smoking Beer Can Chicken

try a lemon half on top of the can to plug the neck hole, gives a great lemon flavor to the breast meat. drink half the beer and fill up with a couple tbls of your rub or herbs, top with lemon half and insert. i pull the wings behind its back like i'm gonna give a pat down, keeps them high and gets more of the breast skin quispy. indirect smoky heat around 325. perfection every time. thats just how i do it
 
try a lemon half on top of the can to plug the neck hole, gives a great lemon flavor to the breast meat. drink half the beer and fill up with a couple tbls of your rub or herbs, top with lemon half and insert. i pull the wings behind its back like i'm gonna give a pat down, keeps them high and gets more of the breast skin quispy. indirect smoky heat around 325. perfection every time. thats just how i do it
That is mostly how I do it as well. I cut the bottom off this big Jamaican Chocolate and shoved it in the neck hole.

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maybe its the Weber that makes em turn out so well ;)

i do need to experiment with the neck stuffings, a big pepper is next.
 
Alright looks like I'm doing my typical 4 chook sunday beer butt style

Neck stuffing with either a lemon or onion, keeps all the moisture and the in there
 
im not sure if anyone wrote this, but ive read to add some of the rub into the beer can to help with flavoring the meat
 
im not sure if anyone wrote this, but ive read to add some of the rub into the beer can to help with flavoring the meat
I use the same rub that I put on the chicken and add it to the can. There are lots of tricks to use and I have never disappointed with one of these birds!

Everyone should do one this weekend...oh wait I am smoking a 9lb Boston Butt....
 
I've always been a big fan of apples whether mixed in with alcohol or fresh off the tree. I would imagine a can of Strongbow or other apple cider lager would also make some very tasty chicken, perhaps mix in some cinnamon and all spice for more of a punch. Serve some grilled bacon wrapped corn and you're set.
 
Well did 2 chooks on the weekend, Canadian Club and Dry.

Tasted Great, no decent pics, as i have know learnt that they are a little bit diffucult to do in the pizza oven. Always done em in the bbq no problems.

Pizza oven cooks a little different and found that the height of the chooks, made it hard to not burn the top/skin of the chooks, from all the radiant heat coming from the dome.

Experimentation
 
I agree, one must know what they are doing to really use a can. Notice my can is not burnt and the chicken is done. :) I am also a bottle guy however there are some awesome craft beers now that are can only.
Ressurecting this old thread....
As I do 99% of the cooking in our family, I find myself making roast chicken all the time. Whether it's in the oven or on the grill.
I do know what I'm doing and I still don't enjoy using a painted/inked/whatever lightweight aluminum beer can (not purpose made for use in high *relatively* temps). Yes I know backyard cooks have been using them for awhile but that doesn't mean it's safe nor does it mean there isn't an easily obtainable, inexpensive, better alternative.
I found my "foo foo kitchen gadget" @ Sur La Table a year or so ago and love it. It's an extruded steel open mouth can. It came with a grill basket (which i never use) but works perfectly by itself.
Not only is the steel can stronger (more easily supporting bigger birds) but it also has an open mouth. With that I can use any liquid I like... Beer, wine, soda etc. Also, one can easily slip a head of roasted garlic, full sprigs of herbs, etc into it.
I routinely make my own chicken stock with my carcasses/necks/etc. Using an alternative like this does make it easier to make that stock with whatever flavors you're looking for.
Then there is the whole not worrying about splashing the beer around when you're pushing it up there. You push it in empty, stand it up, rub the bird down(or whatever you do to prep) and then just pour whatever quantity you want right down the neck hole. IF you need to add more of anything during the prep or cooking process, it's easier with the big mouth too.
Oh, and if you do find yourself with a smalle cavity bird, the steel WILL make it up there without crushing if you have to force it. Lol.
Sometimes those "foo foo gadgets" really do work... ;-)
 
Ressurecting this old thread....
As I do 99% of the cooking in our family, I find myself making roast chicken all the time. Whether it's in the oven or on the grill.
I do know what I'm doing and I still don't enjoy using a painted/inked/whatever lightweight aluminum beer can (not purpose made for use in high *relatively* temps). Yes I know backyard cooks have been using them for awhile but that doesn't mean it's safe nor does it mean there isn't an easily obtainable, inexpensive, better alternative.
I found my "foo foo kitchen gadget" @ Sur La Table a year or so ago and love it. It's an extruded steel open mouth can. It came with a grill basket (which i never use) but works perfectly by itself.
Not only is the steel can stronger (more easily supporting bigger birds) but it also has an open mouth. With that I can use any liquid I like... Beer, wine, soda etc. Also, one can easily slip a head of roasted garlic, full sprigs of herbs, etc into it.
I routinely make my own chicken stock with my carcasses/necks/etc. Using an alternative like this does make it easier to make that stock with whatever flavors you're looking for.
Then there is the whole not worrying about splashing the beer around when you're pushing it up there. You push it in empty, stand it up, rub the bird down(or whatever you do to prep) and then just pour whatever quantity you want right down the neck hole. IF you need to add more of anything during the prep or cooking process, it's easier with the big mouth too.
Oh, and if you do find yourself with a smalle cavity bird, the steel WILL make it up there without crushing if you have to force it. Lol.
Sometimes those "foo foo gadgets" really do work... ;-)
I do not disagree, the chicken you are cooking could also be harmful..all about calculated risks. :)
 
I used to cook the beer can chook until i was told its toxic to heat alli cans with the paint and the alli with fumes , not sure if its true but now i do the same thing with my dutch ovens and sometimes use red wine and it makes the meat just fall apart , same thing it steams it , maybe we should have a dutch oven thread .
 
Make these all the time. Got a couple of vertical roasters from William Sonoma a few years back and have used them exclusively. Much easier to deal with, and the pan can provide a little extra shield from any direct heat that may be present. Some of the chicken grease has gotten in between the reservoir and pan so it leaks into the grill and catches fire. Time for some new pans. Usually avoid using cans. I like to separate the skin from the meat and put my rub inside the skin. Really helps trap the seasoning and lets the seasoning penetrate the meat deeper.

Here is one I made recently. One is a Tuscan Rub and the other is a Fresh Chile Garlic Lime Honey. The chickens were still a little frozen when prepped so the skin split on me at spots.

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I blended up some peppers that Pepperproblem gave me to use for this marinade/baste. Includes Yellow Mushroom, Trinidad Sweet, Trinidad Seasoning, Rad Savina, Faria, Red Douglah and Yellow Scorpion. Turned out great. Hot enough to burn, but not enough to make you question your existence.
 
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