TheAdams- Beer Can Chicken

So...most of us have those nights where we don't really want to get the kitchen dirty or maybe just don't have time to figure out a main dish for the family. Beer can chicken is one of those meals that is a great standby and can be fixed easily without much mess, but best of all is almost impossible to screw up.

What do you need for ingredients??? 
Just grab a beer out of the fridge (I use a 24oz can because we typically try and get a larger chicken), some seasonings, and a whole uncooked chicken.

The nice part about this recipe is that you don't have to be really precise or make up your own sauce or anything that takes time before you are ready to cook.  I usually use a pre-mixed rub that we have around the house or you can experiment with your favorite seasonings for your own unique rub.

Take 6 tbs of the rub mix and spread 4 tbs on the chicken.  Open the beer (you can either drink half or pour it out, you know my preference), and take a knife or scissors and cut small holes into the top of the beer can.  Use the other 2 tbs of rub mix you have left over and pour the mix slowly into the half of beer you have left over through the holes you cut in the top.

Be careful on this part because it will likely fizz over if you pour it all at once.  While all this is going on, have your grill on high so its ready for cooking whenever you are done with the chicken.

Turn half of the grill off and leave the other side on high, grab the chicken and carefully place the beer inside the chicken making sure its not too top heavy spilling the beer mixture.

Balance the can with chicken on top on the grill, over the side that has been turned off.

That is ALL! Leave the chicken on the indirect grill side for about 1 1/2 hrs turning 1/4 turns occasionally just to give a nice even cook to the outside of the chicken.

The chicken will start to look puffy and crunchy on the outside when it is getting close to being done, but I always check internal temp with a meat thermometer to make sure it hits 170 degrees.

When it's done, use tongs to extract the beer from the chicken's butt. The meat should fall right off the bone- enjoy!

 

BITES- cheesy potato balls

I don't know about you guys but around these parts most of our nights have been consumed with watching the World Series. (When your husband is from Texas and they make it to the World Series, you don't really argue.) So if you're like us and you're looking for an appetizer to pair with your beer for the big game, these cheesy potato balls (that the boys have nicknamed The. Balls.) are quite the crowd pleaser!

INGREDIENTS
8 baking potatoes
1/4 cup minced onion
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
2 T butter, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bake potatoes at 350 for an hour and a half. Let cool. Peel and shred the potatoes (we used a ricer, but you can just use a fork if you don't have one).

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, onions, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add in shredded potatoes and mix.

Scoop out spoonfuls (you can use an ice cream scoop but we didn't). Roll in parmesan/corn flake mixture. Line up on cookie sheet.

Bake at 425 for 35 minutes. Pair with your favorite brew and tune in to your favorite team. In our case, GO RANGERS!