Beer Can Chicken Disappointment

Perkysgang

My wonderful (and surprising) wife got me a Large BGE for Christmas and I have cooked on it about 6 times since it was delivered the Thursday after Christmas. Everything we cooked was delicious. Everything, that is, until I tried a Beer Can Chicken yesterday.

My wife purchased a smaller size Perdue roaster as our guinea pig (so to speak).

I searched for a recipe on this website as well as several other websites. I was looking for cooking temperatures and cooking times. What I found, surprisingly, is that recipe temps ranged anywhere from 220 to as high as 500 degrees. I decided to go with one on the recipes on here which suggested a middle of the road 325 and stated the chicken would take about 45 minutes to cook. I was a bit sceptical about the cook time and decided to use that amount of time as my first temperature checkpoint.

I got my fire lit and leveled the temp off at around 350 (darn NFL playoffs!) but decided to cook using that temp figuring I would adjust cook time appropriately.

Once the lump's smoke ran clear, I added a handful of Hickory wood chips to add some smoke flavor to the bird, something just about every recipe suggested.

After the 45 minute waiting period, I opened the lid and saw that the bird was a nice brown color and smelled good. I checked the temp by inserting my instant read thermometer about half way into the breast near the thickest part of the breast. I was more than a bit shocked to see that the internal temp was indeed 180 degrees. The bird came with one of those "pop up" imbedded plastic thermometers which had not yet popped. After debating with my wife about the "doneness" of the bird, we decided to pull it and let it sit for about 10 minutes while my wife finished the sides.

The first thing my wife did when it was time to carve the bird was to cut the skin between the leg and the breast area. It really looked like it was uncooked! The breast meat was pink and fleshy and there was red blood present.

We debated whether to throw it back on the BGE or finish it in the oven and decided to go with the oven.

We settled down to eat our sides first while the bird came up to proper internal doneness.

When it came time to eat the bird, I must admit the whole cooking experience predisposed me to thinking the bird wasn't going to taste good. Unfortunately, it didn't taste good.

Two things I learned from this cook:

1) Hickory smoke is strong juju and a little goes a long way when it comes to a chicken which I read really sops up smoke flavor. The hickory flavor overpowered the meat, too much so for my palate.

2) Even though I calibrated my instant read thermometer before the cook, it pays to trust your instincts. If you think something isn't done yet, try several other methods before you decide to pull it. I should have cut the skin flap near the breast and leg as well as tried the prick method to see what color the juices were running.

Anyone have any other tips before I try a chicken like this again in the future (saying my wife agrees to let me try again -- She is opposed to doing so based on these results)?

Perkysgang

Fidel

1. As you have learned, hickory is too strong for poultry for many people. I prefer to use cherry or pecan for poultry, or sometime no added wood at all. Lump is, after all, wood and will impart some smoky goodness.

2. Always check temps in multiple places. You may have hit a bone, fat pocket, air pocket, etc.. I always check every cut of meat in 2-3 places minimum before I decide to pull it. Most importantly is get a thermometer you know you can trust.

BENTE

Go to naked whiz dot com and check out the spatchcocked chicken. i have done several diffrent ways of doing chicken and by far the spatchcocked was the preferred way my family and most of my friends like it.
i would post a link but have not figured out how yet

Biscuit

I do a whole chicken at least once a week and it goes like this.
Small bird...3 to 4 lbs (Publix Greenwise section)
Rub with EVOO and liberally apply Tsunami Spin by Dizzy Pig
Egg with Platesetter at 250 deg
Chicken on chicken roaster
Cook for 2 and a half hours
No smoke(if you want some Apple or any fruitwood is the way to go)
Drink the beer
It's perfect every time

Eggscaper

Dont get dishearted. Its a trial and error thing. Every time i do beer can chicken at 350 it takes about 1.5 to2 hrs. just remember to have fun anless is more. :side:

Popsicle

I do mine, 4 birds about 4.5# each, at 325 direct on a raised grid. Generally takes about 90 minutes. I have a thermometer but normally use the tug on the wing or twist of the leg method to check if they are done. When doing multiple birds direct, the 2 in back will finish quicker than the 2 in front so watch out for that. Good luck. Popsicle

FlaMike

I stay away from the roasters, and use a younger fryer 3-3½ lbs. Direct, at about 350º x 2 hrs or so, on a ceramic "sitter". Expect a lot of natural smoke from the drippings, no need for wood. OOOH, So Good!

Perkysgang

I was trying to talk my wife into letting me cook it that way but the sales person who sold her the large BGE also did a sales job on Beer Can Chicken. I can imagine a properly (and fully) cooked bird does taste great. I may have to just sneak in a chicken again and show her that this one was an experiment.

Thanks for the advice on the spatchcock chicken.

gdenby

Sometime ago I came across an article saying that many commercial establishments are over-cooking their chicken to remove any trace of "blood." What is actually happening is that factory chickens often have such weak bones that they split open during cooking, and the marrow gets out. So if your temperature was 180, the meat was probbably safe.

I've also heard that fowl which is frozen and refrozen may have a pinkish tone to the flesh near the bones. I've run into that with some ducks that I was positive were completely cooked.

As already mentioned, "spatchcock" chicken is very good. Usually faster than a verticle roast, and almost always juicy. It just takes a little while at the end with the dome at 400 to ensure a nice crisp skin.

I've had a few less than successful attempts at various things on the Egg, but have had to remind myself what I was used to getting from my metal grills. If the chicken wasn't a cinder, I was doing good then.

gdenby

AZRP

I find with chicken, I get all the smoke flavor I want from the lump without adding any smoke wood. -RP

Smokin Tiger

Try the Spatchcock method listed on the Naked Whiz site. I cooked many beer can chickens on an offset smoker before buying an egg. My worst spatchcocked chicken from the egg was as good or better than my best beercan chicken on the offset. I plan to try a beercan chicken on the egg at some point, but the wife and kids are very happy with the spatchcock chicken and it is a faster method.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm

Good luck and hang in there! :P

TC

Morro Bay Rich

In my opinion, beer can chicken is more a novelty than useful.

I go with spatchcock chicken (as noted by others below) on a raised grid in a large BGE at 350 deg for 60 - 65 min. This method has been so reliable I don't even use a thermometer any more.

Grandpas Grub

Well as you saw in your search for a recipe and the responses above, including mine, there are hundreds of ways to cook chicken on the egg.

One thought, did you get rid of the kids (or pets) when they didn't walk the first step or tired to teach them something? The same thing goes for the egg.

If you check temps, on your food you will know the doneness. Finishing by look or feel takes some experience.

I have not tried vertical roasting as of yet.

I have had excellent chicken which is done in 15 min per side and some that take 1 1/2 hours.

I sort of poo paw'd spatchcock until I tried it. Once I tried The Naked Whiz method I am not sure if I will cook chicken any other way. I use a raised grid and it comes out fantastic in one hour.

My wife had the same thought about the red/blood (or what looked like blood) in the joints. I temp probed and everything was 170°, hence done.

I was wondering if it was the smoke mixed with juices combined with dark meat. She didn't want to eat it so I cooked hers longer. Mine was great tasting.

When cooking chicken if I use hickory, misquite or pecan I use a small amount of chips.

I like cherry the best but apple is also excellent. I use more chips when using fruit wood, maybe a palm full of chips. I put them in a two foil pouches with some air excape holes in the top of the pouch.

You are going to have to decide how much smoke flavor you want in your meat.

I have never had any chicken I didn't like when cooked on the egg. Most was fantastic. Breasts make a good lunch/dinner and we always do extra for salad and toasted or cold chicken sandwhich's.

BTW chicken/pastrami sandwhich's are fantastic.

Keep testing and you will find what you and the family loves.

Kent

Grandpas Grub

Rich,

I agree, easy, no fuss, one hour and it is lip smackin time.

Kent

Rollocks

I usually don't add smoke for chicken, the lump has plenty. Also I used to use the beer can method until I tried spatchcocking a bird. Now I'm a convert. I always spatchcock my chicken when I cook it.

See TNW's site for spatchcock method.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm