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Beer-Butt Chicken
Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 5:26PM
Last night I was helping our friends get ready for their carnival for charity. Anyhow, I took the first two Mangoboys and travelled down to Riverbend Ranch where we met up with some other friends from church.
Since it was dinner time, they invited me to have a delicious BBQ chicken sandwich, but I politely declined and mentioned that I had "Beer-Butt Chicken" waiting for us on the smoker at home. I was very surprised when I found out these folks had never heard of the famous Beer-Butt Chicken. I was shocked, because these are fairly hip people(or at least they are known to hang out with hip beautiful people). So, I went into detail explaining why I would choose to skip their chicken for my own at home...I described the spices - paprika, thyme, garlic powder, and cayenne peppers. I explained that these spices are rubbed on and under the skin of the chicken. I mentioned the lathering of butter in and outside the chicken. But, the reality is this, it is none of those yummy features...it's all about the beer.
Here's the deal people...you take 1 beer per chicken. Crack it open and empty 1/2 the beer (you choose how you want to empty the beer - I choose the chug/guzzle approach). Then you need to put butter in and around the opening of the beer (key feature needed in a later step) and add 1 bay leaf into the can. At this point you are ready for insertion.
Hey folks...it is called Beer-Butt chicken for a reason. You take the can and slowly and carefully insert it into the lower cavity of the chicken (note: this is the reason for buttering the can). If you have done this correctly, it looks like a chicken with a beer can sticking out of it's butt (see pictures below).
Based on the size, our family needs at least two chickens, but even if you don't...I recommend cooking two chickens. First, it allows you one full beer for consumption in the process. Second, it is really good chicken and you can alter the second recipe to provide variation (garlic/butter or curry spice or whatever). But the main reason I like to cook two, is because of what it looks like on the grill. Instead of having a grill full of wings or thighs, you have actual chickens...sitting up, knees bent, wings resting at their side...looking like they are having a conversation...only they have a beer can stuck up their butt. It's a beautiful picture...email me if you want the actual recipe...
Quietly Making Noise,
Fletch
Since it was dinner time, they invited me to have a delicious BBQ chicken sandwich, but I politely declined and mentioned that I had "Beer-Butt Chicken" waiting for us on the smoker at home. I was very surprised when I found out these folks had never heard of the famous Beer-Butt Chicken. I was shocked, because these are fairly hip people(or at least they are known to hang out with hip beautiful people). So, I went into detail explaining why I would choose to skip their chicken for my own at home...I described the spices - paprika, thyme, garlic powder, and cayenne peppers. I explained that these spices are rubbed on and under the skin of the chicken. I mentioned the lathering of butter in and outside the chicken. But, the reality is this, it is none of those yummy features...it's all about the beer.
Here's the deal people...you take 1 beer per chicken. Crack it open and empty 1/2 the beer (you choose how you want to empty the beer - I choose the chug/guzzle approach). Then you need to put butter in and around the opening of the beer (key feature needed in a later step) and add 1 bay leaf into the can. At this point you are ready for insertion.
Hey folks...it is called Beer-Butt chicken for a reason. You take the can and slowly and carefully insert it into the lower cavity of the chicken (note: this is the reason for buttering the can). If you have done this correctly, it looks like a chicken with a beer can sticking out of it's butt (see pictures below).
Based on the size, our family needs at least two chickens, but even if you don't...I recommend cooking two chickens. First, it allows you one full beer for consumption in the process. Second, it is really good chicken and you can alter the second recipe to provide variation (garlic/butter or curry spice or whatever). But the main reason I like to cook two, is because of what it looks like on the grill. Instead of having a grill full of wings or thighs, you have actual chickens...sitting up, knees bent, wings resting at their side...looking like they are having a conversation...only they have a beer can stuck up their butt. It's a beautiful picture...email me if you want the actual recipe...
Quietly Making Noise,
Fletch
Reader Comments (10)
note...you can use whatever beer you want...
Reminds me of a stop-action animated commercial I saw where two such chickens where paired off against eachother like Sumo wrestlers. Just add the little Sumo thongs to the chickens and you get the picture. It was pretty funny.
I don't know where to start...
I can't serve this to my family with this name, so here are a few suggestions for others of the more "fundamentalist" portion of your readership...
First some illeteration
1. "Brew in the Buzzard's Bottom"
2. "Barley in the Banty's Base"
3. "Hops up the Hen's Haunches"
A few others:
4. "The Chicken Lauger Colonoscopy"
5. "Ale in the Chicken's Tail"
I think I'll stop. At least I'd better...I'd love the recipe.
paul...apparently in the real world...it's beer-can chicken...but in mangoland, the kids are actually excited to get to use the term "butt" at the dinner table...and not get scolded...so there you are.
as i put this post together i thought that this could be an entire issue of seinfeld or even part of life up in lake wobegon.
recipe forthcoming...did i mention that my prize arrived...very interesting cover art on the antichrist/cup o' tea book...
fletch
i also forgot to mention, that this is one of http://www.themangotimes.com/?cat=17" rel="nofollow">my dad's favorite ways to cook chicken. he even had the contraption made that you see in the photo. it is a stainless steel holder, that holds the cans and the chickens...
if you knew my dad it makes sense.
We vote to have a contest to name the chickens.
Our vote is: Fletch & EK
Hey and my chicken was good, good, good ... and less vulgar! Hip and beautifully displayed. True to form.
Mike...first...don't disguise yourself as being "Mike and Dana"...I know that was just you leaving the comment, Dana would not name name chubby bbq chickens after her elders...and if she did, she wouldn't drag you into the situation, she would post on her own...which in fact she did...
Second, we already have http://www.themangotimes.com/?p=162" rel="nofollow">a photo of Fletch and EK on theMangoTimes...we'll have to come up with a different name for the photo...
Third, I'm impressed because this is the closest you have come to actually blogging...all it took was a picture of beer butt chicken...
Fletch
Well done! I hope all is well -
~Tad
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