Beer Butt Chicken PET

[indyfrisco]

Ok, here's my PET on the beet butt chicken. Made one tonight and captured photos via my blackberry so sorry if the pics aren't the greatest.

Here's the chicken on the stand in the foil lined grill wok.



Here's the chicken and the rubs I used from my recipe thread



Here's the chickem rubbed down.



Threw th T1B potato in to seal the deal.



Bird going on the grill with smoke box kickin



Smoke is smokin



12 minutes into the cook



50 minutes in. Ready for Brent's BBQ Sauce



60 minutes in after the first baste



70 mintes in. Time for another baste.



80 minutes and done



My dinner posing with Brent's BBQ Sauce



I ate all this shit tonight.



So there it is. My Beer Butt Chicken PET. Smack or rack as needed.

[Ken]

Rack the time lapse PET. I kinda wrote off this method in the other thread... guess I shouldn't have. Looks freaking excellent. Although, we DID roast a chicken on Sunday night using my method and it would have been hard to beat for sure.

Oh, and only pussies use those little 'corn holders'. :wink:

[indyfrisco]

Hey, I'm a hand model.

[Goober McTuber]

If you’re going to corn cob holders, you should get these:



You screw them in before boiling the corn, and they’re cool to the touch within seconds of being removed from the water. Doubt they’d hold up well if you’re grilling the corn.

You should also get the corn butterer while you’re at it:

[Ken]

Hey, I'm a hand model.

Seinfeld resets will never not be funny.

[indyfrisco]

If you’re going to corn cob holders, you should get these:



You screw them in before boiling the corn, and they’re cool to the touch within seconds of being removed from the water. Doubt they’d hold up well if you’re grilling the corn.

Those suck. Get the square headed corn screws.

You should also get the corn butterer while you’re at it:

I have this. Fricking awesome. I used to put butter on a piece of bread and roll the corn in that. This thing has save me a few loaves of bread as well as not wasting any butter. Great tool. Of course, Paul bought one too. He uses it for Butter Push-Pops.

[OCmike]

...Butter Push-Pops.

I was with you on the bird until I saw the container of Tony's on the table. I can't believe that a guy who would go to the trouble of making his own sauce from scratch would stoop to using Tony's. I mean, it's alright if it's a weeknight and you were just throwing something together because you were tired as fuck, but otherwise, there's no excuse for slumming like that. Tony's, while better than your average seasoned salt, is for people who don't know how to cook.

[Mikey]

I did a 5 lb roaster on the rotisserie this past weekend. I used this stuff on it, first time trying it, and it came out awesome.




Their Santa Maria seasoning is the only way to go with tri-tips. I also use this stuff as the go-to seasoning on steaks, pork chops, fish and just about anything else on the grill.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Seasoning salt smack? You guys are soooo highbrow.

[OCmike]

Seasoning salt smack? You guys are soooo highbrow.

Well, this IS the cooking forum, not the baked beans and ramen forum...

Anywho, you don't find it odd that a guy who makes his own sauce wouldn't season his bird with garlic salt, pepper and his own blend of spices? Just sayin'...

Oh, and is it just me or does the first chicken pic look like one of those face crab eggs from "Aliens"?

[Mikey]

I was thinking more of a close up of some sundry Cinder body part.

[indyfrisco]

Dude, Tony's is good seasoning. Sure, I can make my own rub and have done so but using pre-mixed seasonings is not taboo in my house. My sauce, ultimately, is the dominant flavor in this thing. the other seasonings just add a little more.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Well, this IS the cooking forum, not the baked beans and ramen forum...

Ya got me there. Honestly, I enjoy all the geeky intellectual cooking talk. I've learned a lot too, because I always check the board first for educational consumption, as well as SCAT pics. This is the 2nd most interesting forum next to pure WEEN.

[Screw_Michigan]

RACK the PET. good effort. i would love some corn on the cob right now.

[Dinsdale]

Season salt smack? Has it come to this?

Your answer lies within 4 words:



Square headed deck screws.

[OCmike]

...Butter Push-Pops.

I was with you on the bird until I saw the container of Tony's on the table. I can't believe that a guy who would go to the trouble of making his own sauce from scratch would stoop to using Tony's. I mean, it's alright if it's a weeknight and you were just throwing something together because you were tired as fuck, but otherwise, there's no excuse for slumming like that. Tony's, while better than your average seasoned salt, is for people who don't know how to cook.

Season salt smack? Has it come to this?

If you've never spent any time in Louisiana or Mississippi, good for you. If you have, you know that they put Tony's on fucking EVERYTHING! After awhile, you not only get sick of the taste of the stuff, but even the sight of the green can. It wasn't an indictment of him for using seasoned salt as much as it was me lashing out at him for using Tony's because of my terrible memories of that stuff. It's not that it's bad SS, it's actually pretty good when you try it the first few times, but cooks there put it on every single dish that comes out of their kitchen and you just get tired of it. Fuckers probably put it on ice cream too...

[RumpleForeskin]

Indy, what was the heat? set for on the grill. Also, I have propane, so 80 minutes seems like a long time so I am assuming your grill runs on gas?

[indyfrisco]

Rumple,

See this pic:



Before I put the bird on the grill, I set all 5 burners to high and got the temp up to about 350. Then, I turned all the burners to their lowest setting. Trust me, 80 minutes is not too long. This bird cooks from the outside in for the most part. The beer in the cavity keeps it extremely moist. You'll just have to trust the recipe at first and if you need to tweak it for your equipment, do so.

Oh, and 88 said he trimmed the skin off their bird. I do not do that as keeping it on keeps it even more moist and I like to eat the skin. To each their own though.

[Mikey]

When I do the beer butt thing I use indirect heat. Center burner off. Front and back burners on about medium...350 - 400 degrees.

I don't use the foil pan. Without the pan yours would prolly burn with direct heat.

[indyfrisco]

Mikey,

Exactly why I use the foil pan and direct heat on low. The direct heat beneath the bird really gets that beer boiling and releasing steam into the bird. My recipe and process relies explicitly on using the foil pan technique to NOT burn the bird.

[Mikey]

I may have to try that method someday. I get awesome chicken off the rotisserie, but the cleanup is a pain.

[Go Coogs']

Trying my first hand at this with the new pit.



Took a little over an hour to get my temp under control. It's holding around 240F and the smoke is deece. I will leave it on there for close to three hours and add BBQ sauce ever so often. I heard its difficult to fuck up a beer can chicken, so I guess I'll find out here in couple of hours.

BBQ sauce is a mixture of Stubbs Spicy and Kraft Honey

[Go Coogs']

1 hour in....

[mvscal]

So what, exactly, is the purpose of the beer? Does it impart anything other than steam and, if it did, would you be able to taste it over the BBQ sauce? Wouldn't a cup of water or a can of chicken broth serve equally well?

Or is this just a cheap ripoff of the classic Italian lemon chicken?

[Go Coogs']

Not really sure. I chopped up garlic and onions and put it in the half consumed beer. Didn't really taste anything special. I probably could've used a little more rub, but it came out deece for my first smoked item.

[Mikey]

So what, exactly, is the purpose of the beer? Does it impart anything other than steam and, if it did, would you be able to taste it over the BBQ sauce? Wouldn't a cup of water or a can of chicken broth serve equally well?

Or is this just a cheap ripoff of the classic Italian lemon chicken?

I used to do the beer butt thing. It's sort of a fun, novel thing to do and it makes a nice bird.

Once you try the lemon chicken thing (I got it from Marcella Hazan's book) you'll never go back. About most incredible combination of cheap, easy and delicious (talking about food here - not women) anybody has ever come up with.

I've always done it it the oven, though. Might have to try it on the bbq sometime soon. Maybe tonight.

[Dinsdale]

I've always done it it the oven, though.

I've said it before, I'll say it again -- when oven-roasting a chicken, slow-roasting can't be beat.

Put it in a 200 degree oven. Watch the thermometer. In about 4.5-5 hours, a 4.5LB bird will be getting close to temp (you can actually get away with slightly lower internal temps with slow roasting, since the meat is exposed to the "kill zone" for a longer period). Then, crank the oven up to 450-475 (however high yours goes) for 20 minutes or so, to brown the skin (convection-bake works well).

Shit is just falling-off-the-bone-soggy. Most moist, tender chicken you'll ever eat.

But... don't stuff a slow-roasted bird... it's a no-no. The cavity won't get hot enough to sterilize the stuffing.

[Truman]

So what, exactly, is the purpose of the beer? Does it impart anything other than steam and, if it did, would you be able to taste it over the BBQ sauce? Wouldn't a cup of water or a can of chicken broth serve equally well?

For the same reason you simmer brats in beer after they've been slowly rolled across the grill - for the flavor.

Fwiw, I never sauce a beer can chicken. I let the rub seasoning, lump wood and beer impart all the savoriness. But this method of 'cue produces some of the moistest, most flavorful fall-off-the-bone chicken you're ever likely gonna eat.

[Mikey]

I've always done it it the oven, though.

I've said it before, I'll say it again -- when oven-roasting a chicken, slow-roasting can't be beat.

Put it in a 200 degree oven. Watch the thermometer. In about 4.5-5 hours, a 4.5LB bird will be getting close to temp (you can actually get away with slightly lower internal temps with slow roasting, since the meat is exposed to the "kill zone" for a longer period). Then, crank the oven up to 450-475 (however high yours goes) for 20 minutes or so, to brown the skin (convection-bake works well).

Shit is just falling-off-the-bone-soggy. Most moist, tender chicken you'll ever eat.

But... don't stuff a slow-roasted bird... it's a no-no. The cavity won't get hot enough to sterilize the stuffing.

For lemon chicken, you stuff it with a couple of lemons, pierced in a bunch of places to let the juices run out. You want moist, flavorful chicken...

This might work well at 200 degrees, but it comes out fine at 350.

A 3- to 4-pound chicken (My 5-1/2 lb Perdue Oven Stuffer worked great – Kris)
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 rather small lemons

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash lemons and set aside to dry.

2) Rinse entire chicken in cold water, taking care to remove giblets first. Cut off all the strange hanging fat. Set chicken on a tilted plate and let air dry for 10 minutes. Dry thoroughly but gently with paper towels.

3) Season the bird with lots of salt and pepper, both inside and out.

4) Using light pressure, roll the lemons across a board with your hands. (This will soften them up.) Prick each of them about 20 times with a toothpick. Stuff lemons in the chicken's larger cavity.

5) Using toothpicks or trussing string, close the cavity opening as best you can. (Don't make it airtight, or the chicken could pop.) Tie the chicken's legs together at the ends, but not tightly. They should remain in their natural place. (The skin might puff up if it cooks, but I've never seen this. - Kris)

6) Place chicken breast-side down into a large (ungreased) roasting pan. Roast in the upper third of the oven for about 30 minutes. Turn chicken over, so now the breast side is up.

7) Roast chicken for another 30 minutes. Jack oven heat up to 400°F and roast for 20 minutes longer. According to Marcella, "figure about 20 or 25 Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes total cooking time for each pound" after this. (If you have a meat thermometer, now's the time to use it.)

8 ) Remove bird from oven and let sit 5 or 10 minutes for juices to redistribute. Carve and serve, making sure you drizzle the juice at the bottom of the pan over the chicken. It will knock your socks off.

[mvscal]

Once you try the lemon chicken thing (I got it from Marcella Hazan's book) you'll never go back. About most incredible combination of cheap, easy and delicious (talking about food here - not women) anybody has ever come up with.

Same here. I definitely concur. It really doesn't get much easier.

[mvscal]

So what, exactly, is the purpose of the beer? Does it impart anything other than steam and, if it did, would you be able to taste it over the BBQ sauce? Wouldn't a cup of water or a can of chicken broth serve equally well?

For the same reason you simmer brats in beer after they've been slowly rolled across the grill - for the flavor.

