Lemonade Can Chicken

Photo: flickr user Ed Yourdon

Ingredients

1 tablespoon lemonade powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons hickory-smoked salt

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 can (12 oz.) lemonade

1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lbs.)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory or oak), soaked for 1 hour in

water to cover, then drained

Preparation

Lemonade-Mustard Sauce (recipe in this collection)

Rub: Put the lemonade powder, brown sugar, paprika, hickory salt, lemon pepper, garlic and onion powders and celery seed in a small bowl and stir to mix.

Chicken: Pop the tab off the lemonade can. Pour half of the lemonade (1/2 cup) into a measuring cup and set aside for the sauce. If cooking the chicken on the can, using a can opener that cuts triangular openings, make 2 additional holes in its top. Set the can aside.

Remove the packet of giblets from the body cavity of the chicken and set aside for another use. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chicken, inside and out under cold running water, and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the rub inside the body cavity and 1 teaspoon inside the neck cavity of the chicken. Drizzle the oil over the outside of the bird and rub or brush it all over the skin. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with 1 tablespoon rub and rub it all over the skin. Set aside 2 teaspoons of rub for the sauce. Spoon the remaining rub into the lemonade through a hole in the top of the can.

To cook on a can: Hold the bird upright, with the opening of the body cavity at bottom, and lower it onto the can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the chicken legs forward to form a sort of tripod, so the bird stands upright. The rear leg of the tripod is the can. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the chicken's back.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center.

When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and very crisp and the meat is cooked through

(about 180 F. on an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching the bone), 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If using a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 12 fresh coals per side after an hour. If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, loosely tent the bird with aluminum foil.

If cooking on a can: Using tongs, hold the bird by the can and carefully transfer it in an upright position to a platter.

Present the bird to your guests. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carefully lift it off the can. Take care not to spill the hot lemonade or otherwise burn yourself. Halve, quarter or carve the chicken and serve with Lemonade-Mustard Sauce.

Serves 2 to 4.

Note: This is a twist on beer-can chicken: a bird roasted upright over an open can of lemonade. The rub is made with powdered lemonade mix (the

"secret" ingredient in a lot of Kansas City rubs), while the barbecue sauce combines lemonade, brown sugar and mustard.