smoked amber ale

Skillet Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Smoked Amber Ale BBQ Sauce is an easy way to roast a chicken with a homemade craft beer smoked amber ale bbq sauce.

There’s something about snow storm that makes me want to BBQ some chicken.

There is absolutely nothing about a snow storm that sends me running to the grocery to clear the shelves of bread and milk.  I really don’t get it.  I realize that in the south the mere threat of one single snow flake will create the kind of panic that the rest of the world laughs at, but it happens so rarely that we just aren’t equipped to deal with it.  That part makes sense to me.  What doesn’t make sense is the sudden need to stock up with bread and milk.  What are you going to do with it?

Now, I don’t deny that I join the masses at the grocery just before the snow comes, but you won’t find me in the bread or milk aisles.  You will absolutely find me in the beer aisle because even though we usually have our kegerator and beer fridge stocked up, the mere possibility that we could be snowed in without an abundance of beer will send me to a grocery to pick up some local craft beer and a chicken.  I might also swing by a brewery for a growler.

Even though I love it when it snows here, there’s something about bbq chicken that feels like a glimmer of summer and a reminder of cookouts that warms up the winter weather for me.  So next time it snows, fix a skillet roasted spatchcock chicken with smoked amber ale bbq sauce.  You won’t even have to go outside and bust out the grill.  You can reminisce about summer and stay warm in front of the fireplace while watching the snow fall out the windows.

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Skillet Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Smoked Amber Ale BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

For the Smoked Amber Ale BBQ Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups beer (I used Triple C's Smoked Amber
• 28 ounce can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 -3 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 - 4 teaspoons onion powder
• dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 10 - 12 pound chicken

Instructions

1. Heat butter and olive oil over medium-high in a large cast iron skillet or other heavy bottom pan
2. Add onion and cook until softened and fragrant
3. Add garlic and cook another minute or so
4. Add beer
5. bring to a boil, reduce heat and add tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, molasses, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire, and smoked paprika
6. Bring to a simmer and cook about 1 hour or until thickness desired
7. Preheat oven to 450
8. Arrange chicken in a cast iron skillet back side up
9. Brush with some Smoked Amber BBQ Sauce
10. Transfer to oven and cook 4- 50 minutes, brush with more bbq sauce every 5 minutes or so, when temperature reaches 160 degrees remove from oven
11. Rest 10 minutes

NOTES:

1. BBQ Sauce will thicken when cooled
2. Adjust with seasonings to achieve desired taste
3. For really great instructions on how to spatchcock a bird go check out my friend Chey’s post over here.  You can also ask your butcher to do it for you.  I make Chris do it for me. 🙂