That was my question. Simmering brats in beer imparts the flavor. Gently heating beer releases water in the form of steam which will keep the bird juicy, but the sugars in the malt remain in the can. Can you really taste the beer in beer can chicken?

[Goober McTuber]

Once you try the lemon chicken thing (I got it from Marcella Hazan's book) you'll never go back. About most incredible combination of cheap, easy and delicious (talking about food here - not women) anybody has ever come up with.

Same here. I definitely concur. It really doesn't get much easier.

Another vote for this one.

[Dinsdale]

IMO, the smoker should be used in conjunction with barbeque sauces where the sugars will carmelize and compliment the smoke.

I like poultry sauced, because when the dry skin absorbs the smoke, it tends to get gamey.

Meat is great, the skin not-so-much.

But smoked bird is great -- just don't let the skin get smoked-out.

[Truman]

IMO, the smoker should be used in conjunction with barbeque sauces where the sugars will carmelize and compliment the smoke.

I like poultry sauced, because when the dry skin absorbs the smoke, it tends to get gamey.

Meat is great, the skin not-so-much.

But smoked bird is great -- just don't let the skin get smoked-out.

Yo, Dins:



Little goes along away. I won't smoke a whole bird without it.

[Truman]

So what, exactly, is the purpose of the beer? Does it impart anything other than steam and, if it did, would you be able to taste it over the BBQ sauce? Wouldn't a cup of water or a can of chicken broth serve equally well?

For the same reason you simmer brats in beer after they've been slowly rolled across the grill - for the flavor.

That was my question. Simmering brats in beer imparts the flavor. Gently heating beer releases water in the form of steam which will keep the bird juicy, but the sugars in the malt remain in the can. Can you really taste the beer in beer can chicken?

Really not the point. The chicken tastes like, well, chicken. The moistest, tastiest, most kick-ass chicken ever. The beer flavor is subtle and contributes to the bird's aroma.

[Dinsdale]

Yo, Dins:



Little goes along away. I won't smoke a whole bird without it.

Don't get me wrong -- gotta oil the shit out of it.

And as mentioned, it's just the skin. The rest is fine.

As an aside -- someone handed me a big bag of charcoal from WallySams ("Sam's SomethingOrOther"). It came from the other side of the river in Redneckland, since we're not big on Wally here.

But I'll be damned if that cheap shit wasn't some fine charcoal. Took forever to get going, but burned pretty hot, even, and made some nice aroma.

I won't be going there to get it or anything, but I was surprised at the quality of the charcaol. Since it's Wally (not that I know, I don't do Wally), it's likely inconsistent, but this batch was pretty darned deece.

[Truman]

“Cheap” doesn’t necessarily mean “inferior”.

Big fan of store brands that equal or out-perform the general consensus.

Case in point:

Been on this stuff for about three years, and won’t even consider briquettes as an option now:



Five-to-six bucks a 10 pound bag down at the local Chopper, and it burns smoke rings around anything Kingsford ever brought to market. And it lasts just as long as their 15.3 lb. “Championship” offering (the fuck is that?)

Burns hotter’n a motherfucker at first light, but a bit of vent regulation will stretch it out nicely for even the most long-smoking of meats, such as brisket, pork butt or turkey. And the smoke hint it leaves on un-sauced meats is fabulous. Also plays nice mixed with most any hardwood, including that medicinal you U&L-types use to smoke fish.

[Dinsdale]

Sup, Carson?

[Carson]

Yeah, one whole recipe in this thread.

Just like yesterday when I read it the first time.

[Dinsdale]

First, the disclaimer: I've never done a beer butt chicken.

But I have smoked a bunch. If you keep the temp between 200 and 225, keeping it moist isn't an issue, even with an open cavity.

As mentioned in this thread, coat the skin with oil and/or sauce, and it's one of the very few applications where rattle-can grease has a redeeming quality (waffle irons being about the only other one I can think of right now).

Fuck it -- you have a new toy... try a bunch of different ways.

Did you get an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkmann)? A fine unit, regardless how cheap they are.