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Beer Can Chicken on my medium NOPE!

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Kitarkus
Kitarkus Posts: 181
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Well...I had my grandmother over this eve for a little dinner. I thougth we'd all enjoy a beer can chicken off the medium egg. Placesetter legs up...grate atop.....can't close the lid on my 3 3/4lb fryer. I was shocked. Dome height was insufficient for this little bird.

Quickly got rid of the can and cooked the chicken on its back. I knew the eggs don't have much indirect space but was really really surprised that my clearance was this low. I did not use a stand or any such nonsense as cans have always held steady for me (use chix legs as a tripod) and the can was stuck WAY up this chix rear end....very little can showing at the bottom.

and don't tell me to go get a large please. I just spent 700 billion last week :blush:
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Personally I never saw the purpose of wasting a perfectly good beer...

    The eggs ability to hold in moisture eliminates the need for the beer anyway.

    Furthermore I suspect if you moved the chicken slightly to one side the lid would have closed. That dome thermometer has habit of getting in the way.
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  • Big'un
    Big'un Posts: 5,909
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    Have you tried spatchcocking yet. I like the results the best.
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  • jeffinsgf
    jeffinsgf Posts: 1,259
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    The plate setter did you in. I've done many stand up birds in my medium, but the grill has to be at fire ring level with the bird in a drip pan. Do they make a half height fire ring for the medium? Take a look at ceramicgrillstore's solutions. I don't think they make a medium Spider, but maybe you can make one yourself, once you see the concept. All that said, like Big'un, I am now a Spatchcock convert.
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  • jeffinsgf
    jeffinsgf Posts: 1,259
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    Just thought of another option, get a small grid, and set it on a round drip pan setting on the upside down place setter. That should gain you a couple inches of headroom.
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  • Rick's Tropical Delight
    Rick's Tropical Delight Posts: 1,564
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    yep... or just put the can in the drip pan and stand the bird up right in the drip pan on the plate setter/legs up. make sure to use somethng to shim the thermometer so it doesn't stick in so far when cooking things high in the dome...

    firstovernightbutts-003.jpg
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  • Kitarkus
    Kitarkus Posts: 181
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    I like that thermometer shim idea...I never thought of that. There was NO way to close the lid no matter where I placed the chicken...there was not enough clearance....period. I agree that beer can chicken is more a novelty than anything...and that it is a waste of a perfectly good beer. I placed the chicken on its backbone and did my cook the same way that I would have with the beer can. Chicken was juicy and delicious..lacked nothing from missing the beer can. I guess if I want to waste a beer I'll use my gasser (and I never waste "good" beer)

    Jason
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  • Nils
    Nils Posts: 82
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    Glad it turned out without the beer!

    Tis true - never waste a good beer on a chicken - alive or dead! ;)

    The Guinness goes in the cook, and what ever cheap American beer was on sale at the local supermarket goes in the chicken :laugh:

    Is the beer needed in the chicken? no... but many things in life are not "needed", but we do them anyway, it's all part of the great adventure! Whee! I consider cooking to be more art than science, so who is to argue what is truly needed. :whistle:
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  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
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    i did a beer can turkey once in my large.. i used the platesetter but no grate.. fit fine... you might want to loose the grate next time ;)

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

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  • JLOCKHART29
    JLOCKHART29 Posts: 5,897
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    Bird will beer can on a Medium which is what I have. Just make sure it is centered. That said all I do now is spatchcock.
    NEW08052.jpg
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    You don't really need the grid. Place a pan on the plate setter and place the upright bird in the pan.
    The Naked Whiz
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    I agree with JL. I have done many upright chickens (only once with a beer, it seemed to make no difference) on my medium. I can fit at least 2 in there at the same time. I don't use a plate setter though; I use the 2 grates and a steel pie pan method. Usually I spatchcock'em now, unless I want to cook more than one. 'Course now that I have the large as well, space is virtually never an issue :woohoo:
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