Beer Can Chicken is one of my favorite meals of all time. It’s a pretty simple recipe and best of all, it’s done on the barbecue.

When it comes to cooking, I like my meals on the BBQ. I’m not so handy when I have to do things in the oven, but over an open flame I’m better at getting it just right. I also like the flavour you can get and the control you have.

If you’ve never had this meal, you’re in for a treat!

The ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken – (feeds 2-3 people)
• 1 can of beer
• olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper
• oregano
• onion powder
• garlic powder

In a small bowl, mix 1 table spoon of sea salt and oregano with 1 teaspoon of pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

Place chicken on a baking sheet or aluminum foil and coat with olive oil. Once full coated, sprinkle on spices so you get a nice even coat over the whole bird.

Once the chicken is coated with the spices, it’s time to place it on the beer can. First, open the can and empty about 1/4 of the beer. (drinking it is usually the preferred method)

With 3/4 of the beer remaining, you will place the chicken on the can.

I utilize a special beer butt holder as seen here. It helps stand the chicken more easily on the BBQ. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to balance the chicken on the can and use it’s legs for a 3-point stance.

Time to cook!

You will stand the chicken up on one side of the BBQ. The burners on the OPPOSITE side of the BBQ will be on high, with the burners on the same side being off. Cook for 60-70 minutes rotating the chicken every 10-15 minutes to evenly brown all sides.

Serve the chicken with a nice salad and enjoy!

Special Tip:

Save some of the seasoning for once you’ve cut up the chicken. Spread a little seasoning over the meat for extra flavour!

Congratulations to Carolsue – the winner of the Cooking Planit Spice Giveaway!  Thanks to everyone who participated and for the great suggestions on how to use the spices.

You can still enter to win on other blogs participating in the giveaway.

I was probably around 10 or 11 the first time I realized the difference spice, other than salt and pepper, made in a dish.  I don’t remember if it was the smoky paprika on top of a deviled egg or the earthy flavor of cumin in tacos, but I had this “Aha!” moment of recognizing that the spice made the dish.

Now when I get bored with a vegetable or am looking to play in the kitchen, I turn to the spice rack for inspiration. Swapping out a little curry, paprika or cumin can transform a dish with almost no effort.  I was thrilled when Cooking Planit offered to give a 26 spice set worth over $100 to one of my readers.  Here’s what the set includes:

Cooking Planit Spice Set

So, let’s have a little contest to see who wins. I’d like you to pick one of the spices in the list and, in a comment on this post, tell what dish/dishes you love to or plan to make with it. For example, cumin is one of my favorite spices and I like to make Cauliflower/Potato Mashers with Cumin and Cumin Lime Carrot Soup with it.

You can enter as often as you like between now and Saturday, March 23rd at 11:59 pm CDT.  I will pick the winner at random on Sunday, March 24th.

Other blogs are also participating in this giveaway and you can enter to win on their sites as well.

Legal stuff: Cooking Planit has gifted the spice set to me to give away to one of my readers. I have not been compensated to participate in this giveaway.

It is amazing to me how adding a little spice to a dish can transform it.  Sprinkling some curry powder on roasted cauliflower or cumin on sauteed squash can completely change your dinner experience.  A well stocked spice shelf can help make simple meals much more inviting, but it can be an expensive challenge to build up your spice seleciton.

I was delighted when Cooking Planit, an online recipe and meal planning application that helps take the mystery out of getting dinner on the table, asked if I would participate in a spice giveaway contest.  They are giving away 50 Cooking Planit spice sets, each with a retail value of over $100, that include 26 of the most commonly used spices.

Cooking Planit Spice Set

Each day for 25 days, Cooking Planit will give away two sets from participating blogs. Each site (full list below) will run their own unique 7-day contest with a winner being announced on the eighth day. If you are interested in revamping your spices, you have 50 chances to win a great starter set.

My contest will begin on March 17th with the winner announced on March 24th so check back next week to participate. In the meantime, be sure to visit the other blogs during their contest period for 49 other chances to win.

Legal stuff: Cooking Planit has gifted the spice set to me to give away to one of my readers. I have not been compensated to participate in this giveaway.

Butter
Onion, chopped
Red Cabbage, chopped – you can use green cabbage instead.
Peach Creek Farm German Sausage, sliced – you could use any smoked sausage, bratwurst,
Red Potatoes, quartered
Shiner Bock
Spicy Mustard for garnish

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a stock or bean pot. Saute the onion until transparent. Add the sausage, potatoes and cabbage and saute a few minutes to let all the flavors meld. Pour in the Shiner Bock, you’ll need at least a bottle, maybe 2 – just eyeball it. Bring it up to a boil and then turn the heat down and let is simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.