My 1st Beer Can Chicken

I cooked my first Beer Can Chicken this past weekend. It came out great!!
After cleaning the bird, I dried it with paper towels and injected it with a homemade concocktion. Threw some rub inside the cavity and rubbed the outside of the bird as well. Grab a half can of beer added garlic and rub.
I have a Char-griller smokin Pro. To get the main cooking chamber up to temp the fastest I lit a small pile of charcoal near the port hole to the side fire box(SFB). I also set up my SFB with charcoal. after an hour the bird was cooking via indirect grilling, so far so good I lit the SFB let the coals turn grey and added some pre-soaked hickory chunks. In about 10 minutes, the smell coming from the grill made me sooo hungry. The amount of smoke emanating from the grill was perfect. The cooking temp never passed 300 degrees.I checked the bird at the 2 hour mark and she was a pretty site to see. By this time the wood had burn out. I didn't want to over smoke the bird. I let her cook for another 45 minutes.
It came out very tender and juicy and the hickory was perfect to my taste buds. I am anxious to try some more methods of indirect grilling and smoking this weekend. I told my wife to leave me alone while I experiment, and she will enjoy a weekend free of kitchen duty,
Even though I am experimenting, my finish products usually come out pretty good. I have some people tell me that its the best they ever had, especially the ribs (been trying to perfect those for years). Though, they are good and tender, I still have a lot to learn. I have to admit, in the past I didn't cook to often (only on holidays or for parties). I think I may have gotten a bite from that Q bug. I have cooked something every weekend and sometimes after work for the last 1 1/2 months and loving it.
I will keep at it and improve my techniques through these forums and trial and error. I am having fun. The weather is perfect here in the Northern Virginia area.(originally a southerner from Macon, Georgia) . If there is any advice that anyone has to offer I am open.
I hope you all are having as much fun as I am right now...

We are. Welcome to the madness.

Always! Keep up the good times!

Welcome aboard shawnada1....Don't forget pics next time

Thread is over a year old.

OOPS!

I only looked at the date not the year lol....I blame it on all the smoke in my eyes....Yeah, that's the ticket!

Dawgbytez wrote:

....I blame it on all the smoke in my eyes....Yeah, that's the ticket!

A perfectly acceptable excuse.

Yeah, I should have figured it out when he mentioned the perfect weather (Adios, Ernesto!)

Hi Steven!

I decided to do a beer-can chicken and while I was searching the web for the beer can chicken holders, I turned on the TV and there you were on BBQ-U talking about this very same subject!

I found two circular stands at a very reasonable price so I could do two chickens at once. I cooked two different brands of oven stuffer roasters to see which one I preferred and the results were perfect!

Some variations here... I marinated both birds with a marinade of vinegar, water, lemon juice, smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves and some Italien salad dressing. To get the birds covered with this marinade, I used a large mixing bowl which allowed the roasters to be completely covered.

I then mounted the birds on the holders with Coors Lite beer (1/2-can for each), and obviously, the benefits is that you get to drink a little beer while waiting for the chicks to cook! I didn't do the flavor injection thing, but I did sprinkle some more dressing on the birds and then used this meat rub:

Sea salt, garlic powder, course ground pepper, hungarian sweet paprika, and onion powder.

To seal-off the top cavity, I sliced the conic end of a sweet potato and put one at the top of each bird. I then cook the rest of the sweet potato with the chicken by placing it in-between the legs of each chicken to keep them apart. I sliced each sweet potato down the middle (longways) and stabbed them with a fork to allow them to steam (or "vent") and put a little peanut oil on each.

I also baked these at 400 for about an hour until golden brown or even blackened a bit at the top and wings. After they browned, I lowered the heat and continued cooking in my oven until internal temp reached 160-180 degrees and waited until the "built-in" thermometers popped-out. But I did check with a meat thermometer just inside the lower side of each, just inside of each leg.

The results were spectacular! Even though I don't have an outdoor B-B-Q to use, but my oven did the job!

My easy-to-make steak sauce is also good with these:

3-parts ketchup, dutch gold honey, and a little less soy sauce, course ground pepper, garlic powder or minced garlic, and a teaspoon of white horseraddish. I use that sauce on steaks, rice, pot stickers, chicken, and just about anything (it's soooo gooood!).

I also purchased your beer-can chicken book to find some other variations on a theme.

My brother, Michael, suggested this idea to me and he knows you from the ferry.

Mark
Huntington, NY

Welcome to the board drmidi!

It must have been fate for you to do a BCC. I'm sure it was cook cooked in an oven but wait until you had one cooked on the grill or in a smoker, adds a whole new dimension to the flavor.

One more thing...We would love to share your experiences, so if you have a camera please take pictures.

Welcome drmidi!

It sure is great to try something new.

It's even better when it comes out great!

Thanks for sharing.

The BCC is a definite favorite in my house. It's just so good! Check my last one out:

I did my first beer can chicken three weeks ago.
Had to say I LOVED it!!


Voila



My eldest daughter was quite excited about it too!!