How to Grill a Chicken on a Beer Can

Beer can chicken is certainly not a new concept.  I've done them here and there in the past before, but have just never gotten around to blogging one.  I've made this a few times this summer, because it's a nice meal for company that takes relatively little preparation.  In fact, I think I'll make another tomorrow, as we still have a couple of frozen whole chickens in the freezer.

Though the explanation for this recipe seems extremely long and convoluted, this is actually a meal that requires relatively little preparation.  It takes a bit of time to roast the chicken, of course, but it only takes a few minutes to get it ready.  And once it's on the grill, you can virtually ignore it.  I keep a batch of the required barbecue rub in our cupboard at all times, which makes this really fast to throw together.  If you don't have time to make the rub, you can use a commercial rub to save time.

We don't bother using the wood chips, though I'm sure it'd be even better if we did.  Though I traditionally use beer, I used diet 7-Up last time I made this, since we're now gluten-free and beer has gluten.  And it worked just as well with 7-Up.

I served this with orzo salad and roasted pepper and tomato salad when we had our company up.  And typing this is making me want to run to the market to get a huge batch of peppers and tomatoes to make some of the second salad to freeze for the winter, because it's so darned delicious!  Maybe that's what I'll do on Tuesday when I don't have the kids :)

1 can (12 oz) beer (or cola, lemon-lime soda or root beer)
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 tbsp. basic barbecue rub or your favourite commercial rub
2 C wood chips or chunks (preferably apple or hickory), soaked for 1 hour in a half can of beef plus water to cover, then drained (using beef from above can)

1.  Pop the tab off the beer can.  Using a church key-style can opener, make a few more holes in the top of the can.  Pour our half the beef into the soaking water of the wood chips.  Set the can of beer aside.

2.  Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium.  If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the centre.  If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and preheat on high until you see smoke, then reduce heat to medium.

3.  Remove the packet of giblets from the body cavity of the chicken and set aside for another use.  Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities.  Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels.  Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the rub inside the body and neck cavities of the chicken.  Rub the bird all over on the outside with 2 teaspoons of the rub.  If you have the patience, you can put some of the rub under the skin.

4.  Spoon the remaining 2 teaspoons of rub through the holes into the beer in the can.  Don't worry if it foams up:  This is normal.  Insert the beer can into the body cavity of the chicken and spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, as shown in Steps 4 and 5 on the facing page.  Tuck the wing tips behind the chicken's back.

prior to grilling

5.  When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all the wood chips on the coals.  Stand the chicken up in the centre of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat.  Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crispy and the meat is cooked through (about 180 degrees Farenheit on an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thigh), 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.  If using a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 12 fresh coals per side after 1 hour.

6.  Using tongs, carefully transfer the chicken in its upright position on the beer can to a platter and present it to your guests.  Let rest 5 minutes, then carefully remove the chicken from the beef can.  Take care not to spill the hot beef or otherwise burn yourself.  Quarter or carve the chicken and serve.

Serves 2 to 4. 

Difficulty level: moderate

Taken from How to Grill by Steven Raichlen.

Summer Sangria

This is perfect for an outdoor barbecue.  And it's particularly good for a big get together, as it makes a lot and isn't terribly expensive.  

My mom requests this almost every time she comes to visit.  And only a glass or two of this gets her giggling like a little school girl.

1/2 bottle orange flavoured soda
1/2 bottle lemon-lime flavoured soda
1 bottle red wine (don't bother getting something super expensive)
1 orange, lime and lemon
ice cubes 

thanks for the awesome pitcher Brandi!

For the sodas, we used Fanta for the orange flavoured soda and sugar-free Fresca.  We've used a variety of different things over the years, but tend to never use Sprite/7-Up or Orange Crush, as we find they don't give it quite the right flavour.   

This is super simple to make.  You just mix together a bottle of wine, and about a half bottle of each of the two sodas.  Then slice up the lemon, lime and orange and put them into the sangria.  It is ideal if you can let this sit for a couple of hours before serving, to let the flavours mix.  And let sit for a couple of hours.  If not, just stir it for a bit to get rid of the carbonation in the sodas.  Serve cold with extra ice.

