Slow-cooked chicken spends some time on the grill
Back in January, when the weather was cold and rainy, I bought a
beer-can chicken roaster that was on clearance. I finally made use
of it this weekend when I had a quiet Saturday to spend at
home.
I’ve never made beer-can chicken before, but the concept is
pretty simple
– a can of beer is placed inside the cavity of the chicken and
it is supposed to help keep the meat moist and tasty from the
inside out. I’ve seen it done on a bunch of cooking shows and I’ve
always wondered if it turns out as well as they claim.
Slow-cooked chicken spends some time on the grill
Back in January, when the weather was cold and rainy, I bought a beer-can chicken roaster that was on clearance. I finally made use of it this weekend when I had a quiet Saturday to spend at home.
I’ve never made beer-can chicken before, but the concept is pretty simple – a can of beer is placed inside the cavity of the chicken and it is supposed to help keep the meat moist and tasty from the inside out. I’ve seen it done on a bunch of cooking shows and I’ve always wondered if it turns out as well as they claim.
The first step to making the chicken was patting it dry and covering it with a dry rub. A good dry rub includes salt, which helps all the herbs and spices penetrate the meat of the chicken. I used Mansmith’s poultry seasoning since we had a jar on hand, but a dry rub can be made at home from a mix of whatever spices are on hand. I always separate the skin around the chicken breast and put the dry rub on top of and under the skin for a little extra flavor.
When lighting the grill, it is best to build two piles of charcoal at each end of the pit. Save a space in the middle to cook the chicken over indirect heat.
The roasting pan I got is designed with a cone in the middle in which beer or other liquids can be poured. Other aromatics can go inside there, too, to help flavor the chicken such as fresh herbs, garlic and onions. I learned the hard way to carry the pan out to the grill before pouring in the beer as it spilled on the kitchen counter when I tried to lift it. Once I had it outside and added in some more beer to replace the bit I’d spilled, I stood the chicken up on the cone. The chicken cooked for two and half hours at about 325 degrees, give or take. Partway through, it was necessary to add a few more charcoal briquettes to each side to keep the heat up. A meat thermometer helped determine when the chicken was fully cooked.
The skin on the chicken was crispy and the meat was tender.
With the long cook time for the chicken, I also roasted a few ears of corn wrapped in aluminum foil over indirect heat for 45 minutes. After cooking them, I removed the foil and then placed them over the coals to get a little char on them. The roasted corn was used in a vegetable salad with the first cherry and pear tomatoes from our late-blooming tomato garden. They were tossed with roasted fennel, lima beans and string beans, tossed with a lime vinaigrette. A variation of it is below.
It was a time-consuming meal, but worth the work on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Beer-Can Chicken
Recipe courtesy Eddie Posas
4 tbsp. favorite barbecue rub
1 tbsp. paprika
1/4 tbsp. fresh black pepper
1 (12-ounce) can beer
1 whole chicken
1/4 c. favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat a grill to 250 degrees F.
Remove giblets from inside of chicken. Rub chicken with your favorite barbecue rub, paprika, and pepper.
Open beer and dispense 1/4 of can, so the can is 3/4 full. Hold chicken so that the cavity is at the bottom. Place chicken over beer can so that the cavity covers the can.
Stand chicken upright in the center of grill. Cook for 3 hours, until skin is golden brown.
Glaze with favorite barbecue sauce 15 minutes prior to removing from grill.
Remove from grill. Cut and serve.
Barbecue dry rub
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
1/4 c. paprika
2 tbsp. granulated garlic
2 tbsp. granulated onion
2 tsp. peppercorns
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. cumin seed, toasted
3 tbsp. coriander seed, toasted
1/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. light brown sugar
Mix ingredients coarsely in a coffee grinder. Use on poultry or other meats before cooking.
Roasted corn and tomato salad
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
1 c. roasted sweet corn
1/2 pint red tear drop tomatoes, stemmed, washed and sliced in half
1/2 pint yellow teardrop tomatoes, stemmed, washed and sliced in half
1/2 c. minced red onions
1 tsp. minced jalapeno peppers
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine the corn, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, parsley, lime juice, and lemon juice. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold or at room temperature.
