Non-Beer Can Chicken


 
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David Willis

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I'm not a beer drinker (silence, gasp, banning from the board, etc...I know..). Anyway, as such, I would not have a can handy when I get the urge to do one. So, has anyone used non-beer can chicken, say, diet-coke?

Thanks
 
Never tried it myself, but they say coke works fine. You can do it with the liquid of yer choice, for the most part. Orange juice is a good combo if you are doing duck (you still need a very tall can, tho).

Here's Raichlen's recipe for Iced Tea chicken.
http://www.bbqu.net/
 
David,
On the other hand, you don't have to use anything in the can if you don't want to. An empty coke can will do just fine.
Howard
 
True, but then you wouldn't get the good steamy moisture in the middle of the bird like you would with a half full can of something. You could do water with stuff in it like garlic or lemon or...endless things!
 
I agree Susan. However, I seldom do chicken, loml won't eat it. I did one the other day, empty can, and it was really moist. She ate a bunch of it, and told everyone they just weren't gonna believe my smoked chicken. Oh well, a new convert. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Next time I will find some magic potion for the can.
 
I too don't drink beer, but do enjoy beer can chicken, just never have any beer on hand. I use the beer can chicken stand from Walmart with a campells chicken soup can in it. (remove label first--disclaimer!) In it I put water, garlic cloves, and some of my rub. Works great!! I'm sure you could use about any liquid you prefer. The stand sells for about 5 bucks, but you certainly wouldnt have to have the stand.
 
You can use just about any liquid you want. I've used beer,orange juice,apple juice, and even used diced peaches with syrup. Pineapple juice would work fine also. Just go to the juice aisle in your grocery store and pick one. Just fill the can about half full. I set my smoker temp at about 300* Most liquids boil at 212*, so use the higher temp to get it to steam.
 
I use a Coke can half full (or empty) of apple juice for a standard hen. Last Nov. tried using an apple can with the turkey. That can was a little big. I am thinking my next attempt will be something like a Foster's can which should be around the right size.
 
There used to be rumors that cooking with nutrasweet was evil, but that's not entirely true. It loses its sweetness when cooked for a prolonged period of time; I'm sure Diet-Coke Can Chicken would qualify.
 
Sonny, yeah, Steven Raichlen does his turkey on a Fosters can, and his quail on those itty bitty juice cans. (and ducks on the tall boy, as noted above). There's a can to fit every bird!
 
Well, it didn't turn out all that great. The meat was very juicy and the breast was tender, but I think I used too much smoke...AND, the meat taste was a bit off. Not nasty, just not nearly what I expected. Maybe the diet coke was responsible for that part.

I used the rub from the BBQ bible, so I know that wasn't it. I'm going to try the exact same recipe, but with a different liquid, maybe a juice, and see if I can tell a big difference. Will also reduce the wood (used pecan, but two rather large pieces at the end of a bag...just wanted to use them up.
 
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