Beer Butt Chicken PET

[Carson]

Brinkman's are $40 at Home Depot here.

I spend more than that on a tank of gas.

Hard to pass that up.

[smackaholic]

Did the BBC tonight on the grill. Came out great. The beer really does a nice job keeping things moist. Also threw some oak branches on the grill to get it nice and smoky. Worked well. Was thinking of doing the lemon chicken thing on the grill as well. Would the smoke and lemon go well together?

[mvscal]

Would the smoke and lemon go well together?

Of course.

[Truman]

Someone has to be a real dummfuk to spend $300 + on one of those Weber upright smokers when you can get the ECB for $40. Among the wisest investments I've ever made.

Well, they weren’t $300 back when I bought mine.

In 1987.

Have never even had to replace the grates. Best $129 I ever spent.

As I stated earlier, I thought smoking the bird made it taste a little gamey.

I wouldn't try it again after that. But I suppose you all need to find this out for yourself. Some people actually enjoy a gamey taste, so maybe you'll feel differently.

Check your aromatics-to-charcoal mix. Too much smoke-wood CAN make your bird taste Goober bitter.

[mvscal]

But still, I think the ingredients in that lemon pepper chicken shouldn't have to compete with anything else. SO my advice is to simply bake it in the oven.

Nothin wrong with that. Just hit it with S&P and shove a lemon or two in the cavity and you're good.

[Mikey]

It helps to poke a bunch of holes in the lemons first. Let the juice run out more readily.

[Truman]

^^^^^^^^^^
This.

Have actually dropped a couple of prepped lemons in in lieu of beer to terrific results.

[Carson]

OK, so I did lemon pepper beer butt chicken in the new smoker.

First off, I seasoned the metal with bacon drippings and I highly recommend that to anyone who is starting a new grill or smoker.

Budweiser was the most flavorful beer I could find in a can here in The Gump. One went up the chicken's ass with a spoonful of lemon pepper seasoning in the can. Two more went in the water bowl along with a bottle of lemon juice, topped off with water to the fill line. I put just a few chips of apple wood in the charcoal.

Seven hours and three charcoal refuels later, the seven pound yardbird was only at 160 degrees. I put it in the oven to get it to 180 for a total cook time of eight hours. It was very flavorful, very tender, and moist.

Too long a cook time, probably because of the beer. Lemon pepper in the smoker? Smoke flavor covered up the lemon pepper seasoning and the skin was too tough to eat. I won't waste lemon pepper in a smoker again.

[Dinsdale]

I suspected this. I did toss a couple of hickory chips on the coals once or twice. Bad move.

Yup. Hickory is generally pretty nasty on anything but beef, maybe pork.

Hickory will destroy fish like nothing else.

Carson, do a websearch for ECB mods, and if you're handy, you can dial it in. But as Todd and I have discussed, you can start with a chimney-full of charcoal (I use the venerable coffee can with holes around the bottom lip), and add a few coals per hours. Obviously, the cooking temp per load of coals varies with ambient conditions (although you live in a blast furnace, I believe), and wood puts out way more heat than charcoal. Just seems like filling the pan (as per Brinkmann directions) involves hauling charcoal home in a semi-truck, and makes temp control more challenging.

Just keep playing with it, you'll become a master soon enough.

[Carson]

When the shadows start covering my ECB, the temp drops from the L to the A in "IDEAL" on the gauge. When it dropped below "I" was when I started feeding it charcoal.

I'm currently cooking a boston butt. I'll post about it later but so far, so good.

Just keep playing with it, you'll become a master soon enough.

Be careful which forum you post this kind of stuff in. :?

[Dinsdale]

I've beentold the "I" in ideal is about 225-btw.

My thermometer shit the bed recently.

[Truman]

I've beentold the "I" in ideal is about 225-btw.

My thermometer shit the bed recently.

Ummm... Nevermind.



Funny, I've been told that the "I" in intelligence is wasted upon the ignorant.

A thermometer embedded in the lid of a $40 smoker? Mokay.

The Flyover laughs heartily, btw...

[Dinsdale]

What does a meat thermometer have to do with the temp inside the smoker?

Take your time...


BTW -- I have the "Delux" or the whateverthefuckyoucallit ECB. Has the cover and some other feature I forget... those are like $70.

[Truman]

Oh, I think a temperature gauge built into a smoker is a great idea...

If you're planning on eating the lid.

Those little round vent-thingies on your smoker also do a terrific job of regulating temperature. A meat thermometer - and a bit of experience - will even let you know if you're using them correctly.

