Beer Butt Chicken

In my house growing up as a child we could not use the word “butt”. It was considered an inappropriate word to use so, now that I am writing it I feel a little tinge of guilt. But in celebration of the Army/Navy game last weekend I made a beer butt chicken on my grill outside. It is really simple to make. I used:

4 – 5 pound whole chicken

1 can of beer

1 stick of melted butter

1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning

The first thing I did was to get my charcoal grill ready. Since it is early December I have lots and lots of fallen leaves on the ground. I gather a few handfuls of the leaves and place it in the grill. I then gather kindling, which are small bits of twigs that have fallen to the ground from all the large shade trees that surround my house. I use the kindling to help start the fire in the grill. Since it will take me about 3 hours to cook the chicken I will need to use some charcoal briquettes. I use my briquette starter to get my charcoal lighted. I place fallen leaves under the starter and fill the container with charcoal to the top. I squirt a bit of charcoal lighter fluid on them and light the match to the fallen leaves. Once the briquettes turn gray they will be ready to move to the grill. Because of the long cooking time necessary to cook the chicken I will probably need to replenish the briquettes about two more times.



Charcoal Ready to be Put on the Grill

Next, I prepared the chicken. Rinse the chicken under running water and set aside. Mix the melted butter with the Cajun seasoning. You can really use any type of seasonings and herbs that you particularly enjoy. Just make sure that whatever you use is chopped small enough to fit through the flavor injector. A flavor injector looks like a giant syringe. It is used to insert liquid flavorings into foods before cooking.  I use a flavor injector to inject the melted butter mixture into the breast of the chicken, thighs and legs. If there is extra butter mixture, I rub it into the outside skin of the chicken.  Then I place a can of beer into the beer stand and position the bottom opening of the chicken over the can of beer and set firmly into place.

Inject flavored liquid into the chicken breast, thighs and legs.

Beer Stand for Chicken

Beer Butt Chicken Ready to Roast

The chicken needs to be roasted so I kept the grill lid closed as the chicken cooked. I put enough charcoal briquettes in the bottom of the grill to keep low but steady heat on the chicken. I want the chicken to roast slowly and become tender. When the outside of the chicken becomes crispy and blacken a bit I cover the whole chicken with heavy duty foil. I let it continue to cook over the coals.



Cover Chicken with Foil and Let Chicken Continue to Roast



I use a meat thermometer to make sure that it is cooked properly. Once the thermometer read 180ºF I remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest 15 minutes. I then remove the chicken from the can of beer. I then cut up the chicken. I remove the legs, thighs, and wings. I slice the chicken breast into portions. I place all pieces on a serving platter and it is ready to eat!

Let Chicken Rest Before Cutting

Beer Butt Chicken Ready to Enjoy!