Beer Butt Chicken Recipe
January 14th, 2008
If you like cooking with beer, try the beer steamed mussels.
Beer Butt Chicken Recipe
Okay, so I was hoping to post this over the weekend but football playoffs proved to be a little distraction. Speaking of, this Beer Butt Chicken Recipe may be what your next football gathering is missing!
Just like any other American who has numerous Thanksgiving feast experiences under the belt, I am a huge fan of the roast turkey. But the idea that we have to wait all year to have a roasted bird is just absurd. However, the commitment of brining and roasting the beast is more than just a quick chore. As a kid growing up in another country, the roaster of the choice for my family was chicken. Although it may not sound as grand, never underestimate the power of a perfectly roasted chicken .
Roast chicken can be comforting, satisfying, and impressive if well executed. I try to buy my chicken when it is on sale for under $1.00/pound. I grab a couple birds, cook one of them immediately and usually freeze the other for later use. But don’t forget that roasting two chickens is just as easy as roasting one, and the leftover chicken could be used throughout the week for sandwiches, salad, quesadillas , soups, pasta, and etc. Br oiler chickens you see at most grocery stores are about 12 weeks in age, making them extremely juicy and tender. I typically go for ones that weigh in around 4~5 lbs.
For those of you scared of roasting a chicken, wanting to wow your dining guest, or even just looking for an escape from grilling yet another burger; behold, the beer butt chicken!
Beer Butt Chicken Recipe
Olive Oil
Whole Chicken
Kosher Salt
Fresh Pepper
Can of beer
How to Make Beer Butt Chicken
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees; make sure that it is heated all the way, don’t throw the bird in to the cold oven. Check the temperature using an oven thermometer.2. Open the can of beer, take a good swig, and enjoy the cold refreshing drink.
2. If you take small drinks take another sip leaving just over half the liquid in the can. Resist the temptation of finishing what is left, you need this for the roasting. The beer will make the chicken exceptionally juicy and moist.
3. Set chicken on can, inserting can into the cavity of the chicken. The chicken should be standing on its legs supported by the beer can inserted in the cavity, hence the name of beer butt chicken. Lightly oil, using enough to make the entire surface of the meat glisten, but not so much that you leave a puddle.
4. Season the chicken well. Kosher salt and freshly ground peppers are all the seasonings you need. Most people go too easy on them, I say don’t be shy. See below for other seasoning variations.
5. Place baking sheet with beer and chicken in the pre-heated oven. Word of advice: two sets of hands here are better than one! The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. For a 4~5lbs bird, you are looking at any where from an hour to an hour and half, at the most. But don’t let the time decide the fate of your dinner guests; stick an instant read thermometer to make sure that you don’t undercook, or even worse overcook.
6. Once the chicken is done, let the bird rest for 10~15 minuets so that your guest have time to view and wow over it :) Okay, so this is to allow the juices to settle back into the meat, but there’s nothing wrong with impressing. Remove the chicken from the beer can using oven mitts and spring-loaded tongs. Be very careful, the can is still very hot. Again, two sets of hands are best.
The end result, is roasted chicken without the usual hassle. Brown and crusty all over, juicy and flavorful inside; and some argue, superior to the standard oven roasted bird.
Variation: Beer Can Chicken
Try adding the spice/herb combinations listed below to your classic salt and pepper seasoning.
- 1/4 cup of minced rosemary and crushed and minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano
- Ground coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper equal portions
Feel free to get creative here and don’t be shy about sharing your seasoning combinations in the comments section below!
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January 14th, 2008 at 11:07 am
i love beer, i love butt, i love chicken
January 14th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Beer, Butts and finger lickin’ Chicken…sounds like a GREAT football Sunday. GO PACKERS!
January 14th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Go Chargers!
January 16th, 2008 at 11:04 am
How ingenious. I am probably the only one who has never heard of a Beer Butt Chicken Recipe. I am thinking of trying it with my traditional roast bird recipe: coat with dry seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, mrs. dash table blend) and sprinkle with soy sauce. In a separate dish mix equal parts of ketchup and pickapepper sauce (if you can’t find pickapepper use A1 steak sauce). Use fingers to dab all over chicken. Sprinkle lightly with oil of choice, I use vegitable. Then the rest is Beer Butt baby!
