The Best Beers To Use For Beer Can Chicken

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When backyard barbecue season is on the horizon, it's the perfect time to find creative and unexpected ways to use your grill. Poultry is a classic barbecue staple, but when it comes to making flavorful chicken on the grill, the possibilities aren't limited to your standard wings, thighs and breasts. You can actually vertically slow-cook a whole chicken on the grill with the help of one additional backyard cookout staple: a can of beer.

This method is known as beer can chicken (or chicken on a throne, if you're fancy), and it's a total grilling game-changer, with roots in Louisiana and other serious barbecue locales. The technique is simple — the whole chicken sits atop an open can of beer over the heat of the grill, which allows the fat to drip down the bird as it drains and evenly cooks the skin, all while the steam from the can moistens the meat inside. Though the science behind this method is somewhat controversial — critics claim that its "steaming" abilities are overblown and possibly even dangerous — it's championed by many barbecue enthusiasts, including chef and champion pitmaster Christie Vanover of Girls Can Grill.

Vanover doesn't just stand by the beer can chicken technique, she has lots of expert ideas on exactly which beers will bring the best flavors to your dish. "Light beers are commonly used for beer can chicken, but there is a whole world of flavors to explore by pairing different seasonings with different styles of beer," she says.

The ingenious idea behind beer can chicken is that inserting a can of flavorful liquid into the bird's cavity while it cooks will not only keep it upright and release steam, it will also imbue the meat with a subtle beer taste through its vapor. While there are those who dispute this hypothesis, there are also those who fanatically swear by the technique. When it comes to selecting the right beer to test it for yourself, Christie Vanover advises, "a simple rule of thumb is to consider the primary seasoning notes. What beer would you drink with the dish?"

That means that the same rules you would follow to pair your meal with a beer for drinking also apply to choosing a beer for cooking. For instance, Vanover says, "If there are strong lime notes, go with a light, crisp beer, like Corona." Corona is a great choice for a Peruvian-style pollo a la brasa, since lime is often used in the marinade. On the other hand, "When cooking chicken dishes with citrus marinades like mojo or pollo pibil, consider pairing it with Blue Moon, which goes great with a twist of orange," she says. Most importantly, remember that you don't have to use a gourmet beer to cook a gourmet chicken. "There's no need to overspend on a lux beer or a beer with high alcohol content," Vanover says. "Beer can chicken is mainly a technique used to add moisture (and a bit of flavor)."

Fancy marinades and exotic spice blends can be a delight, but sometimes, we want to make a basic but beautiful whole roasted chicken with herbs that's guaranteed to please a picky crowd. The beer can method is a great way to accomplish this, since it will ensure your meat has deep flavors and a perfectly crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside texture. Christie Vanover has her herb-roasted chicken preparation down to a science; she says, "I baste the chicken with a mixture of ¼ cup melted butter, ¼ cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of Girls Can Grill Chicken Rub." (The rub includes seasonings like smoked paprika, lemon peel, turmeric, mustard, and chile flakes.)

For the beer, she says, "I use a pale ale or American light beer. This adds moisture to the bird and lets the flavors of the herbs really shine." If you want an extra umami kick, however, Vanover says, "try using a stout and adding a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to the can." That way, you not only get a flavor boost from the dark beer, but the vapors from the sauces as well.

We love simple, buttery roast chicken, but sometimes we want a bird that brings the heat. Whether you're using an Ethiopian berbere spice rub, harissa paste, or dousing it in Buffalo sauce, you can make a whole host of different spicy or aromatic chickens using the beer can technique. If you "want to be a little more daring," suggests Christie Vanover, "pair unique chicken seasonings with specific beers."

"For instance, for a Jamaican Jerk chicken, use Red Stripe," she says. Red Stripe is an iconic Jamaican beer sure to complement the complex sweet and spicy notes of jerk chicken. "For an Asian-inspired chicken," Vanover says, "try Kirin Ichiban or Sapporo," two beloved Japanese beers with crisp, dry flavor profiles. If you're going with Buffalo seasoned chicken, she says, it's best to "keep the beer pairing crisp and light," with something in the pale ale family (but not a hoppy IPA). If you're using Mediterranean herbs, she suggests considering a hefeweizen, a yeasty German beer, "which has complementary notes of banana and cloves."

Making succulent beer can chicken isn't just about choosing the right kind of beer, it's also about using it to its full potential. "It is important to use a can and not a bottle," Christie Vanover says, and to ensure it is primed for steaming. "Simply open the can and pour a little bit out to allow room for steam to build up and escape," she says. "If you want more steam, you can poke a few more holes in the top of the can."

Using the right-sized can is important, as well. "Because of the size of the chicken cavity, it's best to use 12-ounce beer cans," Vanover says. "If you use taller cans, the chicken legs won't reach the bottom, making the bird less stable and more likely to tip over." For added security and stability, she suggests using a beer can chicken roaster rack, like Koohere's Beer Can Chicken Holder, as they are generally cheap and easy to find online.

There are also ways to make the flavor of your beer go further. Similarly to adding a dash of Worcestershire or soy sauce, Vanover says, "if you want to add even more flavor to the interior of the chicken, add some of your poultry seasoning right into the can." She also advises, "For a really cool presentation and even more flavor, place the chicken on the beer can, and then add fresh herbs through the top of the chicken, down into the can." You can find Vanover's how-to for that trick on her website.