Winter is here, and if there is one thing winter is good for it’s gathering around a hot BBQ!

Last week, we shared tips for cleaning your BBQ, and this week let’s get straight into cooking – and is there anything better than a delicious, tender roast chicken with just a touch of smoky flavour?

The go-to roast chicken recipe here at Heat Beads® HQ has got to be Beer Can Chicken – it is so easy and a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Here are some tips to get you started:

– Set up the BBQ for indirect cooking, with a medium heat

– Soak a handful of hickory wood chips (available at hardware and BBQ retailers) in water for 30 mins. Throw the wood chips onto the coals right before you start cooking

– Grab a can of beer, and pour out around a quarter of the can

– Put a couple crushed cloves of garlic, and a pinch of paprika in the can, it adds extra flavour to your chicken!

– Give a whole free-range chicken (approx 1.7kg) some flavour with a BBQ rub, Bob Hart’s All-Purpose Rub is a great place to start

– Insert the beer can into the cavity of the chicken, using the two legs and the can as a tripod to keep it upright

– Place the chicken in an aluminium BBQ tray and put on the centre of the BBQ and put the lid on

– The wood chips should start smoking, and the beer boiling – the chicken is going to be so tender!

– Use a meat thermometer to gauge when the chicken is cooked (approx. 1-1.5 hours depending on the size of your chicken)

Enjoy your roast chicken, and we hope it brings some warmth to your winter!