Beercan Chicken

[Erik]

This is called a Beer Can Chicken Roaster. I picked one up a few weeks back at Wal-Mart, because I thought someone was screwing with me. Some backwoods feller must be smiling with a big wad of cash!!! But this thing is the COOLEST!!!!!! I am addicted to it, and now we are loving it SOOOOO MUCH, that we are starting to serve it for a dinner special. A well spent $5.00, if you ask me!!!!!

Here is my recipe:

BEERCAN CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
1 (4-pound) whole chicken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup melted margarine
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup worcesteshire sauce
2 tablespoons Lawrey's Seasoning salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons of Mrs Dash Garden Herb flavor spice
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 can beer
1 small potato or onion

COOKING METHOD
Preheat grill or oven to 350 degrees. While the cooking device is heating up, drink 1/2 of the beer. If you drank it all, have another 1/2 can of beer. Take 1/2 can of beer and put it in the chicken holder.
Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Set chicken aside for a minute.Then make your marinade by mixing up all of the above ingredients. Make sure you use a wire whisk to mix the ingredients evenly. Find a container large enough to fit marinade AND chicken.
Cover chicken VERY GENEROUSLY with marinade. Make sure chicken holder is on a flat surface.Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, carefully place the cavity over the beer can. Set holder inside a tin pie pan (this prevents flare-ups). Pour rest of the marinade over and inside of chicken, then close off cavity by stuffing the potato or onion in the top. Put in oven or on grill over indirect heat, with lid closed for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife. Remove from oven or grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Enjoy!!!!!!

[Lifter]

Erik, as a professional chef I can't believe you haven't read the past postings on "beer butt" chicken, "tampon chicken", "dancing chickens" etc...

But yes!

This is the epitome of "roasting" a bird, and in my opinion, its even better if you brine the bird first!

Glad you are "pro" enough to understand "Lawrey's" as a "do not substitute" sort of thing...

Further advice to go weird wild and wacky (ie drink all the beer!)...

A few replacement thoughts for the beer you are drinking!

1) "Dark" beer
2) Onion soup
3) Basalmic vinegar
4) Lemon juice, orange juice, pineapple, apple, apricot...pick your fruit!
5) Veggie, chicken or beef "stock"
6) Forget the can, use the "stand" and stuff the bird "solid" with fresh peeled garlic cloves...
7) Mix and match a few of the above, as the mood takes you...

Note that a really effective marinade for chicken pieces or chicken "whole" is a strongly flavoured Scotch such as Johnny Walker (Ishbel will frown on it, its made to NA "tastes" but it really gets it "done" with chicken!)(sort of like cooking with "Jack Daniels"!)


You can have a really great time, messing about with this method of cooking, and, happily, the meat is about as cheap as you can get...

Note that where you say "discard the neck and giblets" is just plain wrong!

Snip off the ends of the wings, leaving only the "wrists", and freeze these along with necks, hearts livers and giblets for a "super-stock" mix...most of which you could grind up to create a great pate or dressing/stuffing component...poor man's "Beef Wellington" substitution for pate de fois gras, at worst...tho' most butchers or grocery stores will "give you" this stuff for literally nickles, if you ask, "innocent, like"...

(note that "Eastwood" accent, on the last comment!)

Lifter

[Erik]

Lifter...my only problem is...I don't really have the time or storage to do the "excellent" things with neck, giblets...etcetera...and not really much time to brine.

[Lifter]

Life is a bit of a journey, not a mere episode...

You'll find the time, eventually, and probably "yell wonderfully" when you get to score those dribs and drabs in the freezer into a superb experience!

Versus "wondering" "what if"...?

If you were going to throw them out anyways, it won't cost that much to cook 'em up and freeze them will it?

That "day" when "appendicitis", 'workplace lobotomy recovery", "lumbago", or whatever happens to you (even if its only unexpected "holidaze"!) there are a few "experiments" down thee in the freezer to tempt and tease, and have some "fun" with...

And the best part is, we on the DC List might get new concepts and ideas from someone as "good" as you...which means we can "tweak" our reipes for "free"!

Lifter

[lyndalou]

I'm getting one of those things. :)

[Rob Babcock]

My problem would be finding a use for the remaining 5 and 1/2 cans of beer. Canned beer?! Blech! :x

[GB]

Rob I agree with the canned beer sentiment. I have two solutions. Clean out a soda can and fill it will a decent beer, or use a can of Guiness, which in my opinion is the only beer out of a can that is any good.

[crewsk]

Or use the other cans of beer in beer bread or beer batter for onion rings to serve with the chicken! :D

[Lifter]

Normal soup or canned fruit or veggie cans work equally well, rip off the paper label, wash in a dishasher to rid them of the glue vestiges...

You can use, or not use beer...wine, fruit.vegetable juice, stock work equally well, not a big deal! (Like I've said, onion soup! Some garlic? Herbs and spices!)

You are going to eat this, not the rest of us, why not try things you think you'd like with chicken?

You'll be very happy with the results!

Lifter

[marmalady]

Don't want to put a damper on this unique cooking method, but there have been some questions raised re the toxicity of the can and ink on the can.