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Cooking a beer can chicken for your next get together is not only an entertaining experience for family and friends; it results in a tender and juicy bird as well. Before choosing a particular recipe suggesting herbs and spices, you first need to know the basics to bringing the bird to the correct temperature without undercooking or burning it.

Type of Beer
There is a long standing debate in the inner circles of the beer can chicken enthusiasts over the type of beer that will produce the best results. Some speculate that the type of beer imparts the flavor into the bird while others claim that the sole purpose of the beer is to impart steam and deliver the herbs. The only way to tell for sure is to perform your own taste tests to decide to which group you belong.

Preparing the Grill
If you are using a charcoal grill or a wood fire, get the charcoal going. Make sure all of the charcoal or wood is to one side of the grill. By the time you get the chicken spiced up, the charcoal should be red-hot coals instead of fire. The same thing applies to wood. The important thing is that all hot coals are to one side of the grill.

If you have a gas grill, there is no need to turn it on until you are ready to put the beer can chicken on the grill.

Preparing the Chicken
Make sure you get a chicken that fits snugly on a beer can. A four to five pound chicken is usually a good choice.