Reinvented Beer Can Chicken Recipe

You may know actor Kyle MacLachlan from his roles as the squarely Upper East Side husband to Sex & the City’s Charlotte, Portlandia’s wacky mayor or – our favorite – the creepily cheery Agent Cooper of David Lynch’s 90s cult hit Twin Peaks.

MacLachlan is also a wine lover – and a wine producer. In Walla Walla, Washington, he works with Dunham Cellars to craft two wines, Pursued by Bear and Baby Bear. This fall, we joined MacLachlan in Washington for a potluck Thanksgiving feast, where his favorite local farmers, chefs and a mixologist each brought their favorite family recipes. This week, we’d love to introduce you to some of these characters, and to share their recipes. To read the full story, download our Fall Entertaining Catalog. – Ed.

While searching for a wine to serve at his wedding in 2002, Kyle MacLachlan came upon Dunham Estates’ 1999 Lewis Vineyard single-estate Syrah. He not only decided to serve it, but became such a fan that three years later he turned to the Dunham family to teach him and help him make his own wine.

And Eric Dunham’s been a more-than-willing mentor. Garrulous, warm and unaffected, he’s formed a rich, brotherly friendship with the actor/winemaker. After inspecting the crop together, we headed to the Dunhams’ massive barrel room and tasting lab, where Kyle tasted the fresh juice—the kind of tasting he’s done with Eric each year to get the balance of each blend right. With a sip of one vineyard’s Merlot, Kyle puckered and winced; with another vineyard’s Cab, his eyes opened wide and he smacked his lips. You can understand why a man whose face is this expressive has made a career out of performing.

Later that afternoon, Eric manned an enormous gas grill to make his version of "beer can chicken,” a backyard classic that roasts the bird while fragrantly steaming it from the inside, producing a tremendously moist, flavorful chicken. As evidence to their devotion to this particular poultry art, the Dunhams have permanently rigged up their grill grates with flat-bottomed pipes to stand in for the beer cans. And they spiff up the recipe a little, too; instead of filling the pipes with Bud, they use a little of their aromatic Riesling. 

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You can reproduce Eric’s recipe on any standard grill by using a beer can, and filling it with Riesling wine.

“Beer Can Chicken” with Riesling and Fresh Herbs

Serves 4

For the brine

1 gallon water
¾ cup salt
1 cup sugar
6 whole cloves of garlic, lightly smashed
A handful of sprigs of fresh thyme

For the chicken

1 can of beer
8 ounces dry Riesling
5-7 stems of fresh herbs (sage, thyme and rosemary are especially nice)
1 whole 4-5 pound chicken (sometimes called “broiler”)
Salt, to taste

1. To prepare the brine, combine water, salt, sugar, garlic and thyme in a large pot, bring to a boil to dissolve, and let cool.
2. Rinse the chicken and remove all giblets. Submerge the chicken in the brine for at least 2 hours, or preferably refrigerate it overnight.
3. When ready to cook, fire up the grill to medium-high heat.
4. Meanwhile, drink a can of beer.
5. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Salt the chicken, including cavity, lightly. Fill the beer can with herbs, and pour in the Riesling. Keeping the can vertical, place the open end of the beer can in the chicken cavity as if you were stuffing a Thanksgiving turkey. Place the chicken on the grill with the beer can and two legs stabilized on the grill like a tripod.
6. Lower the cover on the grill and roast for 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until the internal temperature registers 155⁰ F in the breast area or 170⁰ F in the thigh area. When cut with a knife, juices should run clear. If chicken skin is getting too brown before the meat is cooked, loosely wrap the bird in aluminum foil.
7. When chicken is cooked, very carefully remove the can from the chicken, using oven mitts and tongs. Be careful not to spill the hot wine and burn yourself. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.