Beer Can Chicken

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This is the first time I've done beer can chicken.  It was delicious!  Moist, tender and juicy, and with the spice rub it was so flavorful!

Since we never buy cans of beer, I actually used an empty chicken broth can for the beer (and, of course, drank the remainder). :)  I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Ingredients:
1 5 lb whole chicken
1 can beer
1 c spice rub (recipe below)

Directions:
Preheat grill to 300-325 degrees. You do not want to use direct heat.  We have 3 burners on our grill, so I turned out the outer two, and placed the chicken in the middle.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Use 1/2 cup of the spice on the chicken - make sure to get inside and under the skin.

Open the can of beer.  You may want to completely remove the top with the can opener to allow as much flavor as possible to go into the chicken. Empty 1/2 of the can of beer (drink it, pour it out, save for another dish... whatever you want) and mix the remaining spice rub into the beer. (Note: You may want to check that the beer can fits into the chicken before you open the can.)

Place the beer can on the grill and then lower the chicken over the can, propping it up using the chicken legs.  You may need a helper with this part. 

Grill the chicken for about 1 and 1/2 hours, until thermometer inserted into the thigh registers at 180 degrees.

Remove from grill and let sit for about 10 minutes before carving.

Spice Rub:
(I found this randomly online, but I'm sorry I can't find the link now)
Ingredients:
1/4 c sugar
2 T paprika
1 T onion powder
2 T seasoned salt
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 T chili powder
1/2 T lemon pepper
1 T sage, dried
1/2 t basil, dried
1/2 t rosemary, drived
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.