January 16th, 2008 at 11:09 am
This is a great recipe….I have also done this on my grill…giving the chicken a good smokey taste…we’re hooked on it.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
that is where high life belongs
January 17th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Now that’s what I call finger lickin good :)
January 21st, 2008 at 8:52 am
My name is Bob, i am a retard, please spam me: bob@bobnet.com
January 25th, 2008 at 10:26 am
this is a great recipe i have tried it myself on the pit
January 25th, 2008 at 10:29 am
what about the chemicals that will leech into the food from the colour coating printed onto the beer can? assuming the taste of the bird is not affected, the carcinogens in the paint/lacquer cannot be good.
probably better to get a can of a similar size which uses a paper label. use food in the can, remove label and wash off the glue used to hold on the paper label.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Football is a homoeritic sport for all you gay guys!!
January 29th, 2008 at 9:11 am
You could lightly cover the chicken with mustard before adding other spices.
February 26th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
man, this is so awesome. and mb’s comment is simply perfect…
I’m truly impressed. I hope, you don’t mind, if I use the recipe and picture in my (german) blog?
February 27th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Thanks for your kind words everyone. Hope you have mastered the art of Beer Butt Chicken by now.
Feel free to share the recipe on your blog. Just don’t forget to give us link love to the site :)
February 27th, 2008 at 5:59 am
[...] Februar 27, 2008 · No Comments Endlich gibt es mal einen Blog, der wirklich alles, was man über ihn wissen muss im Namen enthält und dabei kreativ ist. Ich präsentiere: Wasabibratwurst.com. Hier findet man tolle Rezepte wie dieses: Beer Butt Chicken. [...]
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 am
I cooked this last night and it was delicious!!! Thanks for sharing dude!
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Ricky, I am glad you enjoyed it. I had some friends over last night and we cooked up couple last night! You need to post photos on your website!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:27 am
this was DELISH… thank you for the detailed breakdown! fabulous!
April 20th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Well, we have had this before, although at a friends house………….and today is the moment of truth TODAY, I too shall try this for myself. Oh the humanity, my poor family. Will let you know later how it worked out. My mouth is already watering,mmmmmmmmmm
April 20th, 2008 at 11:38 am
@Amanda,it was great to see you yesterday. Make sure to try out some of the other recipes.
@extrememover - it’s so easy, you can not fail :) I do with you all the best. Let us know how it goes. Oh and make an extra bird so you have left overs :)
May 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Nothing equals the flavor of drunk chicken!!! I have tried several recipes and I have found that the sasonings (I marnade for at least 24 hours)that win the most accolades are when I use a mixture (VERY THICK EMULSION) of olive oil, Adobo seasoning and a whole lot of garlic (fusing those 3 ingredients together in my food processer (a blender will work). I apologize for not having exact measurements, but trust your instincts….that ALWAYS works best for me)!! work themix UNDER the skin and all around the exposed meat, and refrigerate until ready to prepare. Preheat oven 400 degrees, 0r what ever works for you if you are using an outdoor grill. Allow approx. 1-to 1 1/2 hours cooking time. (If it gets done before your guests are ready to indulge, know that if it has to be warmed up, it will not be disastrious….it can taste better the next day). Hope this helps anyone who present a successful party!!!! Bon apetite!!!!!!!!!!
May 12th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
@Jodi Adobo seasoned Drunken Chicken is something I have yet to try. I have a great excuse to make some. And I agree, nothing equals the flavor of drunken chicken and it’s true; TRUST your instincts when it comes to measurements. Thank you for reading and sharing!
May 13th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Hi Wasabi,
Thanks for the comment! My husband has been trying to get into cooking more and he was especially pleased with this recipe. Like I’d mentioned, anything with “Beer” in the name is cool in his books. I can’t wait to try this for a Super Bowl party (Go Steelers!).
Major Mom
May 13th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
@Major Mom
I can’t agree enough, anything with beer is cool in my books especially when we are celebrating the
American Craft Beer Week this week (May 12-18) :) :) :)
Anything in particular that your husband likes to cook? Let us know if there is anything you like to see in terms of recipes. We aim to please!
Thanks for visiting WB, and thank you for giving Beer Can Chicken a try. Hope you try some of the other recipes!
May 25th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
For those of you that are fearful of being contaminated by the beer can, you can buy metal holders at Lowe’s. It makes sure that the beer and the chicken are stable. I ususally do two on the grill but my grill is on the fritz so oven it is. Does anyone know how to clean out chicken grease from the little holes in the burners?
May 27th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
@joan - I saw my friend Chrisy and Jon this weekend and they brought me a metal holder as a gift. Needless to say, I am very excited to give it a try.
(the beer butt chicken photo that appears at the top of this page is taken at Christy’s two years ago)
Does your oven have a self cleaning mode?
May 29th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
mmmmm mrs dash n evoo mmmmmm :)