Difficulty level: easy

Mojo-Marinated Pork

This recipe was suggested to me by my dad and comes from the How to Grill cookbook. It's a simple, tasty way to prepare pork.  The recipe calls for pork tenderloins, but I've only ever done it with pork loin.  I've never bothered using the remaining mojo as a sauce, but I would if we were having company, as I'm sure that'd make it even better. Don't omit the fresh coriander, as that's a big part of what gives this its flavour. I've only made this in the winter, so instead of barbecuing it, we just cooked it in the oven as you would any pork roast (it took just slightly over an hour to cook our 2 lb. roast).

1/2 C olive oil
8 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced crosswise
1 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste
1/3 C lime juice
1/3 C orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro or mint
2 to 3 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 lbs. total)
2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 navel orange, peeled and sectioned with membranes removed, for serving 

1. Prepare the mojo. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until the garlic is fragrant and a pale golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown too much or it will become bitter. Stir in the lime and orange juices, salt, pepper and oregano and 1/3 C water. Stand back. The sauce may sputter. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or cumin as necessary. Let cool to room temperature, then stir in the cilantro.

2. Pour half of the mojo over the pork and let marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably, overnight, turning to ensure even marinating. Refrigerate the remaining mojo to serve as a sauce.

3. Brush the onion slices with any leftover mariade, skewer them crosswise on skewers or toothpicks, and place on the grill. Grill the pork and the onions until cooked to taste. The meat will take 3 to 4 minutes on each of its four sides, 12 to 16 minutes in all for medium. The onions should be nicely charred after 4 to 6 minutes per side.

4. Slice the tenderloins crosswise on the diagonal. Fan out the slices on a platter and top with the unskewered grilled onions. Spoon the reserved mojo over them, garnish with the orange sections and serve at once.

Serves 4.

Sesame-Grilled Asparagus and Berry Tart

I made this recipe this weekend while my family was down to visit. I used to make it a lot, but somehow, in the recent baby-dom of life, it's become much easier to just steam veggies than to actually do anything with them. Though, overall, this is still quite a quick and easy recipe. And I'd forgotten just how delicious it is. This recipe comes from How to Grill, by Steven Raichlen (who is featured on the Food Network).

1 lb. asparagus (the stalks shouldn't be too thin)
2 tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
coarse salt and black pepper
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

















1.  Soak either wooden toothpicks or slender bamboo skewers for 1 hour in cold water to cover, then drain.

2.  Set up the grill and preheat to high.  

3.  Snap off the woody bases of the asparagus and discard.  

Though not recommended in the recipe, I chose to boil the asparagus for a few minutes before grilling them, to be sure they were cooked enough and wouldn't take forever to grill. I just boiled them until they were fork-tender.

4.  Skewer 4 or 5 asparagus spears together, using toothpicks or bamboo skewers. (I just use a barbecue grill basket and don't bother spearing them together).

5.  In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic, and stir with a fork to mix.  Brush this mixture on the asparagus on both sides.  Season the asparagus with a little salt and lots of pepper.

6.  When ready to cook, place the asparagus on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side.  Sprinkle the asparagus with the sesame seeds as they grill.  You can serve the asparagus with or without the skewers.

Serves 4.

I then served a berry tart for dessert from a recipe that I had put up on my blog last year:

 













Except that this year, I used a mixture of fresh berries.  We also made a glaze for it this year (having a bit more time than we did when we originally made it with a one-month old). We basically just put some strawberry jam in a pot (you want to use a jam without too many chunks), added a small amount of water and heated it and mixed it together until it had a runny gelatin-like consistency.  We also had to add a bit of sugar to keep it all sticking together, as the jam I happened to have was a reduced sugar jam.  When heated, we let it cool a bit and then just used a food brush to paint it onto the fruit. The tart then has this lovely looking glaze that also protects the fruit for a bit longer before it turns (if it lasts that long without getting eaten!).  The glaze so makes the tart. I highly recommend spending the extra few minutes that it takes to make the glaze.

Grilled Tomatoes Stuffed with Oka

I made these tomatoes for dinner the other night with a couple of the tomatoes I had bought for making salsa. There's nothing better than in-season tomatoes. Mmm... We made these in the oven instead of on the bbq, as it was raining out. Just add a salad and a piece of baguette and you've got a relatively easy complete meal.

