Made some beer can chicken this weekend. In the recipe in the cooking section there's a comment "most of the steam goes right out through the neck cavity". To try and mitigate this, I've taken to stuffing part of a lemon in the neck cavity. I don't know if it actually does anything, but the chicken was delicious. Anyway, just thought I'd share this suggestion...
Beer Can Chicken
- Thread starter m raschko
- Start date
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
M,I've never put anything in the nek of the bird and mine always taste fine. But I'll bet the lemon added a nice flavor!
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
There's little if any steaming involved in beer can chicken since the the liquid just doesn't get hot enough.
However, there's something else in play that helps the bird to cook evenly and stay moist. Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ, says it's the can's conductivity, so I suppose this is why most folks don't notice a difference when putting anything in the neck cavity. Lemon juice certainly never hurt anything, though.
However, there's something else in play that helps the bird to cook evenly and stay moist. Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ, says it's the can's conductivity, so I suppose this is why most folks don't notice a difference when putting anything in the neck cavity. Lemon juice certainly never hurt anything, though.
Good call with the lemon half. Some people use a small onion.
Weber provides a plug for the neck cavity in their excellent CHICKEN ROASTER. I've been very pleased with mine. It is made of nonstick-coated, heavy cast aluminum with excellent heat transfer and has "fingers" that extend up into the chicken. Plus the neck cavity plug. With this product, I believe that you do get at least some steaming. Hand-wash is recommended.
Rita, who doesn't work for Weber-Stephens
Weber provides a plug for the neck cavity in their excellent CHICKEN ROASTER. I've been very pleased with mine. It is made of nonstick-coated, heavy cast aluminum with excellent heat transfer and has "fingers" that extend up into the chicken. Plus the neck cavity plug. With this product, I believe that you do get at least some steaming. Hand-wash is recommended.
Rita, who doesn't work for Weber-Stephens
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Rita, I've seen the Weber roasters and that's a great looking product for someone that only does one bird or doesn't already have a few beer can chicken racks.
For me though, it's kind of pricey and I suspect that Dr. BBQ's idea of just using a beer can rack without the can works just as good. He suggests standing the bird on the rack in a round cake pan, with beer poured in the pan. I have no idea why I haven't tried this yet...
For me though, it's kind of pricey and I suspect that Dr. BBQ's idea of just using a beer can rack without the can works just as good. He suggests standing the bird on the rack in a round cake pan, with beer poured in the pan. I have no idea why I haven't tried this yet...
Dave, actually, I have two Weber roasters that I bought when they first came out and use them frequently rather than roasting indoors. Yes, they are pricey and it's a good reason to use what you have. I think the heat transfer from the heavy part of the Weber that goes inside the whole cavity of the chicken might shorten the cooking time a bit, but that's not a big deal. I like that mine catch the juices - they don't seem to evaporate as quickly as they might in a thinner pan. Even with mine, I add a little water to the bottom pan to compensate and it works well.
Have fun with it; there are a lot of ways to approach Beer Can Chicken. Let us know what you think.
Rita
Have fun with it; there are a lot of ways to approach Beer Can Chicken. Let us know what you think.
Rita
Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
Always seemed a waste of good beer as the level in the can never went down for me either. May as well just put water in it for all the good it does(n't) do.
From not over cooking, also keeping the bird whole helps. Liquid in a can doesn't make the meat moist. If that were true boiling would make the best method for cooking. I simply use the can racks with nothing else as I believe the hot air flow through the bird helps to even cooking temps out.
I kind of stopped doing beer can chicken after reading this: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/beercanchicken.htm
Will, that was an interesting read and confirms some of what I've found also. I used beer one time, didn't taste anything special, and switched to boiling water in my Weber chicken roasters after that. I tried adding herbs and don't bother with that either. I like that I can fit 2 birds on my grill, maybe even three, but I'd have to move them around during the cook.
As the N.W. mentioned when writing about the Weber roaster, quote: "the beer got hot fast, and boiled away rather quickly." Well, it had to go somewhere. Maybe up into the chicken?
Mostly, I use the Weber roaster because the skin does get crisper all around (including the back) than some other methods I've tried on the grill, and I like that it makes carving the bird so easy. And it catches the juices, which I enhance a bit and pass at the table.
Rita
As the N.W. mentioned when writing about the Weber roaster, quote: "the beer got hot fast, and boiled away rather quickly." Well, it had to go somewhere. Maybe up into the chicken?
Mostly, I use the Weber roaster because the skin does get crisper all around (including the back) than some other methods I've tried on the grill, and I like that it makes carving the bird so easy. And it catches the juices, which I enhance a bit and pass at the table.
Rita