Cola-Can Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup Barbecue Rub (see prior recipe)

2 (3.5 to 4-pound) whole chickens, rinsed and patted dry

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 (12-ounce) cans cola

Cola Barbecue Sauce (see other recipe)

Directions

Sprinkle 3 teaspoons of the Barbecue Rub inside the body and neck cavities of the chickens.

Rub the vegetable oil all over the skin. Rub 2 tablespoons of the Barbecue Rub into the skin of each chicken.

Pour out 3/4 cup of the cola from each can and reserve for the Cola Barbecue Sauce. Leave the remaining cola in the can.

Using a manual pounch-type can opener, make 2 additional holes at the top of each can.

Place the cans in the sink and divide the remaining rub between the two cans; the cola will foam over.

Place one chicken upright onto each cola can, fitting the can into the cavity.

Pull the legs forward to form a tripod, allowing chickens to stand upright.

Prepare a charcoal grill, piling the charcoal on one side and leaving the other side empty. If using a gas grill, light only one side. Place a drip pan on the unlit side, and place a food rack on the grill.

Place the chickens upright over the drip pan. Cover and grill 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the skin is golden and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 180°F.

Transfer the chickens from the grill to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Carefully remove the cola cans, carve, and serve with the Cola Barbecue Sauce.

Notes

Dolly says: "Cola should be named the Tennessee state drink. Well, after Jack Daniel's. We don't just drink cola, we cook with it, too, because we can't seem to get enough of it. For this chicken, we even use the can! I know some cooks who use beer in teh same way, but you can't take the Tennessee out of this girl, or the cola can out of the chicken."