Beer Butt Chicken

I know, I know. Chicken. What is it doing on this blog? Not nearly as tasty as chocolate, as my four-year-old likes to say (which, by the way, applies to everything). I have a confession to make. I'm usually not very adventurous when it comes to meat products. I was a vegetarian in my formative cooking years, and I squirm when I have to cook anything but boneless skinless chicken breast.

Well, so much for that. In a pinch, my favorite way to roast a chicken is on a beer can. Here's why:

1) You have to drink half the beer so it doesn't explode when you add the spices. This makes the rest of cooking ever so much more enjoyable

2) It comes out super moist and delicious.

3) Roasting a whole chicken minimizes having to, you know, touch it. Sorry, ick.

3) It just looks so darn funny it cracks me up every time to cook it.

See?

Ok so in a nutshell, here's what you do. Take a short beer can- in Israel this may be hard to find. I have cut the can in half with a knife (after drinking most, of course) but be careful not to cut yourself. Ask me how I know.

Drink half the beer. Did I mention that? Sorry, it's getting a bit fuzzy over here.

Cut the top off your can with a can opener. Not the crummy weeny Israeli can openers. A real one.

Mix up some spices. Whatever you like on your chicken. I just used onion powder (imported, sorry), garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Put half in your beer can- it will foam up. Aren't you glad you drank half of it already? It may make you giggle. This is perfectly normal. Rub the other half all over the bird. Try not to giggle.

Shove the chicken on top of the open beer can. Roast at about 400F with aluminum foil tent for 1.5 hours and another 30 minutes uncovered. Adjust for your oven, and make sure it's done. Do you know how to do this? (Hint: yell "honey, come over here and check if this chicken is done!") Like I said, not the biggest meat-cooking fan. But I do love making weird stuff. Hence, I present to you delicious, moist, oven-roasted: