1 whole chicken (you can use baking hens but I prefer fryers since they are
lower in fat)
1 Can beer
Black Pepper (fresh ground or already ground)
White Pepper
Seasoned salt
garlic (whole cloves or use powder)
thyme (fresh or powdered)
half celery stalk
half onion (you can substitute 1 teaspoon of onion powder but it’s not nearly
as favorable)
half carrot
Prep your grill if using charcoal. Put a bank of charcoal briquettes on one
side of your grill. Understand this is not half the grill, just along one
side. To give you an idea it’s roughly 36 briquettes.
If you use gas, light only one side of the grill and keep the heat on
medium.
Make sure you get the paper and giblets out of the cavity if there are any
there. Wash the chicken thoroughly inside with cold water. Grind liberal
amount of black pepper inside chicken, generally four or five turns of the
pepper mill, or sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of ground pepper inside chicken
cavity. Shake seasoned salt, roughly 1 teaspoon, inside cavity. If using
whole herbs, put 2 crushed garlic cloves and four sprigs of thyme inside the
cavity. If using powdered herbs, approximately 1 teaspoon each of garlic
powder and powdered thyme.
Stuff the celery stalk, half onion, and half carrot into cavity. You may
have to break the veggies in half to get them inside the cavity.
Sprinkle seasoned salt and white pepper all over the outside of the chicken.
Open the beer can with an opener, put three holes in the top. Place the
beer can inside the chicken cavity, open end in first, as far as it will go.
Don’t worry about crushing your veggies. Put the chicken on the grill away
from the fire as far as you can get it and still put the lid on the grill.
Put a handful of Alder wood chips on the hot charcoal coals, or place the
chips in your smoker box for the gas grill. Cook the chicken 2 1/2 hours
with the cover on. If I lift the lid at all to peek, it’s generally about
half way through. If your fire is a bit hot, you might have to turn the
chicken 180 degrees midway through cooking. Be CAREFUL though, that beer is
boiling hot!!
When the chicken is done, usual test, clear running fluids, easy
manipulation of the leg, then carefully remove the chicken from the grill.
Remember that beer can is hot and still contains some hot beer.
Best eating chicken in the world. Leftovers,. if any, make great chicken
salad, or chicken alfredo.