Beer can chicken

[islandpiper]

I got one of those fancy beer can holders, $3 at the hardware store. I drank half the beer, poured a little orange juice in the can and set the bird up in my smoker with a good dry rub on first. Not quite done yet. I'll keep you informed.

Cooking over all REAL charcoal, from Sams Club. Mexican Mesquitte chunks. The real stuff, no uniform sizes or shapes, just charcoal. Burns hot and smells good. A FORTY POUND SACK for $14.......seemed like a good deal at the time. So, I bought another sack today.

piper

 

[bearridge]

Reckon this oughta be in the trip report section? lol

What wuz in the dry rub?

 

[Kayak Jack]

Br'r Bear,
I have one of those racks too. Let me know if there is any flavor of beer or orange in the chicken?

 

[jdupre']

Ya gotta love a recipe that starts "First, drink a half a can of beer.....". . :mrgreen:

 

[Steve]

Y'know. . . I've tried it. . . never acquired a taste for it. . . I prefer to stuff my chickens with different vegetables and spices. . .just never could adjust to beer can cooking. . . Hope your luck with it is better than mine ever was. . .

 

[bearridge]

Reglar Size Jack,

I dont know if yer wife had a shop, but Miz Bear did. We'd drive up ta Memphis ta buy stuff fer it. She had a guviment tax number that made stuff cheaper.....wholesale 'n no taxation. After 5-10 hours of lookin' at that kinda stuff, I got bored 'n begun ta buy one 'er two things. That plastic lawn chair I been totin' on canoe/campin' expedishuns cost me 30% less than reglar folks paid. I bought a stainless steel pyramid cooker that ya poke up a dead chicken's ass. Mine goes in the oven, but I reckon it would set on a grill....mebbe inside a smoker. Stretch it wide enuff 'n I reckon a Budweiser will fit in there too.

Someday I will likely hate the fact that I didnt spring fer the arthritic can opener 'n other geezer cookin' tools. One day I seen many boxes of Black Eyed Pea Caviar on sale, I bought all they had.....kinda like that time the Hunt brothers went after the silver. Ten years later I still have a few boxes of gourmet pea caviar 'n hoppin' John.

I wish I had gone "all in" on gold bout 20 years ago. Heck, I'd be takin' all the geezers ta Puerto Vallarta ta see that little Mexican midget....drink tequila....look fer a nurse gymnast.....eat some fresh jalapenos with a Frito pie...mebbe some black eyed pea caviar? [grin]

regards
bearridge

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.  George Bernard Shaw

 

[islandpiper]

Well, that had to be the prettiest chicken i ever cooked on the smoker, bar none. I put it on at 4:30 and took it off at nearly Seven......not done. In order to stand up i had to take the upper rack out of the smoker. The top end cooked and the bottom end was still cool to the touch. So , I brought it in and stuck it in the oven for half and hour. It tasted great and was cooked to perfection.

But, lesson learned, the smoker is not hot enough in the lower level to cook. I'll try the can holder again, but in the oven in the house, after the summer passes. There seems to be a control link between the oven and the AC.......turn on the oven and the AC comes on too.

piper

 

[Wannabe]

Steve,
I never thought it was anything special. Just found out why. Piper says ya only drink half the beer before putting the can in, or up, or :?:
Bob

 

[gbinga]

A friend of mine talked me into getting a ceramic beer smoker - "Sittin' Chicken" -

You fill the ceramic mug looking thing with beer or whatever, and put the chicken on it. Tried it once, worked OK. The chicken was indeed pretty, it cooked completely in about four hours at around 275 degrees dry heat. I use a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker that I've been very happy with - -

I can't say that the chicken was anything special.

What I usually do is to stuff the chicken with some chunks of onion, some chunks of lemon, some dry rub on the outside, and cook it upside down. That is, breast side down. It is my feeling that the breast meat stays more moist when you do it that way. The only problem is that the presentation isn't that good since you bring it in and carve it breast side up.

I usually just use Kingsford briquettes, With a slice of cherry wood for smoke.

What kind of smokers are ya'll using? Are you using a ceramic cup for the beer, or the wire rack type of deal where the beer can is the container?

George

 

[Steve]

George, I smoke mine breast down. .. I let it get most of the way done then turn it breast up to finish browning. . . As long as you don't puncture the skin when you turn it over (I use two wooden spoons), that bird will still be moist, moist, moist. . .

 

[Kayak Jack]

My smoker is a Li'l Chief, an electric one. It doesn't put out as much heat as the charcoal ones. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and marinate them - 1/2 cup ea of brown sugar and non-iodized salt in a pint of water. About three pans of hickory shavings and until the inside reaches (whatever chicken needs) temperature. This will be dryer than yours. Problem here is, it takes more beer to wash it down properly. sigh I'll NEVER get it right.

 

[gbinga]

George, I smoke mine breast down. .. I let it get most of the way done then turn it breast up to finish browning. . . As long as you don't puncture the skin when you turn it over (I use two wooden spoons), that bird will still be moist, moist, moist. . .

How do you keep the skin from sticking to the grill? Grease the grill first?

I cook mine all the way upside down. When I take it off the grill, the skin inevitably gets torn up. Doesn't hurt the taste any, but it doesn't look all that cool when I bring it in for carving. :?

GBinGA

 

[oldyaker]

Beer can chicken is good but the best smoked chicken is brined before smoking. Since I have been brining I have a request every Holiday like this past one for my smoked chickens. I can smoke a dozen or more at a time and there is seldom any left because everyone wants the leftovers to take home if there are any leftovers. Try to buy fresh chickens from a butcher that have not been processed with liquids or any other things like grocery chains do to them. You need to brine at least 4 hours but I let mine brine overnight.
Brine the chickens in a solution of 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher or sea salt, 1 cup sugar and anything else you might like to add such as wine, fruit juice, spices, worcestershire, beer, etc..I like apple juice in mine but a nice white wine works too. The amount of brining solution needs adjusted for the number of chickens you are doing. Build a fire that will maintain around 225 degrees using oak as a base wood and while the fire is getting started wash the brine off of the chickens and coat the chickens with lemon pepper and cajun seasoning or anything else you like. Place the chickens on the smoker breast side down and immediately throw on some hickory and let the smoke roll relentlessly out of the smoke stack. Any favorite wood of yours will work. Let the smoking chickens go for an hour and a half to two hours and then turn the chickens to breast side up so that it does not dry out the white meat. I try to maintain 200-225 degrees.

Some of my chicks.......and other road kill. :wink:






When my charcoal smoker finally rotted out, I got a propane smoker. It was the best thing I ever did, so much easier to maintain temperature and with the wood smoker box over the flame, it all taste the same as charcoal. GREAT!

 

[oldsparkey]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

A Cabelas smoker and who is that handsome devil in the reflection of it taking the picture , surely not the person doing the cooking. :roll:

Chuck.

 

[oldyaker]

I was doing the cooking......That was Bobby Deniro taking the pictures...he dropped in on the 4th. :roll:

 

[bluegrasslover]

Br'r Bear,
I have one of those racks too. Let me know if there is any flavor of beer or orange in the chicken?

I've been doing these for about 10 years. We call it dancin' chicken but I usually call it shittin' chicken because, well, he is sitting on the can (and if you arrange the wings and legs right you'll get the perfect crapper pose). I don't have a fancy holder I just use the legs to complete the tripod. I've tried all kinds of things in the can and I've never really been able to tell much of a difference. I think it's more about the constant source of moisture than anything else. I'm simplistic...I wipe on some olive oil and then just salt and pepper until it's done (250-275) for about 2-3 hours then add bbq sauce. Best chicken you'll ever eat.

 

[islandpiper]

yakker, that looks like a great smoker, but do they make one that does not have the picture of the geezer in shorts on the front door? piper

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Paid about $2 for a wire can holder that the chicken sits on over a can of beer. We cook it in the oven just like Chuck does with olive oil and Cagun rub made with Emeril's recipe. Good eats!

 

[Steve]

. . .How do you keep the skin from sticking to the grill? Grease the grill first?

I cook mine all the way upside down. When I take it off the grill, the skin inevitably gets torn up. Doesn't hurt the taste any, but it doesn't look all that cool when I bring it in for carving. :?

GBinGA

Sticking hasn't been a problen for me. . .I spray the grill extra good with that no-stick cooking spray. . . used to put foil down but that would stick so I tried the cooking spray and have used it ever since. . . .

 

[gbinga]

I've been lazy about oiling the cooking grill. I'll pay more attention in the future. Probably solve the problem.

George