“…yes, the name can be a little crass: beer-up-the-butt chicken, beer-butt chicken, butt chicken… Call it “vertically roasted chicken,” so as not to offend anyone’s delicate sensibilities. Swap the beer with another beverage: ginger beer, iced tea, cola, cider or even some of that Champagne in a can that fancy people can surely, ahem, get behind. The effect still stands, so long as the bird is perched upright over a cylinder of liquid.” *
“Spice” up your grilled chicken by adding a taste of Mid-Eastern / North African flavors to the basic Beer Can Chicken recipe.
Za’atar Beer Can Chicken
Ingredients
- Za’atar Spice Rub
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Chef Cherie’s Za’atar Spice Blend**
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- For the Chicken:
- One 3½- to 4-pound chicken, patted dry
- 1 can light beer, half empty
Directions:
1. Make the spice rub: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients; makes about ¾ cup.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with the rub and place it on a plate or baking sheet. Chill in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
3. Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before cooking, to remove the chill.
4. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect hot cooking. For a charcoal grill, place half the coals on one side and place a drip pan filled with ½ inch of water on the other side.
5. Place the beer can on a work surface and slide the chicken around it so that the can is inside its cavity, holding on to the legs to make sure the chicken stays upright. Transfer the chicken, still upright, to the cool side of the grill. Cover and cook it until cooked through and the skin is nicely charred, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165° when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Transfer the chicken to a work surface, remove the can and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Sources:
*Quote & Recipe – Tasting Table – Beer Can Chicken
**Chef Cherie’s Zatar Spice Blend contains white sesame seeds, sumac berries and thyme.
*** Za’atar can be spelled numerous ways including “za’atar, zaatar, za’tar, zatar, zatr, zattr, zahatar, zaktar or satar”
More info: Wikipedia – Za’atar