Roast Chicken with a Can in the Butt recipe

I live in a suburb where housewives do buy soft drinks in 2 litre bottles and ice cream in ginormous 4 litre tubs, Neopolitan flavour usually I’ve noticed because you get three flavours in one! Whoop-pee-doo! But more importantly, they are feisty shoppers, they will push trolley and ram you down, stop right in front of you while you’re browsing in the aisle, even a 6ft2 tall man like me is totally invisible to them. And they will fight for roast chooks, oh yes they do…. When a bargain is announced on the intercom, you know it is time for you to get out of the way and run! The stampede of trolley carts heading towards deli section over the last chooks on sale is not worth risking your life for.

I am over-the-rainbow lucky to live in a suburb where roast chickens are widely available at the supermarket. I don’t do roast chicken at home very often, because firstly, it always comes out dry and the flavour is just not as nice as store bought, not to mention I have to buy all the ingredients just for a stuffing that is less decent. Secondly, like I mentioned, store bought roast chooks are just lot more convenient and economical for the working class with low salary income like myself. It is also fun to share Masterchef cooking tips and chit chat with housewives at the deli section while we get together to grab the last few chooks that go on sale when announced on the intercom. Sigh… the perfect suburban life that comes in a ready take home meal. What not to love?

“Talk to the wing cuz the head won’t listen!”

Well, that’s what I thought two years ago before this blog existed anyway. Don’t deny it, unless you think you are chicken man Luke Mangan or something, we all buy roast chooks from supermarket or from the chicken shop. The only way to make me roast more chickens at home unless it is simple, no mess and of course, the chicken has to be flavoursome. Well of course it would be tasty, because you know what chicken you are buying and the ingredients you put in it. And also only if I can come up with a stupid title for this post.

*Ahem* Pardon my Frenh, the recipe indeed is calling for a beer ban, as Mark (Cafe Campana) nicely put it – “Politely wedge it into the cavity of the bird” with the help of a beer can stand. This little gadget has long been forgotten until Mark shone me the light again. I bought the beer can stand for $14.50 from BBQ Galore, basically is a stainless steel stand with a ring in middle to put the beer can in and the chicken will stay upright while roasting. You can either use it on the BBQ or in the oven, it works either way. The theory behind this ingenius design is basically the boiling beer inside the chicken will steam and infuse the chicken from inside out to keep it nice and moist. You can either cut the beer can top off and let it steam or keep it whole and just crack open the can ring-pull, that way the rising temperature will build up a pressure inside the can and shoot the beer out of the cavity and slowly basting the chicken the whole time while roasting. But make sure the beer can hole is not bunked up by any ingredients you used or may caused explosion.

You don’t need fancy marination or heaps of ingredients to roast a chicken, I prefer to keep it simple and let the natural flavour of the chook shine. But of course we have to do it the “Aussie” way, follow these three simple steps will have a beautiful roast chicken in no time – let’s Slip, Slop, Slap.

Slip – After stuffing the chook with some herbs, simply slip a can of beer into the cavity of a chicken and make it stand.

Slop – Create your own version of herb mix, anything really but keep it simple. Slop it on the chicken and give him a good massage.

Slap – Slap it into the oven, and you’re laughing.

Have you ever seen a chicken having sauna?

This is a simple roast for a casual night in without too much fussing about. If you are going to roast some veges to go with the chook, then I’d suggest to kill two birds with one stone and do it at the same time on the same tray. Roughly chop up some carrots, pumpkins and potatoes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt and whack it in. The juicy chicken drippings goodness will also enhance the flavour of the roast veges. Win win I say.

After 1.5 hrs of roasting, the chicken looks beautiful with crispy golden brown skin and not overly charred. But I was still very skeptical whether the beer can stand is going to work as there is nothing worse than eating dry flossy chicken meat or admit to hospital with Salmonella. But my doubts no more and had been rectified by the most succulent chicken I’ve ever tasted for a long time. The chicken breast is so sweet and tender with a subtle infusion of thyme, garlic and the bitterness of wheat beer. It is a revelation.

Finally I don’t have to rely on Gravox with my roast chook.  Print This Recipe

Roast chicken with a can in the butt recipe
(Original recipe by Billy Law)

Ingredients
1 whole large free range chicken (I used 2kg lilydale)
1 can of beer (I used Pale ale)
1 onion quartered
6 cloves garlic crushed
Sprigs of lemon thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Murray river pink salt
Cracked black pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven at 200C, take the top wire rack out of the oven and only leave one rack at the bottom.

2. Wash chicken thoroughly, get rid of any feathers especially on the wings, then pat dry inside out.

3. Place onion, garlic and few sprigs of lemon thymes inside the chicken and pardon me while I shove the beer can into the cavity of the chook. Take extra precaution if you are going to cut the top of the can off, the edges are extremely sharp.

4. Carefully not to spill the beer, place the chicken with the beer can on the stand.

5. Mix salt, lemon thyme (just the leaves), olive oil, black pepper in a bowl and rub all over chicken.

6. Place the chicken on a baking tray and add any vege of your choice to go with the chicken. Drizzle olive oil all over the vege and a sprinkle of salt.

7. Place the chicken at the bottom rack in the oven and cook it for 1 hour. Turn the tray to the other side at 30mins interval.

8. After an hour, crank up the oven to 220C, and cook the chicken further for another 20mins. Turn the tray again at 10 mins interval.

9. Take the chicken out and keep roasting the vege if they are not done yet. Set the chook aside and let it cool a little before taking the beer can out of the cavity. Make sure you catch all the juices from the chicken on a tray while doing so.

10. Add the juices from the beer can and the tray, garlic, thyme and onion from the chicken into a saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce by half. Add salt to taste.

11. Don't forget the vege, take them out of the oven. Cut up the chicken, serves with roasted vege, drizzle the reduction jus over chicken.

Enjoy!

Tagged as: beer, beer can chicken, beer can stand, chicken, lilydale chicken, poultry, recipe, roast chicken