Tonight I tried the recipe in this thread. I left it in for 70 minutes at 305 degrees Farenheit, and it seemed done after cutting into the breast and taking out a few samples for tasting. While it was damned good, I tried pulling a leg off only to find a rich supply of blood underneath.
I’ve put it in for another 15 minutes (without the can, unfortunately). I may inadvertently dry it out in the process, so to prevent this in the future, what suggestions do you have to modify this recipe? Higher temp? Longer time?
Regardless, that’s where I’d start - not at modifying the recipe, but buying a good over thermometer. Your oven’s thermostat may not be reliable (most aren’t).
Did I say 305? I meant 350; excuse me. Once I put this sumbitch in the oven, I wished I’d had the foresight to get a meat thermometer, so I’ll take your advice to heart, Renee.
In the meantime, my 15 minute extension turned into half an hour. While I’d like to experience the juiciness of true beer can chicken, I’d like to be able to safely consume this bird. Truth be told, I don’t mind arid poultry anyhow. :smack:
That was my recipe and my thread, and I apologize for any problems you encountered. I occasionally find underdone areas after cooking my chickens for an hour, so I’ve had to put them back in longer a few times. I don’t own a meat thermometer either, though.
I assumed it was my oven, since I live in a studio apartment. I’m still willing to bet that my minuscule heatbox was a factor in this. The dish strikes me as something that experience, particularly with one’s own equipment, is required to do it right.
Even though I’ve now cooked this bird an hour with beer and an hour without, it’s still amazingly juicy and tender. I’m looking forward to trying it again, but with a meat thermometer ;).
How big was the chicken? I do beer can chicken for 90 minutes at 350 over indirect heat on the grill for a normal sized (3-5 lb.) chicken. If this was an “oven roaster” sized chicken you’d have to up the time even more.
And yeah, there’s no substitute for a meat thermometer. Especially if your “miniscule heatbox” (does your girlfriend know you throw terms like that around?) is an electric as opposed to a gas oven, the dial reading could be fairly optimistic compared to the actual temperature in there cooking the bird. Only experience (and accurate internal temperature readings) will give you the right feel for cooking time.
Seconded, or thirded, or whatever it’s up to now. I have several thermometers in the kitchen and typically use two in conjunction: one oven thermometer for more precise control than is afforded by the dial, and a probe thermometer (spike with a wire leading to an electronic reader that sits outside the oven) for the meat. As noted previously, insert so it’s close to the center of the meatiest part of the thigh, without actually touching bone.
I don’t bother cooking meat by time any more. I cook entirely by temperature.
I just made my very first beer can chicken this weekend, so I am now an expert!
I used Steven Raichlen’s recipe because he is the “king of the grill” or somesuch. He recommends 2 hours at medium heat on the grill. I decided that medium heat was 350° and the 4.5 lb bird came out perfect. Moist and flavorful and “falling off the bone” done.
There was no detectable beer flavor,you could fill the can with orange juice or water or whatever. The can is to provide a base for the chicken to sit upright upon, with it’s drumsticks comprising the other two legs of a tripod.
I made beer butt chicken for the first time this weekend, too. I rinsed and dried a five pound chicken, seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper and dried rosemary - and rubbed all over with olive oil. A sprig of fresh rosemary in the beer (1/3 poured out) and some more garlic powder in there too.
I put it on the grill for about 2-1/2 hours at around 350, and it got rave reviews from my family. Moist and flavorful. I did use a meat thermometer, and when I checked it it was at 195° in the thigh. I should have pulled it off sooner, but it was fine.
The “probe thermometer” with a wire attached to a reader outside the oven or grill is the best to use when roasting, or grilling with indirect heat (which is basically the same thing). Every time you open the oven door or lift the grill lid, much of the trapped heat escapes, which ends up increasing the cooking time. Ideally you should never open the door/lid until the roast is done, which is the reason for thermometers like this.
As others have also said, don’t cook by the clock; the time in minutes are just estimates in recipes for timing the meal and to give you an idea of when to start checking the temperature. Differences in ovens/grills, the size of the roast and even the ambient temperature in the room or outside are all factors that will affect the “true” cooking time. Done for a chicken is when the thermo reads 170. (Let the chicken sit on a platter for 5-10 minutes before carving, the temperature will continue to rise as the juices settle back into the meat.)
You can probably identify with this: when I tell people I cook to temp and not to time, I’ll sometimes get the question, “well, how can you plan to have dinner on the table at a certain time then, if you aren’t cooking in a set period?” My answer is similar to yours — time is generally an estimate — but I also point out that meat needs to rest for at least a few minutes after roasting. For a big bird like a turkey, this can be up to half an hour. The resting allows the heat to continue distributing evenly through the turkey (or whatever), and more importantly provides time for the juices to re-settle in the flesh. Carving the meat too soon after it’s removed from the oven causes leakage; the first few pieces will be plenty juicy but the remaining bird will dry out faster.
The best method, then, is to use the recommended time as a rough guideline, add a few minutes to it (10 for squabs, 20 for chickens, 30 for turkeys, etc), and then cook to temperature. It won’t hurt the meat at all for it to stand a bit longer if it comes out of the oven a few minutes earlier than expected.
My limited experience with beer can chicken is the following:
Yes, use a meat thermometer. They are great.
Use warm beer if you can and dump out most of the beer! It takes a long time to heat up all that liquid. I find if the can is full it takes a half hour just to heat up the can if it’s full. You want to start simmering a 1/4 full can right away rather than waste time and burn your bird while heating up a full, cold beer.
About meat thermometers: I love using my probe and instant read thermometers. However, it’s a constant annoyance that the wires on probes always get brittle and break. I know, I know, the instructions say not to use on a grill and not to use at high heat. I don’t care. I like using them on the grill.
I can accept going through a probe every six months or so from such abuse. What really bugs me is that when one breaks I need to buy an entirely new device. They don’t just sell replacement probes anywhere I’ve seen. Any other dopers run into this?
Do any of you recommend a specific brand of probe thermometer? I’ve been meaning to get one, but I don’t want a crappy one or a needlessly overpriced one.