Beer Can Duck Recipes

BEER CAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, dry mustard, salt, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Place the half-full can of beer in the center of a plate.
• Rinse chicken under cold running water. Discard giblets and neck from chicken; drain and pat dry. Fit whole chicken over the can of beer with the legs on the bottom; keep upright. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix into the top cavity of the chicken. The beer may foam up when the seasonings fall inside the can. Rub the remaining seasoning mix over the entire surface of the chicken.
• Place the chicken, standing on the can, directly on the preheated grill. Close the lid and barbeque the chicken until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the grill and discard the beer can. Cover the chicken with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

CIDER CAN SOY-GLAZED DUCK

Steps:

• Lightly score the duck skin all over and rub with the five-spice and some salt, making sure you get into the cut marks (this can be done a day ahead and left to marinate in the fridge uncovered). Light a lidded barbecue. Let the flames die down and the coals turn ashen, then mound the coal up on one side. If you're using a small barbecue, you will have to remove the grills and put a sturdy roasting tin on the floor of the barbecue, next to the coals - this will give you space to close the lid once the duck is in. If you have a large barbecue, the duck will sit in a tray directly on the grills, or simply heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Open the can of cider, reserve a few tbsps for the sauce, and pour about half into a glass (you can drink this as a pre-dinner tipple!) Feed the ginger and garlic into the can and pour in the oil and half the soy. Push the duck onto the can, legs down, so that it's sitting upright with the can in its cavity. Stand it upright on the tray in the barbecue or oven, close the lid and cook for 1 hr.
• While the duck is cooking, whisk the remaining soy, honey and chilli sauce together with the reserved cider. Brush the sauce all over the duck and cook for another hour, basting every 10-15 mins with all the sticky juices in the pan until the duck is dark and glossy. Remove from the barbecue or oven and rest for 30 mins. Meanwhile, mix the Sichuan pepper with some flaky sea salt. Carefully lift the duck off the tray and the can. Season with the spiced salt and add the coriander to the cavity. Carve and serve.

BEER CAN DUCK

Steps:

• Salt the duck and place it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to dry out.
• Preheat oven to 425.
• Pierce the duck skin with a sharp knife in multiple locations (10 to 20 pierces over the whole duck). Make sure not to pierce through to the meat. Piercing at an angle will help to ensure you only go through skin and fat.
• Combine ingredients for the rub and rub over the entire duck.
• Open the can, empty half and pierce 2-3 extra holes in the top. Optionally you can make extra rub and add to the can.
• Plug the duck neck opening with a small lime or shallot or spud (whatever you have handy that's golfball size).
• Stand the can in a relatively deep drip pan with a bit of water in the pan (preferably using a beer butt stand which you can get for $6 or less) and lower the duck onto the can shoving it into the backside as far up as it goes.
• Place in oven and roast for one hour at 425, then one hour at 375, and then one hour at 325.
• Remove from oven and carefully separate can from bird then carve and serve.
• You will have a huge amount of rendered duck fat in the pan which you can refrigerate or freeze and save for future use.