Think Ink

• Beer isn't meant to be stored or served at the kinds of temperatures it reaches on your grill. While the alcohol itself doesn't undergo any unsafe chemical changes, the vessel it comes in might -- the interior lining of the can, for example, could degrade in the heat and mix its chemicals with the liquid. The outside of the can could be similarly dangerous, as the inks on the outside of a beer can are not necessarily tested for safety -- they could become carcinogenic or toxic in the heat and bleed into the chicken. Inside and out, beer cans simply may not be safe for cooking with your food.

Fiery Danger

• As a highly flammable substance, alcohol may be a risky ingredient for open-flame cooking. If you do not use a stand for holding up your beer can chicken, for example, it can topple over, spilling the can's ingredients onto the flames below and causing a flare-up. While this can result in a torched bird if it happens mid-cooking, spilling the can while you set up your chicken can result in serious burns. You must also remember to open the beer can before you insert it into your chicken -- if you forget, the heat will cause an unsafe pressure buildup inside the can, making it explode.

Unsafe Temperatures

• The United States Department of Agriculture recommends an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit for safe chicken consumption -- and cooking beer can chicken can make it difficult for the meat to reach that temperature throughout. Because the beer can fills up the chicken's cavity, hot air cannot circulate inside. This means that instead of cooking from the inside and the outside, the chicken cooks only from the outside, which is less effective and can cause deceptive results with your meat thermometer. The parts of the chicken nearest the skin may reach 165 F much sooner than the parts closest to the beer can -- in fact, the interior may not be fully cooked until the outside of the chicken is 180 to 190 F. If you don't cook the bird properly, you may be eating undercooked and unsafe meat.

Liquid Burns

• Even if you use a stand that holds the beer can and the chicken in place, you risk severe burns from hot liquid when you remove them from the grill. If you don't use a stand, the beer can may fuse to the interior of the chicken, making it difficult to remove -- and if you aren't careful, you could be doused with hot alcohol. If you do use a stand, on the other hand, its grease-catching tray can tip and burn you with hot drippings. Either way, you have to exercise caution when removing the chicken from the grill and the can from the chicken or you could end up with severe injuries.