Help with my Beercan Chicken

SurfnGrill · April 2021

After so many kind and helpful comments on my first post, I'm sure that I'll get even more this time.
I'm looking to get a nice finish on the skin of my beercan chicken. I'm using a BGE ceramic throne, with a hoppy IPA, onion, minced garlic, thyme and rosemary in it. A nice rub on the chicken (used a honey bbq), temp set at 275-300. Put some veggies, pepper, a bit more IPA and a dash of rub into a drip pan on the conveggtor, and smoke for a minimum of 2.5 hrs. Checking for breast temp of 165, thigh/leg of 170.
Have done this twice. The first time, the meat was excellent, but the skin was rubbery and inedible. The 2nd time, I spritzed a mixture of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and some more IPA (common theme?) every :30 after the first hour. Skin was crisper, but still not what I'm looking for (think Publix rotisserie). The meat was great then as well and I probably shouldn't be complaining; but I'd like a nice bird with crispy and tasty skin.
Thoughts?

ColtsFan · April 2021

I don't do beer can chicken, so I won't be much help. That said, spritzing the skin and introducing moisture will not help your desire for crisp skin. I typically do spatchcock raised in the dome and that yields nice crisp skin

1voyager · April 2021

This method works great for me:

Gently separate the skin from the meat using your fingers and a spatula.

Add a generous coating of coarse S&P, then put in refrigerator, uncovered, overnight. I had tried various rubs for this step. The result was rubbery skin every time.

Lightly dust with rub immediately before placing the bird in the BGE. (Or just go with S&P.)

Setup:

325 degrees dome temperature, indirect, no liquid in drip pan. I highlighted "no liquid in drip pan" because this also caused rubbery skin every time.

Sometimes I add wood chunks. Sometimes I don't.

I go to 160 degrees at the thickest part of the breast, then rest for 5 - 10 minutes.

Botch · April 2021

Dust your bird with a 50/50 mixture of baking powder/cornstarch (if the bird's been previously brined/dried in the frig) or 33/33/33 mixture with salt added if the bird's not seasoned. And bump your temp to at least 400º.
I've also given up on the beer-can idea. The bird will be 160 or so when you pull it, ergo so is the liquid in the can up the bird's wumpus. You'll get some steam out of it, but very little and not worth the trouble (ymmv).

SonVolt · April 2021

1) your heat's too low to crisp up the skin properly
2) get rid of all the liquids and stop spritzing
3) Beer can chicken isn't a gimmick per se, but it kinda is. It's really just a way to set the chicken upright. Nothing inside the can is going to do much. These days most people just cut the backbone out and throw in on the grill flattened out (spatchcocked).

MO_Eggin · April 2021

For vertical chicken, I go indirect at 400* for about 1.5 hours, over a dry drip pan elevated off the plate setter. Start with the breast side forward, then spin around for the final 20-30 minutes. Also, try to get the bird as high in the dome as possible. I skip drying the bird overnight or adding cornstarch, and still get nice, crispy skin. Good luck!

xfire_ATX · April 2021

I was given a "Chicken Rocket" which is a Cast Iron Vertical cooker. Used it once put back in the garage. Spatchcock is just so much easier.

However... The owner/ pit master at Valentinas Tex Mex told my neighbor who went through a class with him that whole chickens come out better than spatchcock they stay moister. So next time I was going to try one each way to decide which way to go in the future.

fishlessman · April 2021

i do modified spatchcock, whole breasts, cut the legs and wings off. more juicy done whole and split for serving afterwards. salting and over night does wonders for the skin. sometimes i sauce, sometimes i dont. doing the whole breast only im concentrating on just getting the internal temps right without sacrificing to get the dark meat right. the beer can method doesnt do much in an egg except make rubbery skin. i cook these direct raising the grill

Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/fishlessman/DSC_0597.jpg

caliking · April 2021

There is also the invert-a-bird method, championed by the late Little Steven.

buzd504 · April 2021

Botch said:

Dust your bird with a 50/50 mixture of baking powder/cornstarch (if the bird's been previously brined/dried in the frig) or 33/33/33 mixture with salt added if the bird's not seasoned. And bump your temp to at least 400º.
I've also given up on the beer-can idea. The bird will be 160 or so when you pull it, ergo so is the liquid in the can up the bird's wumpus. You'll get some steam out of it, but very little and not worth the trouble (ymmv).

The interior meat of the bird being 160 does not imply that the temperature of the beer is 160 (presumably some part of the aluminum, an excellent heat conductor, is exposed to the ambient 400* temp, raising the beer above 160). Otherwise, I agree with you.

JethroBodeen · April 2021

Like a lot of the rest, save the beer and spatchcock. Youll never look back.....

4TheGrillOfIt · April 2021

I used to be a huge beer can chicken fan, particularly cooking on a gasser. But the Egg really doesn’t need that additional moisture (what little there is).

I appreciate all the additional steps listed in this thread, but simple can be good too. This bird had fantastic crispy skin. The only thing I did was spatchcock, SPG rub and cook indirect at 400.

RyanStl · April 2021

Don't waste the beer, it's a gimmick; especially good beer. You can use water in the can and have the same result. The steaming liquid is supposed to add moistness, but evaporated beer isn't going to put in any noticable flaver.

briwald · April 2021

Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe it is because I use darker, stronger beers (Porters and Stouts), but I have always been able to taste hints of the beer when I use the can method (not an actual can, my wife got me a nice little contraption for it). Agree with the rest of the posters about the crispy skin, and spatchcocking being the most efficient route.

Florida Grillin Girl · April 2021

Spatchcock, direct, raised high in the dome at 325- 350 degrees will get you there.

abtaylor260 · April 2021

Drink the beer. Cook the chicken and all of the above.

SurfnGrill · April 2021

So, after reading the comments (and realizing that there is not just one way to do this), I spatch'd it, covered it with a combination of Ancho Chili rub and some Honey BBQ rub, then indirect at 375-390. This firmed up the skin much better; best I've made in fact. Guests said chicken texture and flavor was amazing, so a big THANKS to all of your for pitching in with your comments!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/rq/06mo2uclbs5p.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/p6/z5mmnx7fykad.jpg

Foghorn · April 2021

Dude. That looks amazing. Better than any chicken I've ever cooked for sure.

kl8ton · April 2021

Isn't someone at NASA or space force working on the sideways picture problem?

Great chicken. You saved a beer.

loco_engr · April 2021

"Dust your bird with a 50/50 mixture of baking powder/cornstarch" great tip, TY

danhoo · June 2021

I brine whole chickens for 24 hours, and then set them on my vertical roaster in the garage fridge for another 24 hours to dry the skin.

I bring the chicken out of the fridge before I start the coals.

I rub the skin with olive oil and season with what I am in the mood for. Sometimes I'm lazy and use Montreal chicken, sometimes I mix up salt, garlic powder, hot Hungarian paprika and pepper.

I start the cook at 450 and let the temp settle down to about 375 for an hour to an hour and a half. After 90 mins I lower the temp down to about 325 to 300 and let it slowly finish.

danhoo · July 2021

danhoo said:

I brine whole chickens for 24 hours, and then set them on my vertical roaster in the garage fridge for another 24 hours to dry the skin.

I bring the chicken out of the fridge before I start the coals.

I rub the skin with olive oil and season with what I am in the mood for. Sometimes I'm lazy and use Montreal chicken, sometimes I mix up salt, garlic powder, hot Hungarian paprika and pepper.

I start the cook at 450 and let the temp settle down to about 375 for an hour to an hour and a half. After 90 mins I lower the temp down to about 325 to 300 and let it slowly finish.

I just noticed someone tagged a "disagree" on my post and was curious which item(s) in my list of 4 or 5 things was the reason. Not looking to argue about it, but instead maybe learn something.

was it:

Brine?

air drying the skin in the fridge?

Setting the chicken out before the cook?

EVOO and spices ?

starting the cook at 450 and bringing the temp down?

lowering temp even more at the end?

Help with my Beercan Chicken

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