Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper. Melt the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed pan and brown the chicken on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Place the browned chicken into an oven proof pot, breast side up. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover and roast for 1 1/2 hours, removing the lid for the last half an hour if you like to brown the top a bit more. To serve, pull the meat off the bones and drizzle with sauce.

Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave for about 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 F. There's no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a good wash and roughly chop them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled. Put all the vegetables and garlic into the roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil too. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife or a fork. Put the lemon inside the chicken's cavity, with the bunch of thyme. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven. Roast the chicken for about 70-80 minutes. Remove the chic hen from the oven, cover it with a foil and let to rest for 7-10 minutes before serving.

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices. Rub the prepared seasoning mixture over the chicken, sprinkling excess seasoning inside the cavity. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Open the beer can and pour out 1/2 of the beer (reserving if desired). Preheat your oven to 375 F. You may have to remove the second rack in your oven, so that the chicken will fit in while standing upright. Place the can on a baking sheet or oven-safe griddle. Fit whole chicken over the open beer can with the legs on the bottom. Drizzle the chicken with an olive oil and transfer to an oven.  Cook for 55 - 70 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160 F. Remove from heat, cover with a baking foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing from can and cutting up to serve.