This past week the Neelys announced they are bringing their BBQ expertise to the Big Apple with Neely's Pig Parlor. While they definitely are the pit masters of pork, Pat's recipe for Grilled Beer Can Chicken is superb for grilling at home. As strange as placing an actual bird on a beer can might seem I highly suggest giving it a whirl from my recent experience.

This past weekend I attended a backyard barbecue and the host put this recipe to the test, as he was a bit skeptical about the beer can too. He made the dry rub the night before including smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried cumin, dried thyme, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and black pepper that combined into dynamite! He patted down the chicken with the rub 12 hours before grilling so the flavors would meld together tenderizing the skin.

The day of his party he carefully placed the bird on the grill perched atop the 3/4-full light beer can—then he was able to set it and forget it. But he did baste the chicken every 30 minutes with a light barbecue sauce using (bonus!) a brush made out of fresh thyme and oregano picked from his garden. It added a fresh kick of flavor! After almost 2 hours of hungry anticipation I became a beer can chicken convert with my first bite—the spicy dry rub and beer provided a rich juiciness that I had never tasted before!