Beer Butt Roast Chicken

It has been my husband's dream to eat beer chicken ever since he saw beer being used to grill/roast chicken on some cooking show.  One trip to Gourdo's a few months back we spotted this Beer Can Chicken Roaster which naturally came home with us.

It had instructions on the back but they were as simple as put the open beer can in the circle and put the chicken over it then there were directions if you were using charcoal grills, gas or electric grills.  I had no clue on the exact procedure or recipe so I relied on my best friend google and clicked away.  I read several articles and put together what I thought would work.

I used San Miguel Pale Pilsen on my first attempt and rubbed the chicken with butter and Maggi Magic Sarap before springing it into the oven.  The chicken was super juicy but it lacked seasoning.  I was so disheartened that it took me several months before giving it another shot.  I decided to use our favorite Cajun seasoning and marinated it overnight.      

What I used

• 1 whole chicken about 1kg in weight
• 2 packs McCormick Grill Mates Cajun seasoning mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• a few slices of butter
• 1 can Red Horse Extra Strong Beer at room temperature

What I did

• diluted the Cajun seasoning mix in water then added the oil.  marinated the chicken in this mixture and left it in the ref overnight
• preheated the oven to 350 degrees and removed the chicken from the ref
• poured about half of the beer into a cup and set it aside then positioned the open can of beer in the beer can roaster in a pie plate
• rubbed butter inside the chicken and under the skin then place it over the beer can
• transferred the pie plate into the oven

• removed the chicken from the oven every 20 minutes and brushed on the remaining marinade and beer.  in the first 20 minutes, poured some of the beer into the pie plate 
• baked the chicken for about an hour and a half

The finished product.  

It was pretty challenging pulling off the chicken from the beer can which were both piping hot.  Mom and hubby helped me remove it with tongs and paper towels.

We chopped up the chicken and returned it to the pie plate so we could use up some of the drippings/sauce.  The chicken was really moist and infused with cajun flavor.  There was a hint of beer but barely there.  My husband was expecting a strong beer taste but all the beer did was keep the moisture in the chicken.

Beer can be substituted with your favorite soda and you can use your ever reliable marinade for your chicken.  You can also try this without the Beer Can Chicken Roaster but you have to be careful as the chicken tends to slouch and succumb to gravity... it may tip over.