Brazilian Beer Can Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the beer, oil, mustard, paprika, and pepper in a large nonreactive bowl and whisk thoroughly to blend. Stir in the onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
• Rinse the chicken pieces under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Add to the marinade in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 6 hours or up to 2 days (the longer the better), turning the pieces occasionally.
• Preheat the grill, using the two-tiered method.
• When ready to cook, remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and blot dry. Season the pieces generously with salt. Oil the grill grate and arrange the chicken, skin side down, on the grate over the hotter section of the grill and cook until the skin is golden brown and the meat is cooked through without any trace of red at the bone, 8 to 12 minutes per side. If you get flare-ups, move the chicken to the safety zone until the flames die down. During the first 10 minutes only, brush several times with the reserved marinade.
• Transfer the chicken pieces to serving plates and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Light a lidded barbecue. Let the flames die down and the coals turn ashen, then mound the coal up on one side. If using a small barbecue, you will have to remove the grills and place a sturdy roasting tin on the floor of the barbecue, next to the coals - this will give you space to close the lid once the chicken is in. If you have a large barbecue, the chicken can sit directly on the grills (or on a tray on the grills, so that it doesn't topple over.)
• To make the rub, mix all the ingredients together with a good grinding of black pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the oil, sprinkle over the rub and massage it into the skin, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies, even inside the cavity.
• Use a can opener to take off the top of the can of beer. Pour out half the beer (tip into a glass to drink!) and leave the rest in the can, as it will keep the chicken moist while it cooks. Pop the chicken onto the can, legs down, so that it looks like it is sitting upright with the can in its cavity. Stand the chicken and can upright on the barbecue, either in the roasting tin or directly on the grill, on the side with no coals. Close the lid and cook for 1 hr 20 mins until the chicken is browned, the meat tender and the juices run clear. If the juices aren't clear, cook for a further 10 mins, then check again. (To cook in the oven, heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sit the chicken on a baking tray, place in the bottom of the oven, and follow the same cooking time.)
• Remove the chicken from the barbecue, cover lightly with foil and leave to rest for 20 mins before serving.

Steps:

• 1. Combine beer, oil, mustard, paprika and pepper in nonreactive bowl. Whisk and blend well. Stir in onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Add cleaned chicken to marinade and refrigerate 2 days. Turn 2 times per day.
• 2. Grill, basting with marinade for the 1st 10 min of grilling only.

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill, leaving approximately half the grilling area free of coals. If using a gas grill, turn burners to high and then, when ready to cook, turn off the burner on the side where you will place the chicken. If using an oven, heat to 425 degrees.
• Remove neck and giblets from chicken. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Pat dry.
• Combine all the spices in a large bowl, then apply the dry rub to the chicken, inside and out.
• Put the beer can on a solid surface. Pick up the chicken and, taking a leg in each hand, put the cavity over the can and slide the bird down onto it. Carefully transfer the bird and the can to the cool side of your grill, its back to the fire, balancing the chicken upright and using the legs to support it in this position. If using an oven, place the chicken upright in a roasting pan using the same method and place carefully into the heat.
• Cover the grill and cook for approximately 1 1/4 hours, basting with barbecue sauce twice during the final half-hour if you'd like, until the breast meat registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer or until the legs are loose in their sockets. (If you're using an oven, you can tent the bird with foil after 45 minutes to keep the skin from getting too dark.) De-can and carve.
• Serve with white barbecue sauce and corn bread.