Beer Can Chicken Blog

Our Mascot Relaxes After an Invigorating Rub-Down

And now a brief word from our spices. Nothing ups the ante like a nice spice rub applied an hour or 3 before you put the bird on the can. Before we lay the “secret” recipes on you here are a few pointers:

• Get Fresh. If you are going to go to the trouble to mix up a few ounces of rub — or double the batch and save some for later — use the good stuff. Pull the trash can over to your spice drawer and throw out everything that you’ve been saving for the zombie Apocalypse. Run down to your local grocers for some updated items. If possible, buy the whole,  un-ground ingredients, then mulch them in your food processor right before you mix up the rub. (Actually, our food processor doesn’t do a very good job. In a perfect world you would have a dedicated coffee grinder just for spices, right?)
• Rub. Then Sit. Apply the rub after a light coat of olive oil, then refrigerate for several hours before cooking. Let those flavors soak into the bird before you light the coals.
• Get Under Your Skin. There is no rule against working the rub under the chicken skin where possible. Do a thorough job and make a huge mess for your roommates to clean up. Just make sure you leave the skin on, because that’s going to help seal in moisture and flavor on the grill.

Here’s our basic recipe — followed by a full-on spice job.

Basic Rub: Combine all ground ingredients in a small container with a lid, shake it up to mix completely.

• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard (We use Coleman’s)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Deep Spice 9 Rub (spicy): Combine all ground ingredients in a small container with a lid, shake it up to mix completely. If you are starting with whole mustard seeds crush those into a powder first, then combine with the rest.

• 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Mustard Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 Teaspoon Habenero Chile Powder (Hot! Don’t get this in your eyes or anything)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt