Beer Can Chicken


 
B

Billy S

TVWBB Member
Good morning!

Yesterday was my first whole chicken on kettle. Created a brine and let it sit for a few hours submerged and created a rub with some ingredients around the house. I had a drip pan in the middle of my 22.5 kettle with charcoal baskets on each side. Also, I had hickory chunks of which I used two total.

The chicken came out awesome but I would have preferred more seasoning. Looking back I should have applied the rub more liberally to where it was completely coated!

So the bird cost around $10 (6.5 lbs), and though it tasted great and was lots of fun doing, I'm scratching my head realizing the the supermarket Rotisserie's are cheaper, already cooked, and taste pretty **** good.

How can I get mine to taste as good to justify the cost? The act of actually cooking the bird justified the cost in my mind, I suppose, but I want this baby to come out amazing!

I'm new to BBQ'ing but have been grilling for a while--mainly with gas. This is my 2nd smoke, the first was spare ribs that came out tough (addressed in another post-I lifted the lid too many times resulting in the ribs not cooking long enough).

I'm having a blast!

So, any tricks to the chicken? Does the beer can really add anything? Oh, and it was 1/3 of a bud light. Maybe more stout beer next time?

Thanks everyone!
 
Welcome to the site Billy. To get a little more flavor in your bird, rub inside the cavity before you put it on the can. Also get some rub under the skin. Save the good beer for drinking - I personally don't think differnt liquids do much, but that is a matter of opinion.

Roti chicken (or anything for that matter) is good because the rotation causes the meat to constantly basted in it's own juice, rather than having the juices run into a drip pan. Keep working on it though. Try different rubs and different woods until you find something you like. On the cost front, just keep an eye out for sales. Several times a year, I can get the Perdue Roasters for 99 cents a pound, or less. So I can get a nice 7 pound bird for 7 bucks or less.
 
Try different techniques for cooking chicken as well. Many people don't believe that "beer can chicken" is the best on the smoker/grill. Alot of people, me included, prefer to cook chicken at a higher temperature.

Check out the roadside chicken recipe in the recipe forum from this site, it's a real winner as well! There is a method of splitting the chicken called Spatchock. Basically cut the back out and butterfly but don't remove the keel bone.

Most important, have fun experimenting until you can make the best chicken that you can!
 
Billy,welcome to the forum! Seasoning don't penetrate chicken skin very well,so that's why you put seasoning inside the cavity and under the skin. And,by doing at a higher temperature,you will get better skin.
The roti chickens may be easier,but ya don't get to play with fire to eat 'em!
icon_biggrin.gif
Give it another try and I'm sure you'll be much happier!
 
Welcome Billy. Besides all of the great advice already mentioned I usually put a few teaspoons of what ever dry rub seasoning I am using in the beer can itsef, I feel it helps with flavor. The roadside chicken is unbeatable for flavor.
 
Hey Bill, Just did my 1st beer can chicken earlier this week. I found it to be quite easy to smoke up. I went with just beer in the can but spread a bunch of rub in the cavity of the bird. Also put some up under the skin as well as on the skin. It came out well. I would say give it a whirl.
 
Look into Spatchcock Chicken. You butterfly the whole chicken flat and rub both sides. Really comes out good.

I also highly recommend Ployboys Yardbird rub on chicken. Excellent.
 
great suggestions thanks everyone!

btw tonight i smoked some chicken thighs with Canvender's greek seasoning. Seared each side 2-3 minutes then cooked indirectly for 30 with hickory chunk. Might be the best chicken I've ever eaten--that's not fried, anyway.

thanks for the great advice everyone!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Billy Sistrunk:
Good morning!

Yesterday was my first whole chicken on kettle. Created a brine and let it sit for a few hours submerged and created a rub with some ingredients around the house. I had a drip pan in the middle of my 22.5 kettle with charcoal baskets on each side. Also, I had hickory chunks of which I used two total.

The chicken came out awesome but I would have preferred more seasoning. Looking back I should have applied the rub more liberally to where it was completely coated!

So the bird cost around $10 (6.5 lbs), and though it tasted great and was lots of fun doing, I'm scratching my head realizing the the supermarket Rotisserie's are cheaper, already cooked, and taste pretty **** good.

How can I get mine to taste as good to justify the cost? The act of actually cooking the bird justified the cost in my mind, I suppose, but I want this baby to come out amazing!

I'm new to BBQ'ing but have been grilling for a while--mainly with gas. This is my 2nd smoke, the first was spare ribs that came out tough (addressed in another post-I lifted the lid too many times resulting in the ribs not cooking long enough).

I'm having a blast!

So, any tricks to the chicken? Does the beer can really add anything? Oh, and it was 1/3 of a bud light. Maybe more stout beer next time?

Thanks everyone! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Welcome Billy,

So a store bought rotisserie chicken costs what, about 5 bucks? A rotisserie for your kettle costs $140. Your return on investment is at 28 birds. You can get there quicker with other yummy treats like pork loin, leg-o-lamb, turkey, etc. And you get to make it the way you like each and every time. It's not a control thing ... Ok it is a control thing.

One other thing, there is something very soothing about watching meat turn over heat in your own back yard.

-mike
 
I very rarely pay more than a buck a pound for yard bird, get stuff on sale 3-4 bucks a bird, i like the weber's beer can chicken seasoning, like mentioned season liberaly inside and out, you can also cut an onion in half and cork the neck hole with half an onion for extra flavor, i use sprite mostly for the can, mix different wood for smoke, use more for heavier smoke flavor.
also remember most of those rotory birds from the store aren't more than 3-4 pounds usually.
 
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