Grillin' time: Chicken on a can and grilled corn

Our grill has been out of commission for a few months because Mr. Zen had to search high and low for a replacement grate and burner unit. But locate he did and we fired the grill up last night.

...and there was much rejoicing. (Yay!) And just in time for Memorial Day weekend, too!

Now before I get to the menu and the recipes, I'll need to do a little bit of clarification for the non-Southerners in the group, just so we can all be on the same page.

Down south, when we say the word barbecue, it is most generally a noun and it specifically refers to pulled (sometimes chopped) pork barbecue, as in the filling for a barbecue sammich.

If you ask a Southerner, "what's for supper" and his or her reply is "Barbecue," then you know that they're having pulled (sometimes chopped) pork barbecue.

Period. If it's anything else, it's called something different. If it's chicken, it's called "barbecued chicken" or "grilled chicken." If it's ribs, it's called "ribs." If it's brisket, it's called "brisket."

A true Southerner would never call anything "barbecue" other than pulled (sometimes chopped) pork barbecue without further clarification.

In the South, the devices used to cook the aforementioned grilled chicken, ribs, etc. is called a "grill." Yankees call them "barbecues" or "barbecue grills." (However, real barbecue isn't cooked on a grill. It's cooked in a smoker or in a pit.)

A Yankee would say, "we're going to barbecue tonight." A Southerner would say, "we're grilling out tonight." In the verb form, Yankees "barbecue," Southerners "grill out." We also (less common) "cook out."

Confused yet? Don't worry, you wouldn't be the first.

Back to the menu. I wanted to inaugurate the newly refurbished grill and I knew exactly what I wanted to fix.

Chicken on a can. Some people call it "beer can chicken," "coke can chicken," "beer butt chicken," and a whole host of other things. Whatever you call it, the basic premise is always the same:

Take a whole chicken. Rub some seasoning on it. Open up a can of beer or soda... and shove the can up the chicken's ol' wazoo.

Sound interesting? Read on.

CHICKEN ON A CAN
1 whole roasting chicken (a 3-4 pound bird does well)
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 can beer or cola

Preheat oven to 350 degrees or grill to medium heat.
Wash chicken thoroughly and pat dry.
Mix spices together and rub all over the chicken, inside and out.
Open the can of beer/cola and pour out (or drink!) about 1/4 cup.
Set the chicken on the can so that the can is up it's you-know-what.
Stand the chicken upright - the drumsticks and the can will form a stable tripod. Place upright chicken in a baking pan if you're going to bake it in the oven.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or grill for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature of the chicken measures 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

To go with this, I got my hands on some to-die-for, fresh from the field, sweet corn still in the husk. So, I decided to grill the corn, too.

GRILLED CORN ON THE COB
Peel back the husks from the corn, but do not remove the husks completely. De-silk and wash the ears of corn. Pull the husks back up over the corn.

Place corn, in husks, on the grill over medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning frequently, until the corn is heated through.

Peel off the husks just before serving.

So sweet, you could almost serve it as dessert!

To go along with this, I opened up my very last jars of green beans that I'd canned from last year's garden. It was instant summer.

From the Zen family to your family... have a safe and happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all active duty military and all honorably discharged veterans. Bravo Zulu to all my shipmates around the world, especially to my fellow trusty shellbacks. You know who you are!

Share this post