BGE can't beat Weber charcoal "Performer" for chicken

Doug

At the risk of being stoned I've got to throw this one out there. I've got a large BGE and I love it (ribs, pork butt, burgers, steaks).[p]I've done several whole chickens and I gotta tell you: a whole chicken on a Weber charcoal grill with rotisserie comes out much better than anything I've been able to do on BGE. It's juicy and the skin is always beautifully crisped, every time.[p]I cannot believe the majority who has tried both would not agree. Otherwise I would not trade my BGE for anything.[p](a pox on me for this post)[p]Doug

mad max beyond eggdome

Doug,
to each his own opinion. . .all i know is my family much prefers the chicken i do on the egg (usually beer butt these days), to anything i ever did on the weber, i agree that when i do beer butts, that there is so much moisture, that the skin is hard to crisp. . .but i'm willing to forego crispy skin for the moistest chicken breast we've ever eatin.. . and its a whole lot easier than doing rottiserie set ups. . .and when i do my manderin wings (which have a lot of sugar and are done direct), i can control burning sooo much better on the egg. .. [p]but like i said, to each his own. . .if it works for you, that's fantastic. . .keep em both goin . . .[p]cheers

Bordello

mad max beyond eggdome,
Have you tried air drying the chicken in the fridge for a few hours before egg-en??? It does help the skin to crisp up. I love beer butt chicken, my favorite.[p]Cheers,
New Bob

Doug

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Max, I've never tried "beer butt" believe it or not and I will. I also agree the rotisserie set up and clean up is a pain.[p]Doug

Doug

New Bob,[p]Bob, how do you air dry ?[p]Doug

mad max beyond eggdome

New Bob,
i've heard about doing the air dry thing, but i must profess to not trying yet. .. but i will. .. btw. . what i do is take two empty coke cans, cut the tops completely off, pour 1/2 can of beer into each, then a heaping tblsppoon of tsunami spin into them (or whatever rub i'm using on the birds). .. also, i started taking a small knife and poking little cuts into the cavity of the chicken. .. i figure that you pull the membranes from ribs to make them more tender and to get the flavor into them, so by poking the cuts through what is essentially a membrane on the inside of the chicken cavity that it would do the same thing to let the steam from the beer really get into the breast meat. . .i think it helps a little. .

LasVegasMac

Doug, you are right. How dare you speak such treason on this Green forum. Off with your head, I say!!![p]You are right in that you will probably get "stoned" for this post - from some folks.[p]I do miss the rotisserie taste for several things. In fact, I almost bought the Charbroil "Sante Fe" grill from Home Depot last weekend - $99.00. Rotisserie capable, of course, but it had side vents, top and bottom, on both sides. The mongo Charbroil charcoal grill I have now does not have the side vents. :([p]I decided to modify the grill I have now - for the vents.[p]Bottom line is I think the BGE is absolutely awesome - so do the family and friends that have sampled the food. Probably why I have two large ones. But, I still prefer to do my jerky on a Texas Hondo (offset firebox, mongo horizontal chamber thing that weighs about 300 lbs.) and, IMHO, you can't beat the taste of wings done in a basket - on a rotisserie.[p]The gas grill is the only tool in the arsenal (gas grill, CharBroil charcoal (big), Texas Hondo, and two large BGE's that has not been used in a long, long time.[p]The BGE is an awesome tool, to be sure. But it can't do everything - they way I like it.[p]Happy Egg'n -- and Weber rotissering![p]LVM

Bordello

Doug,
Here is (I hope) the beer butt chicken recipe I follow.
Depending on the temp. I cook at and if I do direct or indirect the skin can be an issue.[p]To air dry, just pat the bird dry, place on a plate in fridge with no cover, you can turn it over at some point if you wish. [p]Cheers,
New Bob
[ul][li]Link[/ul]

Car Wash Mike

<p />Doug,
Have I got a boulder for you, no stones here. When I first read that I thought, has he ever tried Beer Butt Chicken? I also, let my bird set out for about 30 minutes before cooking. I coat with extra virgin olive oil and cook about 300-350 direct.
I also have a rotisseire but hasn't been used for 3 years.
I'm a firm beleiver in whatever gives the results you like.[p]CWM

Bordello

Car Wash Mike,
I have to agree, we all have individual taste and whatever fits, whatever cooker is fine for that person. I have raved about a certain food at a restaurant and others thought it was not very good.[p]Cheers,
New Bob

nikkig

Doug,
Have you tried spatchcock chicken?? IMO its way better than the beer butt ones. Just did two of them Thursday, had the dark meat for dinner and made chicken dip out of the breast for the 4th.[p]~nikki

Wingnut

Doug,[p]I would have to say that sometime it does not mater what you cook on. When the right people are there, the right marinade, drinks, coals, spices, atmosphere, cooking time, etc… As long as it taste good to you; well, then what could be better.
Many ceramic cookers realize the “right way to rub, smoke, baste, and pull”, while doing the initial burn in.
This may include having their hands held from the very kind folks here at the Big Green Egg Forum as I did.[p]With the knowledge I gained from the various forums, ceramic or not, I feel that I could rub two stones together and produce something that is enjoyable to novices and experienced Q’ers alike. [p]Wingnut[p]