2 slices of crumbled bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1/2 chopped onion
4 medium sized tomatoes
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 beaten eggs
1 slice of whole-wheat bread, cut into cubes
1/3 C 10% (I substituted milk)
1 C Oka cheese, shredded or cubed
salt and pepper, to taste



1. Preheat barbecue or oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.

2. Cook onion and bacon in a pan until the onion is tender. Let cool.

3. Cut the top off of the tomatoes and empty the inside of each tomato with a spoon.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bacon mixture, mix and stuff the tomatoes with this preparation. Place the lid of the tomato on the top of each tomato and cook on the barbecue (or in the oven) approximately 12 minutes.

Serves 4.

Variations:
You can replace the Oka by St-Paulin, aged Gouda or medium cheddar.
For a vegetarian option, just omit the bacon.

Pork Tenderloin

I had been looking for a simple but tasty recipe to make for dinner for this weekend, as my family was back up again and I don't have a ton of time on my hands these days to be making complicated meals. Brandi had made this for me a few weeks back and it was really good, so I begged her to pass on the recipe ;) And got lots of compliments on it yesterday. Brandi barbecues the whole tenderloin and then heats it up for quick meals during the week with her boys. I made a quick tomato-fresh mozzarella salad and sweet potato fries to go with it, for a super quick meal.

1 pork tenderloin
1/4 C soy sauce
1/2 C water
1/4 C honey
2 tbsp. wine vinegar
1 tbsp. garlic
pinch grated fresh ginger
salt
pepper
paprika



Marinate for a few hours and then barbecue whole tenderloin for 10-15 minutes per side.

Freezer-friendly once cooked. Undercook slightly so that it won't be too cooked when reheated.

Garlic and Cumin Potatoes

I had been talking to Heather about this recipe and promised her that I'd get it up on my blog before the baby comes. So I made these to accompany dinner the other night. This recipe comes from the June 2004 edition of the Betty Crocker Grill It! magazine. Although the recipe below says to cook these on the bbq, I tend to make them in the oven by cooking them at 450 degrees Farenheit for 35 minutes, turning them halfway through.

For some odd reason, I've never used the fresh cilantro, even though this is an ingredient that I rarely leave out of recipes. They're pretty good without, but I'm sure they'd be even better with the added flavour of the cilantro. I made a double batch and kept leftovers in the fridge to heat up with dinner all week.

12 unpeeled small red potatoes, cut into fourths
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted (I use 1 tbsp. butter/margarine and 1 tbsp. water)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. peppered seasoned salt
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro



1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Place potatoes in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro; toss to coat. Place in grill basket.

2. Cover and grill potatoes 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, shaking basket or stirring potatoes frequently, until tender.

3. Sprinkle potatoes with cilantro; toss to coat.

Make 4 servings.

Mexican Burgers and Spinach Salad

Mexican Burgers

This first recipe comes from the cookbook Barbecue Party, which was a gift from my mother-in-law. You probably can't find it in Canada. This recipe is a nice twist on a classic burger. When I made it, I only used about 500g of beef, as that's all I had. And I used a can of kidney beans. I have no idea how close to 310g that is... but it worked.
 
750g medium ground beef
210g red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
4 green onions, chopped
2 hot red peppers, finely chopped
1 tsp. hot paprika (I just used regular, as I didn't have any hot)
1 tbsp. tomato paste (I usually open one and put the rest in the freezer for future use)
whole-wheat hamburger buns
 
1. Mix the beef, kidney beans, onions, hot peppers, paprika and tomato paste together in a bowl. Divide into 6 even parts and form into patties. (I crushed the kidney beans a bit before mixing them together, as we find the patties sometimes fall apart on the bbq and that this helps to keep them together better. I also got 7 patties out of 500g of beef, so I figure I'd get even a few more if I'd used the full 750g of beef. But I guess it depends on how big you like your burgers).



The burgers are then ready to grill on the bbq. They recommend serving it with guacamole on top, which is exactly what we did, as I randomly happened to have some in the fridge. Delicious...

 

The burgers are freezer-friendly once cooked.
 
