Beer Can Chicken and Guy Fieri

This recipe for Beer Can Chicken comes from Food Network's Guy Fieri (pronounced the old word way:  fee-et-ee).  Guy won one of the earliest Food Network Star competitions, and he is a natural in front of the camera, probably because he is so real, a genuine article.  Guy is the host of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (love it!).  He goes around to all these one-of-a-kind little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, finding great food and talking to loyal customers.  My favorite part of the show is when he is in the kitchen, watching the cook create a specialty dish, and then he digs in.  His happiness elicits such pride from the cook. You can't fake that enthusiasm.  He LOVES the food, but more, he loves meeting people and celebrating small restaurant businesses all over the country. 

This dish is a carnivore's delight.  It is covered in bacon so if that offends you, stop reading now.  I hesitated to include a recipe with so much decadence but really, you have to read the reviews.  I can't possible convey the outright enthusiasm for the recipe as well as these people do.  I promise healthy balance with a soon-to-be posted recipe for something black-beanish or such, but right now, forgive me, it's time to get your chicken on!

BIG BUD'S BEER CAN CHICKEN
from Guy Fieri and the Food Network

Ingredients
1 (2 to 3-pound) whole chicken
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (12-ounce) can beer
1/2 pound bacon
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. Rub 1/2 of the ingredients on inside cavity of chicken. Gently peel skin away from chicken and rub mixture into meat of chicken. Open beer can pour out about 1/2 cup. Drop the garlic cloves into the beer can. Place chicken, open end down, over the beer can to insert the beer into the cavity. Place chicken, standing up, in large saute pan. Place 1/3 of the bacon in the top cavity of the chicken and drape the remaining 2/3 of the bacon down the outside of the chicken. Pierce the bacon to the chicken with toothpicks.

Place chicken in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for another 1 hour, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.





Photo credit and original recipe from the Food Network:  http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2007/09/07/GI0302_Big_Bud_Chicken_lg.jpg