BBQ Beer Can Chicken

This recipe comes from the kitchen of sister Kathy.  

Spice Rub
2 TBS light brown sugar
2 TBS paprika
1 TBS salt
1 TBS black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper

​Glaze
2 TBS light brown sugar
2 TBS ketchup
2 TBS white vinegar
2 TBS beer
1 tsp hot sauce

2 whole chickens (3 – 3 ½ pounds each) washed and patted dry
4 cups wood chips (optional)
2 12-ounce cans beer
4 bay leaves, crumbled

Instructions
Mix the spice rub ingredients in a mixing cup.  If making one chicken, save the rest in a spice jar for another use.  For the glaze, combine brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, beer and hot sauce in medium bowl – then add 1 TBS spice rub mix.  Open beer, take a sip or two, then add two TBS to the glaze mix so that you have about ½ a can of beer left.  Use a church key can opener to punch the top of the beer can inside allowing the maximum amount of steam to escape during cooking.  Add the crumbled bay leaves to beer can.  Loosen the skin on the breasts and thighs of the chicken with your fingers between the skin and the meat.  Massage the spice mixture on the skin, under the skin and inside the cavity.  Use a skewer and poke the skin all over the chicken to render as much fat as possible during booking.  Place chicken on beer can on center of grill - best to set it on a pie tin or piece of foil to capture the fat drippings.   Cover and grill until skin is well browned and very crisp about 40-60 minutes.  Brush with glaze and cook another 20 minutes until thigh meat registers 170 degrees on thermometer.  Let rest for 10 minutes, hold base of can and pull chicken off can.  Carve and serve.