Beer can chicken


 
Tony R

Tony R

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
What do you guys think about beer can chicken on the WSM with no pan and just have drippings fall directly on the charcoal? Will this cook it faster or just char the legs and make a big mess... Thank you in advance.
 
I've cooked a lot of chicken w/o a water pan and didn't have any issues. You will get a bit of smoke from the drippings vaporizing when they hit the coals, but I haven't noticed it causing an off taste.

On a side note, I think the whole beer can chicken thing is just a gimmick. The fluid in the can doesn't get hot enough to evaporate and flavor the chicken, at least it didn't the few times I tried it a long time ago. What I like to do is insert the wire stand that the beer can sets in into the chicken empty without a can of anything, it holds the cavity open so the heat and smoke can get inside the bird.
 
I'm no expert anything by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to disagree. I have a double beer can stand and have done many different combinations on my Summit and you can absolutely tell the difference between one cooked with beer and the other a non-alcoholic beverage. You can even dump the original beer in the can and add a premium favor beer and I think the difference in taste is definitely noticable. The kids wanted to do orange pop one time, and against my better judgement I accommodated them. It actually wasn't bad, but absolutely tasted different that the Hacker Pschorr cooked next to it. However again, this was on my grill, indirect, not my smoker. Being at a higher temp, I do end up using about 1/2 of the volume of liquid. My .02 fwiw.
 
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Tom_M said:
I've cooked a lot of chicken w/o a water pan and didn't have any issues. You will get a bit of smoke from the drippings vaporizing when they hit the coals, but I haven't noticed it causing an off taste.

On a side note, I think the whole beer can chicken thing is just a gimmick. The fluid in the can doesn't get hot enough to evaporate and flavor the chicken, at least it didn't the few times I tried it a long time ago. What I like to do is insert the wire stand that the beer can sets in into the chicken empty without a can of anything, it holds the cavity open so the heat and smoke can get inside the bird.
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Here is a turkey done with a BGE vertical rack and only a clay saucer underneath. No water pan.
 
Tom_M said:
...On a side note, I think the whole beer can chicken thing is just a gimmick...
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I think Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn wrote an article that circulated around here saying pretty much the same thing. ...but you gotta admit it does look pretty cool sitting there on it's throne.
 
Ray "Dr BBQ" Lampe has said it as well. His suggestion is to put the chicken on the empty holder, set the holder in a cake pan and pour some of the beer in the pan. At high temps some of the beer might steam and settle on the skin.

I agree it looks cool, and that's part of the "presentation factor" that wows guests, but I still don't see how it could get hot enough to cause the beer to turn to steam, and even if it did, the steam's really got nowhere to go with the top of the can being jammed right up against the neck opening.
 
Okay, I've read Meathead's comments. I've done my own cooks with a rack and with liquid in this diffuser.
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[/IMG] I've had great results either way depends on what you are trying to accomplish. My opinion is to use something like this with a small amount of liquid so that it will boil and give off steam. I have used beer, water with herbs and wine. When I do not use the diffuser I increase the smoke flavor. You either plug the cavity or not. It's whatever you prefer.
 
Water boils at 212. If you smoke at any temp above that, seems like it would generate steam. I know when I stuff the top with an onion the onion definitely has the alcohol flavor. Maybe it doesn't penetrate in chicken meat I dunno.
 
I do beer can chickens indirect on my OTG, they come out tasty.
I like your idea Tony, go for it!
 
You got it Neal! Simple physics. I love Meathead's Website but I do not agree with his opinion on BCC! You can alter the flavor somewhat with steam. I do agree a whole can of beer is too much for the time it takes to cook a chicken.
 
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Tony R said:
What do you guys think about beer can chicken on the WSM with no pan and just have drippings fall directly on the charcoal? Will this cook it faster or just char the legs and make a big mess... Thank you in advance.
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Tony, I use vertical stands also, alot easier to use than balancing a chicken on a can. I've used the Roadside marinade with no pan and it rocks!
Link to Roadside.
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?33874-Roadside-Chicken

Tim
 
I'm not a beer lover so I just usually use the can holder to prop the bird up....comes out good. I used to try stuff like coke or ginger ale but I never felt like it added much flavor. I do like the presentation though.
 
I took a Aluminum (hard bottle) beer can cut it down to fit the stands I have, I then add spices/juices to it and I cooked 2 this way and the water when I pulled the cans out were still faintly boiling. So to me boiling water up inside a birds a hole with spices has to be doing something! LOL
 
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