The Angry Jew

The rantings of an Angry Jew in The Pacific Northwest

I have a confession to make.  Its my shameful little secret and I am counting on your discretion not to spread it around.  It could ruin my reputation.

OK, here goes.

I CAN’T COOK CHICKEN ON THE GRILL.

It’s true.  I have tried.  Lord, how I have tried.  I can do great things in my oven, I can turn out delicacies in my wok, but every time I have tried to do chicken on the grill, I end up with it either being undercooked or charcoal.  Cook until the juices run clear, they say.  HOGWASH!!!! 

OK, deep breath.  Go to your happy place.  Ahhh, much better. 

The closest I have been able to get, without having to worry about starting a salmonella outbreak, is to use an old restaurant standby.  I will cook the chicken in BBQ sauce in a covered pan in the oven, until it is almost done, then finish and sauce it on the grill.  Cheating, I know.

I had just about given up on being able to enjoy the taste of chicken cooked in the great outdoors until my hero, Steve Raichlen, rode to the rescue with his Beer Can Chicken.  Now, this recipe is my own variation, but feel free to experiment.

First a few general chicken tips.

• Chicken offers the greatest chance of Salmonella and other food borne nasties.  Clean and disinfect all tools and utensils after use.  Be sure to rinse your chicken with lots of running water.
• There is no waste in chicken.  Save the insides, neck and carcass in the freezer and use them to make your own homemade chicken stock.  You will find that it is much tastier then the stuff in cans.
• A good quality remote probe thermometer will take all the guess work out of your cooking time.  Insert the probe into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone.  Set your temperature for 175 to 185 degrees and it will beep when its done.
• My personal choice of woods for chicken is fruit woods.  Apple or cherry are great.
• If you only season the outside of the chicken you will get…seasoned chicken skin.  Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the breast meat and as much of the thighs as you can reach without tearing the skin, then put your seasoning between the meat and the skin.
• Beer can chicken works great on the grill using indirect heat.
• The non-drinkers out there can use a soda can filled with apple juice as a substitute for the beer.
• Smoked chicken meat is pink when cooked properly.  Don’t freak out.  If it’s bloody, you have pulled an Angry Jew and undercooked it.  This is where the thermometer comes in handy. 

Now on with the show.

The Angry Jews Beer Can Chicken

3-4 pound Broiler/Fryer Chicken

4 Tablespoons Poultry Seasoning

1 12 ounce can of beer

Enough soaked wood chips for 3 hours of smoking

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry.

2. Use 1 TBS of your seasoning to season the cavity.  Use two more between the meat and the skin.  Don’t worry about seasoning the skin, the smoke will do that for you.

3. Using an old style (Church Key) can opener, poke three or four holes in the top of the beer can, drain off about half the beer, (wink, wink) and add 1 TBS of seasoning.

4. Set up your smoker for 225-250 degrees

5. Now for the tricky part.  Insert the beer can, holes up, into the cavity of the chicken.  Place it on the smoker grill so the legs and the can form a tripod.

6. Insert your probe thermometer and set for 180 degrees.

7. Smoke for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until thermometer reads 180 degrees 

8. Remove from the smoker and carefully remove the beer can from the chicken.  The can and it’s contents are going to be HOT!

9. Place on cutting board and tent loosely with aluminum foil.  Let rest for ten to fifteen minutes before carving.

Enjoy!