ECB's are fine smokers, btw - I've just never gotten into the habit of trusting the little temperature dealio that comes with them. Weber kettles (of which I've owned several) had 'em standard for a while too - same deal.

[mvscal]

Budweiser was the most flavorful beer I could find in a can here in The Gump. One went up the chicken's ass with a spoonful of lemon pepper seasoning in the can. Two more went in the water bowl along with a bottle of lemon juice, topped off with water to the fill line. I put just a few chips of apple wood in the charcoal.

Lemon pepper in the smoker? Smoke flavor covered up the lemon pepper seasoning and the skin was too tough to eat. I won't waste lemon pepper in a smoker again.

Of course the seasoning wasn't doing you any good in the can. For that matter, neither was the beer. You might as well make "water can chicken" since the only thing the beer does is keep the bird moist.

I would butterfly the bird, half it and then brine it in a lemon and pepper brine. I don't have a smoker, but I've done something similar on my Weber kettle in a quest to reproduce el pollo loco style chicken.

[Truman]

I don't have a smoker, but I've done something similar on my Weber kettle in a quest to reproduce el pollo loco style chicken.

Might want to pull your owner's manual out of your ass. You DO have a smoker, if you'd trouble yourself to learn how to use it.

Calis...

[mvscal]

I don't have a smoker, but I've done something similar on my Weber kettle in a quest to reproduce el pollo loco style chicken.

Might want to pull your owner's manual out of your ass. You DO have a smoker, if you'd trouble yourself to learn how to use it.

Calis...

It is....sorta but not really. Things that don't take a long smoke work well. Fish, chicken and steaks do very well on indirect coals after searing on direct heat. The kettle is a great grill, but limited in terms of smoking.

[mvscal]

quest to reproduce el pollo loco style chicken.

And did you succeed in this glorious quest? If you did, that's a recipe that you need to post.

When EPL is good { fresh off the grill and from a branch that takes pride in service }, it's probably the best chicken of any franchise out there.

It's a work in progress. I've made decent, edible grilled chicken but I haven't nailed the EPL savoriness. The skin is the key. I will definitely post a PET for any successful result.

[Truman]

I don't have a smoker, but I've done something similar on my Weber kettle in a quest to reproduce el pollo loco style chicken.

Might want to pull your owner's manual out of your ass. You DO have a smoker, if you'd trouble yourself to learn how to use it.

Calis...

It is....sorta but not really. Things that don't take a long smoke work well. Fish, chicken and steaks do very well on indirect coals after searing on direct heat. The kettle is a great grill, but limited in terms of smoking.

Not looking to get into a whizzing match as to what does or doesn’t a smoker make, but I think you might find your Weber kettle has a bit more capability than you think it does.

Yes, chicken and fish are fine… As are ribs, brisket, and even whole turkeys.

Crack the bottom vents, close the top, bank the coals of a low fire, add aromatics, set a water pan, and 4-12 hours later …Viola (‘sup, Van): Barbecue.

Of course it’s limited. You can only use half the grill top. But the half you can use will eat.

[Carson]

I've beentold the "I" in ideal is about 225-btw.

Well there's this:

But then there's this:

[Carson]

I calibrated the thermometer with boiling water. It might be reading 10 degrees high at the most.

The gauge went up to the L after the last picture but the thermometer only got to 250.

The main thing is to refuel as soon as the gauge starts dropping if you haven't already done it.

[mvscal]

They use lime not lemon.

[Dinsdale]

Don't see EPL around here anymore -- I think it was some bad PR after they killed some people in their notorious Oregon Food Poisoning Epidemic (widespread).

Had one right down the street from me... never ate the nasty stuff.

[mvscal]

But...whatever. EPL was my chicken of choice when I was a Socal resident.

Easily the best fast food chicken jernt with Popeyes a close second.

[Goober McTuber]

But...whatever. EPL was my chicken of choice when I was a Socal resident.

Easily the best fast food chicken jernt with Popeyes a close second.

Popeyes is absolute shit in a basket.

[Carson]

But...whatever. EPL was my chicken of choice when I was a Socal resident.

Easily the best fast food chicken jernt with Popeyes a close second.

Popeyes is absolute shit in a basket.

I guess you're a Church's kind of guy.

[Goober McTuber]

I guess you're a Church's kind of guy.

You must have me confused with poptart.

[Toddowen]

I'm not going to look it up, but whoever said that chicken cooked on a BBQ comes out undercooked has lived a life of being a gay dungeon attendant.


It's all in the building your correct pile of indirect coals and timing your cook. Pure and simple as that.