SWEET & SPICY BEER CAN CHICKEN
Jason Glover
6
20 minutes
1 hours 25 minutes
560
Beer can chicken with a twist! Dry rubbed and finished with an orange-hoisin glaze, this chicken is sweet, spicy, and citrusy - you're going to love it!

Ingredients
- 3 cans Japanese beer such as Sapporo, Kirin Ichinban, or Asahi
- 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- (3) 2 1/2-3 lb chickens
- 1 lemon, quartered
- rind from 2 oranges, cut into 1/2" thick slices
- 1 cup dry rub (recipe below)
- 2 cups orange-hoisin glaze (recipe below)
Dry Rub
- 1 cup chili powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp celery salt
- 2 tbsp Chinese 5-spice
- 2 tbsp coriander
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Orange-Hoisin Glaze
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 10 oz hoisin sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, rind removed and juiced
- 1 lemon, rind removed and juiced
- 1 lime, rind removed and juiced
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced in half horizontally and bruised with the back of a knife
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
Tools
- Saucepan
- Medium bowl
- Grill
- Large foil roasting pan
- Foil
- 4 Ceramic Beer Cans
- Kitchen shears
- Instant read thermometer
Directions
- Combine all ingredients for the rub in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the butter has melted.
- Add the orange juice, hoisin, garlic, onion, orange, lemon, and lime rind and juice, lemongrass, jalapeño, and ginger.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat grill or smoker to 300°F.
- Pour half of each beer into a large roasting pan then set the cans upright inside of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cubed butter and dry rub.
- Rinse the chickens and pat dry. Rub each chicken generously with the seasoned butter, making sure to get under the skin.
- Place one lemon quarter inside of each chicken then place the chickens on the beer cans.
- Add the orange peels to the pan and roast for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, remove the pan from the grill and generously ladle the orange-hoisin glaze over the chickens. Return to the grill and continue cooking until the glaze has caramelized to a dark golden brown, about 25 minutes. The internal temperature of the thigh should read 160°F.
- Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Cut out the backbone of each chicken and cut the breast down the center. Serve and enjoy!