Step 1

Buy a whole chicken of about 1 to 1.5 kg depending on the number of people. 1 kg of chicken is sufficient for 2 to 3 people.

Loosen the skin from the chicken by putting your fingers under the skin and pry it loose. Do both sides and do the legs too. Trim excess pieces of skin. This doesn’t look nice on the end result and does not add anything to the flavor.

Step 2

Rub the whole chicken and especially the pieces under the skin like the breast fillets. If you only rub the skin, there will be no taste on the legs or breast fillets, so it certainly adds something if you rub herbs under the skin.

Step 3

Heat your bbq to 170 degrees indirect. A water bowl is not necessary, because you want a crispy end result. Take a good sip from the beer can and put the can on the grid so that it can warm up. Do not skip this step. If you put the cold chicken on a cold can of beer it takes much longer for the middle of the chicken to warm up on the bbq. So you get dried out breast of chicken before the inside is on the right temperature. You do not have to add herbs to the beer. Despite what many recipes write this adds nothing to the taste. The taste comes from the rub, the smoke wood and in this case the ranch sauce.

Step 4

Now take the beer can from the bbq (note: the can is hot) and add a piece of smoke wood. Reinstall the grill. Put the chicken on the can of beer. Use tongs to hold the can in place or ask someone to help you.

Mix 100 grams of mayonnaise, 100 grams of sour cream, 100 grams of buttermilk for the ranch. Cut the shallot and the chives (about 10 grams) very small and press the garlic cloves. Add everything together. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir into a smooth sauce.

Step 5

After a total bbq time of 50-55 minutes the chicken will be ready. Check the core temperature in the thickest part of the breast and aim for 73 degrees. Remove the chicken and the can from the bbq and let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. Remove the chicken from the can. First remove the legs, then the breast fillets and finally the wings. Serve with the ranch sauce. Enjoy!