Spinach Salad
 
The second recipe is one of my mom's and is a summer favourite. It's not quite as good now as it is in summer, when the fruit is ripe and local. But still yummy. I usually only make the almond topping when we're having people over for dinner. But my doctor has told me to avoid nuts while breastfeeding, due to my family history of nut allergies. So I made them tonight as a special treat, even though it was just my hubby and I, since I won't be able to make them over the summer. They only take a few minutes to make and are a fabulous way to top off the salad for guests.
 
I didn't have any cantaloupe and my kiwis weren't yet ripe enough, so I just used strawberries and mandarin oranges. But in the middle of summer, I use whatever fruit I have on hand, including blueberries, mangoes, etc.

Salad:
baby spinach
strawberries
kiwi
mandarine oranges
cantaloupe
 
Dressing:
2 tsp. dried onion
1/4 C Worcestershire sauce
1/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 C canola oil
1/4 C raspberry vinegar
 
Almonds:



1/4 C almonds
1/4 C sugar
a knob of butter
2 tsp. water

1. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together and set aside. Do not pour over salad until you are ready to eat.

2. Cook the ingredients for the almonds over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle over the salad.

Grilled Cilantro Shrimp Skewers and Brown Rice Risotto

Mmm... the thrill of being able to bbq yet again. It's so quick and easy. This recipe says to broil the shrimp (which I'm sure is good), but we've always made them on the bbq. We made these shrimp a few weeks ago when the weather started warming up. I usually pick up the major jumbo shrimp when they're on sale for about $10 a bag, so that it's not quite so extravagant of a meal to make. This recipe comes from Simply Great Food, which is the second cookbook by the Dietitians of Canada, after Cook Great Food.

Grilled Cilantro Shrimp Skewers

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
grated zest and juice of 2 limes (I use 4 tbsp. lime juice)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. In a small bowl, combine garlic, cilantro, olive oil, coriander, lime zest, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place shrimp in a shallow dish and pour in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes of for up to 2 hours. Meanwhile, soak skewers in hot water for 30 minutes and preheat broiler.

3. Thread shrimp evenly onto skewers and place on prepared baking sheet (I always double skewer them or they spin around).

4. Broil, turning once, for 2 1/2 minutes per side or until shrimp are pink and opaque.

Makes 6 servings.



This second recipe comes from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook, which is a great compilation of recipes made with all different sorts of whole grains - brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, barley, buckwheat, etc. I've made many of recipes from it and have never been disappointed. Leftovers of this can also be frozen, though we usually finish it off in a few meals before there is any left to freeze.

Unlike the instructions in the recipe below, I make this in our rice cooker, as it's less of a hassle. I cook the onion beforehand and then dump everything else in the rice cooker and that's that. It's ready without needing any more work on my behalf.

Brown Rice Risotto

1 C short-grain brown rice
1 C warm water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 C vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/2 C dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. butter (optional - I omit this)
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley (optional - I omit this)
2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional (don't omit this and try to use fresh grated Parmesan if you can, as it really makes a difference - we buy the big block of Parmesan at Costco, shred the whole thing and then put it in smaller portioned Ziploc bags to pull out as need be).



1. In a bowl, combine rice and water. Stir well and set aside for at least 3 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, drain, reserving soaking liquid.

2. In a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add stock, wine and reserved soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Add drained rice and pepper to taste. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes, placing a heat diffuser on the element, if necessary, to keep the mixture to a true simmer. Remove lid, stir well and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Stir in butter, parsley and cheese, if using.

Makes 6 servings.

Just throw in some veggies and you've got a complete meal.

The shrimp isn't freezer-friendly, but the risotto is.

Barbecue Rub

We're trying to make the most of our bbq as summer comes to an end. Last night, we used the following rub on our pork (also good for chicken, and I've even used it on mahi-mahi). It keeps a long time and is great when you're in a pinch for a quick homemade dinner (or at least, part of dinner...). Watch how much of this you use if you don't like spicy food as this can be quite hot.

Basic Barbecue Rub

¼ C firmly packed brown sugar
¼ C paprika
3 tbsp. black pepper
4 tbsp. coarse salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. celery seeds (I leave this out because I hate celery!)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, using your fingers to break up any lumps of brown sugar. Store in an airtight jar away from heat or light. Will keep for at least 6 months (though I’ve had mine for a year and just used the last of it yesterday).

Taken from How to Grill by Steven Raichlen.