Sage and Garlic Rubbed Beer Can Chicken

We love beer can chicken! It’s fun, easy, tasty, and can be made year round. Our Sage & Garlic Rubbed Beer Can Chicken has quickly become a favorite in the summer. Our herb garden is overflowing and As ge is a must have herb for me. Poultry and Sage are a classic pairing, add garlic and butter, and I’m in heaven!

Fresh Herbs Make the Rub

If you have fresh Rosemary and Thyme you can add that to the Sage as well. It will give you a “poultry seasoning” feel. We have a lot of fresh herbs in our garden this year, and I cook with as much of them as I can. It’s fun to play with the combinations and figure out the best way to use them all.

Pick your chicken wisely….

This particular chicken did not go according to plan. In the photos you might notice her leaning forward and looking like she might tip over. This particular chicken had a lot of meat on her! She was pretty top-heavy, and actually tipped the can over twice before we even made it to the grill. Not everything goes according to plan!

Given how much meat was on her, she actually took closer to 2 hours to cook the breast meat through to 165F. Usually a chicken of 4-5 pounds only takes about an hour and a half with indirect heat. I often move it directly over the heat right at the end to crisp up the skin (I like the crispy skin!). We have the Weber iGrill hooked up to our Genesis BBQ. It gives us both the ambient temperature in the grill, and has room for three food probes.

Make sure you rest the bird at least 15 minutes before you cut into it. When carving your Beer Can Chicken, I recommend trying to pull the breast off in one full piece and then slicing into servings. Trying to carve it like a turkey makes a mess and the meat seems to loose it juiciness faster. Bon Appétit has a Youtube Video that shows how to carve a chicken (or turkey) if you’re looking for some tips. I’m not an expert!

Print Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections

No ratings yet

Sage & Garlic Rubbed Beer Can Chicken

Chicken rubbed with sage, garlic, butter, salt and pepper. Placed on a beer can and cooked indirectly on the grill until juicy and tender!

Pin Recipe

Servings :6

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 12oz Can of Beer
• 4.5 lb Whole Chicken

Rub

• 4 Tbsp Butter room temperature
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 3 Tbsp Sage finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 3/4 Tbsp Coarse Ground Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

• Mix together the butter, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined
• Add the olive oil to the mixture and mix until a loose paste forms, then place in the fridge for 10 minutes to solidify
• Set the grill up for indirect cooking at about 275° to 300°F, placing a pan under the indirect side to catch the drippings
• Open your can of beer and remove about 1/3 (take a large sip out of the can!)

  Pro Tip: take any herb stems or leftover garlic bits and add them to the can of beer to add some extra flavor
• Ensure your chicken doesn't have the gizzard, livers, neck, etc. inside the cavity and then place it on the can of beer with the legs forward so it stands up
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towel, this will help the butter mixture stick
• Rub the chicken with your butter, herb, and garlic mixture

  Pro Tip: before you put the chicken on the can, if you loosen the skin across the breasts slightly, you can put some of the butter and herb mixture between the skin and meat
• Sprinkle the chicken with a tiny bit of coarse salt
• Place your chicken on the grill over the pan (the side that the burner isn't on) with the breast facing away from the heat and cook for 45 minutes
• After 45 minutes, rotate the chicken 180 degrees and continue cooking until you reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Depending on the size of the bird and consistency of the grill temperature, this should take another 45 to 60 minutes
• Remove the chicken and tent with foil, letting rest for 15 minutes before carving

Notes

If you have fresh Thyme or Rosemary, add that with the minced Sage.   You can also put a couple of Sage leaves inside the cavity of the chicken.

You can use any chicken rub you like, homemade or store bought.  The process is the same.  We love a mixture that uses garlic powder, salt, and pepper.   (Ratio: 1 Salt / 1 Pepper / 0.5 Garlic Powder)

Tried this recipe?Mention @MapleBaconSomething or tag #maplebaconsomething!