That's one fine looking bird...

Isn't it? Don't you just want to reach in there and pull off a wing and start munching? 

John experimented this week with a recipe of his own creation. I have to say, it was very successful, if not slightly odd. But then again, he's slightly odd, so it seems to fit.

Here's his recipe.

Ingredients * = local, & = organic

• 1 whole chicken *&
• 1 can beer
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Tom Douglas Peri Peri rub
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• A few shakes of hot pepper flakes
• A few pinches of coarse black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter *&
• Agave nectar
• Bourbon
• Sprig of rosemary *

Directions

1. Take your beer (a nice Belgian would work well here, though probably many beers would be just fine), and take a sip. Then pour about half of the can in a bowl and soak some wood chips in it for at least an hour.
2. Take the rest of the beer still in the can and place it in your Beer Can Chicken Roaster. Cut a long sprig of rosemary and place it in the beer can.
3. Mix the spices and melted butter together in a bowl to form a paste. Add some agave nectar and bourbon. You'll have to approximate the amounts so that you still have a paste that can be brushed onto the bird.
4. Add the soaked wood chips to the smoker box and heat up the grill. You want the grill to come up to temperature and the smoker box to start... well... smoking.
5. Arrange the chicken on the roaster and brush with your paste.
6. Place on the grill and cook for about 1.5 hours or until the chicken comes up to temperature.
7. Take the chicken off the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting and enjoying.

This chicken was excellent. Though oddly, we both thought that it smelled a lot like pizza. I think it was the combination of the rosemary and the Peri Peri rub. And really... who doesn't like pizza?