Beer Can Chicken

[Schielke]

Is Chickenrocket a valid word? The device has no propulsion mechanisim and would not likely fly.

[fifi]

Is Chickenrocket a valid word?  The device has no propulsion mechanisim and would not likely fly.

At least it has the word "chicken" in it.

[slkinsey]

FWIW, I include you, Sam, as one of my respected people.  Truly.

Aw, shucks.

However, I also include people like Bruce Aidell & Judi Rodgers as some of my respected people.

They're accomplished at what they do, for sure. And I respect them for that. But that doesn't mean I respect their usage/understanding of English words any more than I respect William Saffire's cooking (which is to say, not very much).

Perhaps I'm just too inclusive.

Now we're getting somewhere. You and your damn inclusiveness!

[tommy]

sam, you knew what the poster meant to begin with! seems like the usage was efficient enough.

Edited August 11, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Special Ed]

Few things beat a perfectly roasted chicken. I alway so mine in an oven, with some lime, garlic, onions, lots of fresh herbs, salt and pepper. I baste throughout with duck fat. Damn, I'm hungry.

[KatieLoeb]

I've done this too, but with an upended soup can so there's more surface area of the liquid (I use chicken stock and spices in the can) to "steam" during the roasting process, and not just that little flip tab opening. Works with small turkeys or capon and a coffee can as well.

[helltrout]

I have beer canned many a chicken and find it to be a delicious, trouble free way to cook the whole bird. Just a little dry rub on the bird and in the beer, some oak chips and 2 hours over indirect heat and you've got a great meal.

[DanM]

With my wife out of town last week, I was bored so I put some thought into this. My biggest problem with beer can chicken is that the beer does not boil off very much. Liquids come to a boil better from conduction rather than convection. To resolve this issue, I placed the beer can on a cast iron pan and brought the beer to a boil. I decided to leave the can on the pan to catch any juices that drip from the chicken. A good amount of potatoes, carrots, fennel, and other veg were added to the pan around the can to absorb the drippings. I also wanted more steam vents to help moisten the chicken. 1/3 of the can was drained like normal and then the sides of the can were pierced by a metal skewer before brining to a boil.

After about 1.25 hours on the grill, I had one of the better beer can chickens I have had,

3 bits... adjusted for rising food prices.

[dcarch]

The paint on the beer can, and the plastic coating inside the can, are they food-grade? and can they be subjected to high heat?

Just curious.

dcarch

[Norm Matthews]

I have done beer can chicken a few times. First you have to pierce the can around the top several times and pour out about half the beer otherwise the beer will foam up and spew out when you add the rub. About half the remaining beer steams out of the can by the time it is done. I roast it over indirect coals in my Weber for 50 minutes ( make a slit under the wings and thigh so the meat will cook more evenly. That is the part that takes the longest to cook. I also add a couple chunks of hickory on the edges of the charcoal so it will smolder and smoke instead of burning. After 50 minutes, I cut the chicken in half with shears to remove the can and discard it. I brush the chicken inside and out with a red BBQ sauce and finish cooking it over direct coals about 5 minutes per side. Watch closely so the sauce does not burn.

[boudin noir]

Grilling time is here again. In the past I have made "beercan" chicken many times. I've done it classically with beer, also with wine, I've added herbs and garlic. I have not been able to discern a difference in any of these. On top of that when remove the chicken The liquid is not boiling and the level of liquid not reduced. I only fill the cans about 1/3 of the way up. The chicken turns out fine but I find no difference from a vertically roasted chicken. Is "beercan chicken" a myth? Am I missing something? Am I doing something wrong?

[dcarch]

Make sure the paint on the cans are food grade under high heat.

dcarch

[scubadoo97]

Make sure the paint on the cans are food grade under high heat.

dcarch

I've burned off all coating but putting the can on my stove top with the hood going or on the outdoor grill until all coatings have been burned off

[Keith_W]

I have cooked beer can chicken many times and I am convinced that it is a myth. The only benefit comes from roasting the chicken vertically. Depending on your heat source (I use a charcoal grille) this places the legs closer to the heat meaning they will reach a higher temperature than the breasts. The other benefit of vertical roasting is the uniform air circulation around the chicken, particularly if you splay the legs out. Also, the can helps conduct heat into the interior of the chicken, which would otherwise receive little of the convection air currents if conventionally roasted. The last benefit is the skin - it is uniform and golden with no grille marks.

Other than this:

- does the type of liquid in the can influence the flavour (I have tried beer and water): no difference

- is the chicken more moist: cooking to the correct temperature and brining has a greater effect than trying to humidify the interior of the chicken, which has zero effect. Case in point: it is possible to boil chicken into a dry stringy mess - the poaching liquid offers zero protection against drying out the chicken. Neither does the beer in the beer can.

[rotuts]

I guess this experiment needs to be done:

two birds, about the same size and vendor. one can ( I use any aluminum can I can get: empty beer, soda, ... ) with liquid 1/4 filled

one can empty. I use a church-key to enlarge the single opening at the top.

whats in the can does not seem to matte. Test Kitchen though lemon in the water might be detectable.

it may just be the positioning. hard to say

[Lisa Shock]

Several people have run tests in the past. Here's a good analysis of what happens when you cook with this method: http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/debunking_beer_can_chicken.html

And, here's the results of a test by one of the guys at Cooking For Engineers: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/171/Beer-Can-Chicken

Essentially, aside from the position of the chicken allowing the entire skin to crisp, the method is worse than useless.

[rotuts]

excellent refs LS Much appreciated. I was about to do 2 BCC's ( no beer, 1/4 water ) tomorrow or the next day.

maybe Ill look into this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1X4RC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004UE6A&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=15E56CN9PHN5CAGXJP87

Ill use the empty cans I have and just make a lot of holes in the bottom and top until I get a couple of the above.

many thanks!

[Ann_T]

About 10 years ago, I did a side by side test, roasting two chickens the same size, one placed directly on the grill and the other over a beer can. Both were roasted over indirect high heat. There was no noticeable difference between the two.

~Ann

[dcarch]

Chickens have white meat and dark meat, each requires a different cooking time.

Beer can vs conventional horizontal can make a difference in end results.

With or without liquid in the can, likewise, will make a difference.

Another thing, horizontal roasting will result in a 1/4 cup of nice juice inside the cavity. Vertical will have none.

dcarch

[Ashen]

I would rather spatchcock and indirect cook with a bit of smoke ( gives the same all over crispy skin ) . put a drip pan that has beer instead of water underneath.. put the drippings and beer through a fat separator and you have a great base for a homemade bbq sauce or gravy.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Ashen (log)

[rotuts]

excellent tips!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For cooking a small chicken such as a Cornish game hen, I will sometimes take an angel food pan, cover the hole in the pan with foil, and impale the bird vertically over the foil. Then roast at 425 deg F.

[boudin noir]

Lisa Shock, on 02 Jun 2013 - 14:50, said:

Several people have run tests in the past. Here's a good analysis of what happens when you cook with this method: http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/debunking_beer_can_chicken.html

And, here's the results of a test by one of the guys at Cooking For Engineers: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/171/Beer-Can-Chicken

Essentially, aside from the position of the chicken allowing the entire skin to crisp, the method is worse than useless.

Thanks for confirming my experience.

[rotuts]

one advantage of 'vertical chicken' for me is that I can do two chickens on my 3 burner 15 Y.O. weber and have plenty of room on the grill for lots of veg.

One Ck to eat now, one to save.

I will now change my Vertical method to reflect the fantastic info Ive learned here!

[mgaretz]

excellent refs LS Much appreciated. I was about to do 2 BCC's ( no beer, 1/4 water ) tomorrow or the next day.

maybe Ill look into this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1X4RC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00004UE6A&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=15E56CN9PHN5CAGXJP87

Ill use the empty cans I have and just make a lot of holes in the bottom and top until I get a couple of the above.

many thanks!

I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Vertical-Poultry-Roaster/dp/B00004UE87/ref=pd_sim_k_16

Unfortunately my new pellet grill isn't tall enough for vertical roasting except for game hens, so I'm back to horizontal in a rack.