Beer can chicken


 
F

Frank F

New member
I tried bear can chicken (came out nice in two hours) with a drip pan under each chicken, but didn't get a bbq taste of couse because of the pans, but was wondering if one could just put the chickens directly on the grill? If it can be done, I would cook 4 of them at once. Thanks,
Frank
 
Not sure I understand. Are you saying that beer can chicken can't be done on the grill instead of on a pan? If it can be done on the grill, the fat will drip on the bars and create smoke. The only thing is with 4 chickens on the grill, I would have to use all 3 burners on low. Also, whats spatchedcocked chicken?
 
on a gas grill i would put them in a shallow pan to catch the grease. spatchcocked is when the back bone is cut out and the chicken is flattened. cooks better and quicker. i rarely do beer can chicken anymore.
 
I'm guessing either spatchcooked or beer can, you still need to use a pan? Also, does the spatchcocked come out moist like the beer can without the additional moisture from the beer? Your right about the time for bc as it took 2 hrs.
 
If you don't use a drip pan, the drippings from the chicken (spatchcocked or beer can) will drip on to the flavorizers and vaporize, providing some additional "bbq" flavor. Give it a try. You can also wrap some smoking chips in foil or put them in a smoking box and put them where they will get hot enough to smoke. That will add some wood smoke flavor.
 
I've got a cast-iron smoker box in my Weber gasser. It sits North-South on the Left side, across the ends of the flavorizer bars.

Tossing some soaked wood chips in there helps for stuff that takes a while to grill (poultry & thick pork chops). It adds a little "smoky" flavor. Not as good as charcoal, but less fuss during the week when I want to grill something up.

If you REALLY want to do chicken on your gasser, use a smoker box and add a rotiseree! Remove the grates and leave the center burner off, pat 'em down good with a nice herb rub and away you go....
 
All good advice above. I don't do beer can, never saw the point of the water in the can, as I don't think it has any effect. I do like to vertical roast occasionally but prefer rotisserie cook for whole chickens though.

Spatchcock/Butterfly prep method is explained in the cooking tips section on this site by Mr. Allingham:

Butterfly

Rather simple if you have some kitchen shears. It's great for grilling.

Might also want to consider brining to help keep things moist. Dry for a few hours in the fridge on a rack before cooking. Buttermilk brine would work great IMHO.

Do the cook partially without the pan to let things drip on the bars for awhile until you think you have enough flavor imparted from that, move the chicken to whatever pan and finish there. You really wouldn't have to let it drip all that long to give you some flavor from the burning fats.
 
Thanks for the link. I'm wondering if anyone has used a small pan of water on the grill to add moisture, or maybe that doesn't do anything. I know I've tried soaked smoke chips on the bars and it did almost nothing, and not worth doing imho.
 
I don't think adding a water pan will do a thing frankly except as a good way to catch drippings you don't want to burn or create a mess.

The only use for the pan in this case/discussion is to help with indirect and to catch drippings you don't want to hit flavorizer bars and avoid clean up. I.E. - water in the pan will make it easier to clean later and is a good idea in that regard.

Veritcal roasting has some benefits, whats in the can makes no difference in my experience.

Adding a water pan thinking it will add moisture to the item being cooked is a myth IMHO. Even in the WSM I use a dry pan.

It really only acts as a temperature ballast as far as my experience. It won't actually add flavor or moisture to the meat.

Brining will and is a better use of your time/effort in that regard.

This is why the only purpose to me of beer can chicken technique is as a tool to hold the chicken vertical
icon_smile.gif
.

The water/flavorings in the can itself actually adds nothing in terms of moisture/flavor in the end product in my experience. As a ballast it can help hold or slow down the actual cooking perhaps by holding down or slowing the actual cook. In the end it doesn't add moisture or flavor. Holding the bird vertical is actually a good thing IMHO as the breast is held up above the fire and cooks slower. At least it seams to. And keeps if from coming up to temp as fast as the dark meat.

Better to stuff with herbs/flavorings and/or brine the bird for that effect.

I can feel the flames starting from aficionados of flavored tankards inside the vertical chicken. I defer. Personally I think your better off drinking the beer before inserting the can to keep yourself moist
icon_smile.gif
 
I'm wondering if you could brine a chicken butterflied as in not whole, and what would be an optimum brine solution/time?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by r benash:
I don't think adding a water pan will do a thing frankly except as a good way to catch drippings you don't want to burn or create a mess.

The only use for the pan in this case/discussion is to help with indirect and to catch drippings you don't want to hit flavorizer bars and avoid clean up. I.E. - water in the pan will make it easier to clean later and is a good idea in that regard.

Veritcal roasting has some benefits, whats in the can makes no difference in my experience.

Adding a water pan thinking it will add moisture to the item being cooked is a myth IMHO. Even in the WSM I use a dry pan.

It really only acts as a temperature ballast as far as my experience. It won't actually add flavor or moisture to the meat.

Brining will and is a better use of your time/effort in that regard.

This is why the only purpose to me of beer can chicken technique is as a tool to hold the chicken vertical
icon_smile.gif
.

The water/flavorings in the can itself actually adds nothing in terms of moisture/flavor in the end product in my experience. As a ballast it can help hold or slow down the actual cooking perhaps by holding down or slowing the actual cook. In the end it doesn't add moisture or flavor. Holding the bird vertical is actually a good thing IMHO as the breast is held up above the fire and cooks slower. At least it seams to. And keeps if from coming up to temp as fast as the dark meat.

Better to stuff with herbs/flavorings and/or brine the bird for that effect.

I can feel the flames starting from aficionados of flavored tankards inside the vertical chicken. I defer. Personally I think your better off drinking the beer before inserting the can to keep yourself moist
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
Sure you can brine chicken in parts, butterflied, whole, etc - not an issue.

I like to brine chicken for at least 4-8 hours. I've brined overnight as well, but not sure if it makes much difference.

I've used buttermilk with rind and juice of a lemon (throw in the left over lemon halves) coarsely chopped onion and a bit of chili powder or single ground chile of your choice. Sometimes a lime as well. I'll also throw in a handful of fresh herbs of different types depending on what I'm going for.

About a quart of buttermilk or saltwater brine is fine for a whole chicken, but I make enough so that I can put it all in a zip lock and cover the chicken/parts.

Quick and fast brine/marinade is Goya brand Mojo Criollo marinade. Look in the Hispanic aisle. Or use an authentic Mojo Criollo recipe (better). When I use the bottled I throw in some fresh stuff to brighten things up. Orange rind, juice crushed fresh garlic coarse onion and a hand full of cilantro.

Typical/basic salt water based brines. Maple brine is good. Do a search on "favorite chicken brine" or "buttermilk brine" and you'll have a ton to choose from. I usually take a recipe and do my own thing with it. Search recipe section on this site. Look in the cooking tips section as well.

I like to then rinse pat dry and leave it on a rack over a tray in the fridge to let it dry out for several hours before cooking.
 
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