Summer is here, time to Fire up the Grill.

With the hot weather upon us, who wants to be stuck in the house cooking in a hot kitchen? Not me!

I know we all dread the hot Texas summers, but in some ways I look forward to the days getting longer and warmer. To me, summer means that I get to spend more time with my family doing all the things we love, swimming, taking little trips here and there to the lake or berry picking, taking a family vacation, enjoying our fruit & vegetable garden and grilling out.

In the summer months, our outdoor grill gets a serious work out. Grilling is such a time saver and you don’t have to heat up the whole house to do it. One of my favorite meats to grill is chicken. It is a pretty economical meal choice, plus you can catch chicken on sale more often then some of the other cuts of meat.

Let’s talk whole fryers as well, as a lot of people think whole fryers are old school cooking. Not true. Yes, we remember our mothers and grandmothers cooking with them. But I have to admit they were pretty smart when it came to getting more for your money. You can get whole fryers for as little as 69 cents a pound. Whenever I see chickens on sale at such a great price I try to stock up on a few. They come in handy for so many different recipes.

In particular, one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes is Beer in the Rear Chicken. This recipe can go by several names, Beer in the Rear Chicken, Drunken Chicken and Beer Can Chicken, whatever title you throw on this dish it is all the same in the end.

The basic version of Beer in the Rear Chicken only requires a whole chicken and a can of beer. However if you really want to top it off, you should also include some type of dry rub (a house seasoning or whatever spices you like) to give it that extra flavor boost. We have prepared this chicken two different ways, one on a charcoal grill and the second on our wood smoker. Both ways are awesome!

If cooking on a charcoal grill cook the chicken approximately one hour. The second time we cooked two chickens on our smoker so it took around two or more hours. If you want leftovers for another meal, maybe to use in chicken pot pie or a chicken casserole, I would recommend cooking up two of these guys so there is plenty for another day.

Beer-in-the-Rear Chicken (inspired by Paula Deen):

1 - (12-ounce) can beer (do not use a dark beer)

Paula House Seasoning or seasonings of your choice

Seasoning salt

1 - (3-pound) chicken

1 - sprig rosemary

Wash and drain the chicken and pat dry. Season the chicken inside and out with the seasoning salt and house seasoning. (Recipe below) Place chicken in a gallon size zip lock bag and refrigerate until ready to cook. I like to do this early in the day so the flavors have time to marinate.

Prepare the charcoal grill. When the coals are hot and glowing, carefully push them over to the sides of the grill, leaving an open space in the middle of the grill. Open the can of beer and pour off approximately 1/4 cup. Try and open the can as much as possible or completely using a can opener (be careful). Insert the sprig of rosemary into the can, add some more of the seasonings directly into the can then place the beer can, keeping it upright, into the rear cavity of the chicken.

Carefully place the chicken, standing up on the beer can, in the center of the grill, making sure not to spill the beer. You can also use a beer can chicken holder or old Bundt pan to place the chicken on. Cover the grill and cook the chicken for approximately 1 hour and 15 min, rotating the chicken as necessary.

The chicken is done when the juice runs clear when pierced with a fork. Carefully remove the beer can from the chicken using mitts and discard the can. Cut the chicken into halves or quarters and serve.

Paula’s House seasoning Recipe: 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder. Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

For more great family recipes visit Tina’s blog, Mommy’s Kitchen at http://tinamommyx3.blogspot.com/

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