the grill using the "beer can" method. If you haven't already heard of this, it simply means that you cook the chicken on an opened can of beer. The moisture from the beer simmering helps to keep the chicken moist, tenderizes the meat, and it's truly a delicious way to grill a chicken!

I was actually out grilling at noon! Seriously! A hot summer day + out on the deck + grilling + an ice cold beer = I'm already there! 😉 I couldn't wait any longer! I was in such a hurry that I forgot to use my foil-wrapped pan for a drip tray under the grill grates, but I didn't have any trouble at all. I was a little nervous - - afraid I'd either burn it, or it would be raw in the center after several hours....but I think the chicken was more nervous than I was....

 

"Well THIS sure is some predicament that I've gotten myself into.....
I sure hope she knows what she's doing!!!! Hmmph!!"

 

 

 

On the grill we went and crossed our fingers
that cooking it longer and slower would end in perfect results!

(That truly is one sexy chicken!)

WOWZA!

 

 

I did up the temp a little though, too, because I didn't want to use all of my propane on one chicken! So I cut the time down to about one hour and forty-five minutes, keeping the grill right at about 375º. I also had the chicken in the center of the grill over no heat/"indirect heat", and the two outer burners on. That way I could still cook it slower without burning the outside.

 

Keep the lid closed! Don't peek!
And your chicken should take anywhere from 1 ½ to 2 hours to get done.
(*Mine took 1 hour and 45 minutes keeping at 375º).

 

 

 

When it was almost an hour and a half into it and close to getting done, I added some corn to the grill, and had a long peek at the chicken! And Oh....My....GAWD did it ever look pretty! I usually do this at a higher temperature, (but still indirect heat), and it's always done in about an hour. But after slowing things down and seeing the results, I'm going to keep doing it this way from now on! It takes almost twice as long, but it's very much worth the extra time!

 

Almost done and looking drop dead GORGEOUS!!

 

 

 

Ms. Hen is very pleased and doing the funky chicken dance!
(Sorry, couldn't stop myself.)

 

 

I've made some delicious roasted, rotisserie, and grilled chickens that were pretty amazing, and this chicken was no exception! The spice blend was absolutely phenomenal, the inside of the chicken was tender and juicy, and the outside skin achieved a nice crispiness! My hubby raved and raved over this, and the only sad thing was, that it didn't last long! I could've easily done two of them! Next time. 😉 😀

We very much enjoyed and inhaled this beautiful bird with fresh corn grilled in the husks, a new potato salad that I made special just to go with this chicken, and some fresh cantaloupe and watermelon for a refreshing and sweet "dessert"!

Now THAT'S a Tailgating FEAST! 😀

 

 

Oh! You'd like a plate, too?
Here you go! And the melons and beers are in the cooler!
Help yourself! 

😀

 

We thoroughly, (understatement!), enjoyed this wonderful recipe and will be making this often!! The spice blend is a treasure of a find and a keeper! What a beautiful bird! It was almost too pretty to cut into......almost! 😉

Thanks so much for sharing your fabulous recipe, Heather, and thanks to Sarah, too, for taking the time to put together this bonus Secret Recipe Club Tailgating Addition! I had so much fun!!!

*Please be sure to pop on over to Heather's blog, Join Us, Pull up a Chair!, to see all of her wonderful recipes! She has a fantastic collection that you'll really enjoy!! 😀

 

 

 

Recipe adapted from Join Us, Pull up a Chair!

Yield: 4 servings

Beer Can Sticky Chicken | The Secret Recipe Club ~ August Tailgating Addition!

Print

5.0 Stars (3 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 1 (3 - 4 lb.) whole chicken, mine weighed 4 lbs.
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. each: onion powder, dried thyme, white pepper
• ¼ tsp. each: cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder
• 1 can of beer
• 2-3 Tbl. melted butter, optional

Instructions

Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. Rinse chicken cavity. Pat dry and rub the chicken inside and out with spices. Place the onion inside.

Place chicken in a bag and refrigerate overnight or at least 4-6 hours.

Preheat grill to 375º turning on the 2 outer grill burners and leaving the 2 (or 1 depending on your grill) center ones off.

Open a can of beer, and pour out half into a small glass. (Drink beer.) With a hand punch can opener, punch a second hole in the top of the can on the opposite side of the open tab.

Place chicken over beer can, nestling down onto can half to ⅔ of the way down.

Carefully place chicken onto grill. Use legs to help stand chicken upright like a tripod.

Close lid and roast chicken for about1 ½ to 2 hours until done and very tender. *Time depends on the size of your chicken and your grill, (how it cooks, hot spots, etc.). Use an instant-read thermometer to check internal temperature. (180º is safely done.)

Remove from grill carefully and baste with melted butter if desired.

With two pairs of tongs, with one hand, hold chicken with tongs. Hold beer can with other pair of tongs and lift chicken from beer can. (You can also hold chicken and stab beer can with a sharp knife near the bottom of the can to release the beer, then lay chicken on it's side, and grab the can and remove it with tongs).

Either way works, but keep in mind that the chicken, and the can and it's contents, will be hot! So remove carefully.

Cut chicken into pieces or into half to serve.