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File this under “Stuff I didn’t know”

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* It’s so nice out today that I figured I’d roast a chicken on the grill, so I went to my favorite BBQ website (AmazingRibs.com) and found this stern warning…

Debunking Beer Can Chicken: A Waste of Good Beer, An Inferior Cooking Technique, And Dangerous

Dangerous? Yikes! Let’s be careful out there.

Maybe our state’s chief proponent of that particular cooking process deserves a Moutza award of his own.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 2:49 pm

Comments

Kass is known for Beer Can Chicken and hating Jeff Tomczak. I thought all journalists stuck together. Careful.

Comment by The Great State Fare Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 2:52 pm
Rich, you should never waste a good beer.

Comment by Mama Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 2:53 pm
I LOVE doing beer can chicken! I don’t use a can though. I have what looks like a handleless ceramic mug, kinda of like a mini tagine. I fill it with cheap beer and but the chicken on cavity side down. I usually use a bbq rub. The key is temp, not to hot. I use my old Webber kettle grill. Also make sure the chicken fits under the lid. I lost one that way. It stuck to the lid when pulled it off then detached rolled across the deck and onto the lawn. I was going to wash it off but my teen daughters swore to not eat it. So we chocked it up as the evenings’ entertainment. Steve (my Jack Russell) loved it for the next week.

Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:02 pm
It is definitely a waste of good beer, but I find the bird benefits from roasting vertically. It cooks - and smokes - more evenly as a result. Just use crummy beer, or even water, in the can.

Comment by Reality Check Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:04 pm
Just spatchcock the chicken, much better and a lot faster. If you don’t know how there is instructions on YouTube.

Comment by bbq Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:04 pm
When he took the can out of the chicken, I wish somebody would have shouted, “Drink it!”

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:07 pm
“It stuck to the lid when pulled it off then detached rolled across the deck and onto the lawn.”

I raise the level of my Weber lid by placing golf clubs (the shafts) on the bottom half, and resting the lid on those. Works great. But, use less charcoal because the extra air flow makes the coals burn hotter.

Comment by Nick Name Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:07 pm
Can’t beat the rotisserie attachment to my Weber w/ mesquite chips and some good herbs under the skin.

Comment by D.P.Gumby Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:08 pm
Beer can chicken is nothing without a decent rub.

Comment by Politix Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:14 pm
Beer Can Chicken is an extreme method for cooking your bird, best handled by excessive blowhards like Kass.

A more moderate way of cooking is to use the vertical roaster. Or the ‘Madigan’ of BBQ. Of course, the Madigan method requires you to stuff a whole apple down it’s gullet around noon if cooking during the day hours.

Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:15 pm
Debunking The Tribune’s Blindness: A Waste of Good Paper, An Inferior Messaging Technique, And Dangerous

Ah. Better.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:17 pm
There’s a good way to do a form of beer can chicken, you just need a more shallow pan to let the beer get hot enough to boil. If you want to be fancy, there’s this: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/two-in-one-vertical-chicken-roaster/

Comment by Springfieldish Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:20 pm
Everyone has their favorite method. For me, nothing beats a smoker.

Comment by Stones Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:38 pm
Paraphrasing the legendary cookbook author and chef, Julie Childs, never cook with any alcohol that isn’t good enough to drink. The purpose of the booze is to add flavor. Using a cheap booze will only add a poor flavor to what ever you are cooking.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:39 pm
The article’s best advice: drink a beer with your roasted/grilled/fried or whatever chicken. It’s delicious.

Comment by JackD Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:39 pm
Cooking like journalism is best left to the pros…

Comment by Liberty Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 3:52 pm
BTW, Rich, hilarious title grab.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:03 pm
Don’t really care what this guy says. It’s tasty, never undercooked, and easy.

By the way, the vertical roaster works best with a can of beer in the middle. Use Bud Light, and you don’t have to worry about wasting a good beer!

Comment by Jaded Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:06 pm
This is a waste of good beer. There are 100 other ways to fix a good chicken!

Save your beer, or have a good class of red wine.

Hoping Oscar is doing much better by today.

Getting back to to ball game. Waiting for Game 5.

Comment by illini Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:16 pm
It is indeed a glorious day in most of Illinois right now, after two.

I imagine I’ll go my whole life without being tempted to shove a beer can up a dead chicken’s tukkus.

Some dudes are just into that sort of thing.

.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:22 pm
I use Hamm’s Beer so can’t be said wasting a good beer. I marinate the bird with Hamm’s for 2 hours in the fridge and then place in smoker vertically with a drip pan with a with about a half can of beer. I try to keep at 225 deg with charcoal and cherry wood. When legs pull free it is ready.

Incidentally, Hamm’s seems to make most everything taste good. My Grandfather used it for raccoon and that was always good.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:29 pm
It’s much easier and safer to grill a chicken when you first flatten it by spatchcocking.

Amazingribs.com is hands down the most informative site out there for all things grilling.

Comment by Cornerfield Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:44 pm
So glad I wasn’t the only one whose first thought was Kass.

Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 4:51 pm
Thank you for that Rich!
Amusing and awesome piece to read, and I found a new very fun website / blog. I don’t make beer chicken and I don’t intend to, but it was really fun to read. Nice.

Comment by siriusly Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 9:02 pm
@ Former Paratrooper–

Dare we ask about the story regarding Grandpa, Hamm’s beer, and the raccoon?

I figure it’s either really funny or really frightening…

Comment by Lynn S. Tuesday, Oct 13, 15 @ 9:04 pm
Rich

Sometime when your bored check out Grillinfools.com I’m pretty sure they’ve attempted everything on the grill with step by step instructions. Looking forward to trying the grilled romaine. Of course I don’t know how you’re cardiologist will view all the bacon recipees

Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Oct 14, 15 @ 5:54 am
My Grandfather grew up in tbe depression. If it didn’t fly, crawl, swim or run fast enough it was dinner. He still ate what he caught until he passed away. Bbq raccoon was one of his pride dishes.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Wednesday, Oct 14, 15 @ 11:16 am