"Cheeky" Chicken Love

It was years ago. I was home sick, looking for comfort, watching TV. I landed on The Rosie O'Donnell Show with guest Matthew McConaughey, who's enough to make anyone feel better. But it wasn't just the eye candy, it was that slow, Southern drawl as he talked about beer butt chicken. I curse the Internet that I have been unable to find the exact clip, but the line "... and then the beer starts to bubble" in his inimitable voice has been a mainstay of my vocabulary (and sends me swooning just at the memory) ever since.

Apparently, I'm not alone.

A few days ago in an interview with Howard Stern, Rosie said that she has fantasized about Matthew McConaughey in um, intimate moments—specifically citing the time he talked about beer butt chicken on her show! (The interview with Howard Stern is here. She mentions Mr. McAwesome in part 4.)

These days there's nothing new about beer butt chicken—you can hardly go through summer without hearing about it a thousand or more times. And it's a great subject among those slacker rich kids (you know who you are!) who like to pretend they're from the wrong side of the tracks. Nevertheless, it's new to me, and I've found a recipe that allows you to make it in the oven (versus the grill) any time of year.

And yes, it really is that good. Almost as good as if Matthew McConaughey were sharing it with me himself.

Think you can't make beer butt chicken and still be a food snob? As Matthew would say, "It'd be a lot cooler if you did."

Oven-Roasted Beer Butt Chicken

Adapted from Guy Fieri/Food Network

1 (2- to 3-pound) whole chicken
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 (12-ounce) can beer
4 slices of bacon, trimmed of excess fat

Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash chicken with cold water and pat dry with
paper towels.

Mix dry spices in a small bowl. Massage half of rub on the inside cavity of the
chicken; rub the other half between the skin and flesh on the outside. 

Drink about half of the beer and drop the garlic cloves and any excess spice rub into the can. Place chicken, butt end down, over the beer can and place in an ovenproof pan or casserole dish. 

Stuff about 1/3 of each bacon slice into the neck cavity and drape the remainder over the outside of the bird.

Cook chicken in the oven for 10 minutes; then lower temperature to 325°F and cook for another 1 hour, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Cut up and serve.