BC Chicken Texture

jim_julian

Did a Beer Can Chicken recently that was a bit disappointing.

Marinated it over night. Beer, sweet vermouth, various spices, chopped apple and garlic, and a tablespoon of salt.

Filled the chicken cavity with the apple chunks. Filled a soda can half full with the marinade liquid. Can and chicken on BCC rack. Rubbed a little olive oil on the skin and plunked that chicken down on a stabilized egg at 325 degrees, direct grill. The bird was a little over 4#. Checked the BCC recipes on this site ... one said 300 for 2 hours the other 350 for 2 hours. I did 325 and at 1+45 checked the bird temp @ 180 degrees. "Done!", I said and pulled the bird off the grill. The skin was very black and basically not edible. Surprisingly the meat had not picked up much of the marinade flavor. The bird was moist, and the soda can, while hot, was still full to the half way point.

The real question was the texture of the meat, particularly the breast. Basically it seems as if the meat had lost it's normal texture and broken down into something more like not so wet Malt-O-Meal. I think the bird was a bit overcooked. Is there some breakdown that takes place in chicken? Other than cutting down the cooking time by quite a bit is there anything else I can do the have a lovely moist chicken for the guests?

tjv

couple things come to mind.

1. looks like you tried to brine the bird. need to check if the bird comes with "solution added". if so, I would not add brining.

2. I'd only do beer can chicken indirect, protect the bottom of the bird

3. chicken dark and white meat is done at 165 internal. Cook to 160 and let it jump to 165 while resting.

if you put sugars, not sure about the sweet part of sweet vermouth in cooking temps about 250-300, they will burn. reason why we bbq sauce everything back end of cook.

My guess on the breast is you had to much moisture and with over cooking, turned it to mush......

just one guy's opinion but for me, spatchcock on raised grid is the way to do chickies in the egg.

t

PhilsGrill

Putting any liquid in the beer can really doesn't impart any flavor in the chicken, been proven hundreds of times on the web as you have found out. The beer can is just to hold the chicken up. Try spatchcock chicken next time. Cooks faster and gets a perfect crispy skin.

jim_julian

tjv wrote:

couple things come to mind.

1. looks like you tried to brine the bird. need to check if the bird comes with "solution added". if so, I would not add brining.

2. I'd only do beer can chicken indirect, protect the bottom of the bird

3. chicken dark and white meat is done at 165 internal. Cook to 160 and let it jump to 165 while resting.

if you put sugars, not sure about the sweet part of sweet vermouth in cooking temps about 250-300, they will burn. reason why we bbq sauce everything back end of cook.

My guess on the breast is you had to much moisture and with over cooking, turned it to mush......

just one guy's opinion but for me, spatchcock on raised grid is the way to do chickies in the egg.

t

Great reply, thanks!

I wasn't brining. per se,the salt was for flavor but it occurred to me that it may have had an effect so I mentioned it.

My thermometer and cookbooks say 180 for poultry but I'll accept your 165 and probably get a better result.

Your analysis of what happened, too much moisture and overcook, is what I suspected. Thanks for the confirmation.

jim_julian

PhilsGrill wrote:

Putting any liquid in the beer can really doesn't impart any flavor in the chicken, been proven hundreds of times on the web as you have found out. The beer can is just to hold the chicken up. Try spatchcock chicken next time. Cooks faster and gets a perfect crispy skin.

Thanks PG ... I didn't have any expectations of flavor from the marinade in the can, I expected more flavor from the process of marinating the bird overnight in a bag in the fridge.

Spatchcock is on my to do list ...

SmokinParrotHead

My advice would be to dumb it down a bit. Don't try to get too fancy with Drunken' Chicken. Just put a good dry rub on it and sit that bad boy on a half empty beer can. Simple as that.

jim_julian

SmokinParrotHead wrote:

My advice would be to dumb it down a bit. Don't try to get too fancy with Drunken' Chicken. Just put a good dry rub on it and sit that bad boy on a half empty beer can. Simple as that.

Thanks Lee ... been making them for years in the oven, this was my first one on the BGE.

Bear 007

I agree, just do a simple bird, try to buy one thats all natural,no solution. I like mine cooked to 165 breast 175 thigh.

Cook mine on just a CI pan at 350

jim_julian

Look great CIPH!