Beer Can Chicken and Jalapeno & Green Chile Cheese Grits

I must pat myself on the back. Last night's dinner was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Now, I've blogged about beer can chicken before but it's been an evolving recipe. I've played around with the rub, the types of beers and even the seasoning technique but I think I have finally perfected it. And you know what? I'm pretty excited about it!

I love crispy chicken skin. I could totally skip the meat and just eat the skin. I wish you could buy cracklings at the store (not the scary pork kind). I'd eat them by the handful. In the past, the skin was never crispy enough. So I tried a variety of things some of which didn't help. However, last night, I decided to dredge the entire chicken in flour, paint it with an egg wash and then apply the rub. Boom! We have crispy chicken skin. I also added about 2 teaspoons of panko crumbs to the rub. That gave an extra crunch, too.

Of all the beers I have tried (Sierra Nevada, Tacate, Lagunitas IPA, Budweiser and more) nothing has worked better than the Midwest classic Pabst Blue Ribbon. PBR is also refreshing to drink with the dinner because I like to make my rub super spicy!

I make grits all the time. Shrimp and grits, breakfast grits, sausage grits...but who can resist cheese grits? So, I dug around and got a recipe and made a couple tweaks. Delicious. However, I think I am going to add an extra cup of cheese to the top at the end and broil it until it browns and then serve it next time. When in doubt add more cheese.

Jalapeno & Green Chile Cheese Grits

• 2 cups quick-cooking grits
• 2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Tapatio)
  
• 3 large eggs, well beaten
• 2 jalapenos, finely diced
• 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
• Garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from the heat and add next 6 ingredients (Cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt, to taste. Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Beer Can Chicken and Jalapeno & Green Chile Cheese Grits