Alright, alright, alright!

If you are thinking that Matthew McConaughey has little to do with punch, guess what, you’re right.  But I am going to expand the boundaries of my blog to not just punch but also recipes that I really like, and Matthew McConaughey has two things to do with that.

First, Matthew McConaughey is a lot like cooking chicken.  If you asked me if Matthew was one of my favorite actors, I would say “well, he’s okay, but not in my top five or even top ten for that matter.”  Yet, when I took a tally of his 35 movies or so I had seen over 2/3 of them (Magic Mike will not be included in that number.)  So obviously I like his movies more than I realize. 

I feel the same way about chicken – do I cook chicken a lot? No, not really, only 3-4 times a week! 

Second, the reason I made the recipe that follows is directly because of Matthew McConaughey.  In the late 90’s I was watching Matthew McConaughey on Jay Leno.  Matthew was regaling Jay with a tale about the best grilled chicken he had ever had, a Texas specialty, Beer Can Chicken.  Simple recipe, rub a whole chicken with spices, place the chicken over an opened half-filled can of beer, set it on the BBQ grill using the two legs and the beer can like a tripod, cover, cook for an hour and so.  The results, according to Matthew, the best chicken you will ever eat.

Well, I love trying new recipes and Andy agreed to try it (I’m not allowed to BBQ – long story for another time).  So we invite two couples over for dinner and away we go.  First, it was harder than it seemed to set the chicken on the grill “like a tripod”.  Second, if you leave too much beer in the can, it boils up and over onto the charcoals, terrible mess.  Third, if you aren’t careful when you lift the BBQ lid you can knock the very, very hot chicken over on its side.  The remaining beer spills out, and the very, very hot chicken isn’t that easy to lift onto a platter.

The chicken was good.  Our good friends very understanding, but cooking was not at all worth the hassle.  Sorry, Matthew no moist chicken is worth that much work.

So imagine my delight last week when I found a recipe for Beer Brined Chicken.  It was so easy to do, not messy and absolutely delicious!  I grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts and chicken quarters (breast, wing and leg, thigh, all had bones and skin).  I preferred the chicken quarters, but even the skinless, boneless breasts, which can be so dry, were delicious.  I plan on using the recipe quite frequently; it’s great for guests because so much can be done ahead of time.   

So thanks, Matthew for turning me onto beer and chicken.

This was a great dinner, the new potato and green bean salad, outstanding and the peanut butter bars are no bake – so good on a hot day.  If anyone wants either of those two recipes, let me know, I will gladly supply them.

*Beer Brined Chicken                                                                                                                *New Potato and Green Bean Salad                                                                                   *Grilled Vegetables                                                                                                               *French Bread w/ butter                                                                                                     *Peanut Butter Chocolate No-Bake Bars

Beer Brined Chicken

Yield 8 servings           Active Time   55 minutes                  Total Time    10 hours

Ingredients

Brine

2 cups water

1/4 cup kosher (coarse) salt

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

4 cans or bottles (12 oz each) beer or nonalcoholic beer

Chicken

Chilled 2 cut-up whole chickens (3 to 3 1/2 lb each)

Barbecue Rub

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

For Brine

1.In 6- to 8-quart noncorrosive (stainless steel, enamel-coated or plastic) container or stockpot, mix water, kosher salt and brown sugar, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved.

2.Stir in beer.

3.Add chicken.

4.Cover; refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

For Chicken

1.Line 15x10-inch pan with sides with foil.

2.Remove chicken from brine; rinse thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry with paper towels.

3.Discard brine.

4.Place chicken in pan. Refrigerate uncovered 1 hour to dry chicken skin. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all rub ingredients except oil; set aside.

For Grilling

1.Heat gas or charcoal grill for indirect cooking.

2.Brush oil over chicken; sprinkle rub mixture over chicken.

3.For charcoal grill, move medium coals to edge of firebox; place chicken over drip pan. Cover grill; cook 15 minutes.

4.Turn chicken over; cover grill and cook 20 to 30 minutes longer, turning occasionally, until juice of chicken is clear when thickest piece is cut to bone (170°F for breasts; 180°F for thighs and drumsticks).