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I did it! I finally made a Beer Can Chicken!

And I’m glad I did!

I’m not sure why it took me so long to make one of these. Might be the fact that we never have cans of beer in the house. Ever. In fact, I had to drink a can of seltzer and then fill the can from a bottle of beer. Bottles we generally have.

I used a bottle of Downtown Brown from Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka, CA. We were just up the road from them last week… I always keep a few beers on hand for beer bread or other cooking – or the occasional beer-drinking guest.

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I rubbed it thoroughly with some of the Kansas City rub we’re still working our way through. I love having all of this stuff right on hand. I preheated the gas grill, placed the chicken on the can, turned off the middle burners, turned down the end burners, and let it go for about 2 hours. Crispy, crispy skin and succulent meat. I had a vertical roaster for the longest time and used to prop a chicken up on it now and again, but I haven’t seen it for 25 or so years…  The concept is kinda the same. Almost. The vertical roaster doesn’t get that slightly-beery taste.

It really did come out good. Even Nonna cleaned her plate. I’ll be doing this, again.

And speaking of again, I made Mac and Cheese to go with it.

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I made a lot. It’s one of those things I just can’t make a small batch of, no matter how hard I try.  It’s okay, though, because it makes good leftovers…

This was a three-cheese batch with jack, cheddar, and havarti. No peas. No ham. But I topped it with crushed potato chips instead of bread crumbs.

It is simplicity itself to make. Make a medium white sauce (flour, butter, milk) and then add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco cause, and a splash of soy sauce. Stir in garlic powder, salt & pepper. Add some grated cheese – your choice –  and you’re on your way. Add cooked elbow macaroni, top with buttered crumbs, and place in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350°.

Really simple.