Beer Can Chicken - BGE Recipie Tested & Altered

Surge

Third time cooking the dirty bird with a Heineken can up its butt. 
First time I followed this recipe on the BGE site:
http://biggreenegg.com/recipes/beer-butt-chicken/#comment-164268

I'm surprised as to why it's on the Egg site, because it's not suited to Egg cooking at all. It calls for frequent opening of the lid to spray the bird with a marinade. This left the skin way too moist and not crispy at all. Furthermore, they want the bird in a pan for most of the cook. 

Third time turned out perfectly: no pan, just a beer can stand directly on the grill, set for indirect. 375F and no opening or spraying the bird during the cook. Simple and very tasty!

jtcBoynton

Beer can chicken was a fad that should have gone away by now.  Not the best way to cook a bird with any cooker.

Meeeshigan22

Loved BCC on the old gas grill, once I discovered the egg and spatchcock never gave the beer can thing another thought.

bgebrent

jtcBoynton said:

Beer can chicken was a fad that should have gone away by now.  Not the best way to cook a bird with any cooker.

Correct.

Toxarch

jtcBoynton said:

Beer can chicken was a fad that should have gone away by now.  Not the best way to cook a bird with any cooker.

Not the best? It's a horrible way to cook a chicken. 

Surge

Why?

Came out tender inside and crispy outside. Easy!

jtcBoynton

Not a good method because it promotes overdone meat near the skin and undercooked meat next to the can.  Almost any other method is better for even cooking.

Its also a waste of beer.

GoldenQ

I quit BCC long ago and went to spatchcocked.  Now I do it like spatchcock but cut the white and dark meat apart and cook as I would spatchcock but can movepieces around to get dark and white done at same time.

Toxarch

Beer can chicken results in either dry overcooked outside or undercooked inside. The beer does nothing for the chicken cook except plugging up the cavity.
Read all of this:
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/debunking_beer_can_chicken.html

Mattman3969

I bet your bird tasted great.  You have just been swarmed by the spatchcock group.  I will do birds on stands,spatched or whole and all come out tasting great.  

I will say that if I'm using a stand I will cook the bird inverted(legs up).  It lets the thigh juices baste the breast meat.  Check out this thread. 

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2029967#Comment_2029967

Surge

Interesting! I did love the bird, but will check out these other methods!