Beer can chicken gadget

Love2"Q"

New member
http://outdoor-living.hardwarestore...m=cpc&utm_term=628235&utm_campaign=googlebase


this is the one i have ... can not answer the chemicals part .. but i make beer can chicken at least once a month and the can usually doesnt even change color ..
except that one time that i forgot to put a drip pan under the chicken
and the fat got to the coals .. while i wasnt paying attention ..
and turned the whole thing into what i would assume chicken cooked with a flame thrower would look like ..
 

buckytom

Grill Master
i can attest to watching a simple wood fire (many many backpacking trips, alone) turning an aluminum beer can into ether. well, really just dust, but they hold their shape with the label sorta going like a photo negative of itself, before they turn to ash.
i mean, they hold their shape even as ash, until disturbed. then they disappear. most other metals and glass and food storage containers melt, leaving some mass but beer cans keep their structure, albeit whispery. very strange.

ya gotta figure that all of those elements that were in the structure of aluminum leached out into the heat and air somehow, leaving only the most bare elements to retain a structure, before dissapating into nothing when acted upon.




or, it could be safe. who knows. :wink:
 

chowhound

New member
I tell ya, the hardest thing about making beer can chicken anymore is getting the beer can. Switching to a tap system has had it's drawbacks.....lol
I kind of like the way the typical can system concentrates the steam inside the chicken and lets the outside get crispy. I'm curious if this gadget even cooks the bird as well.
 

homecook

New member
I've got the same one that Q has. I also got mine at the dollar store.
As for the cans, I only drink beer out of a bottle.........doesn't sit well on the grill. lol I just use a Pepsi can and pour the beer in it.
My brother has a ceramic one and he just uses it in the oven.

Barb

Barb
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
The beer can never gets that hot really. It can’t get any hotter than around 212 degrees as that is the boiling point of the liquid inside. Plus the chicken itself is in contact with the sides of the can meaning the surface where the can touches can’t get any hotter than the carcass of the chicken. And in the end, you’re only cooking this in a smoker at around 230 degrees. So, it doesn’t get hot enough to cause any problems. I’ve done many beer can chickens and Cornish hens with no problems at all. The can is on the inside of the chicken and you don’t eat the parts the can touches, and it certainly doesn’t get hot enough to release any fumes.

If you’ve got a Styrofoam cup lying around, fill it with water. Now put a flame (match, candle, lighter) under the Styrofoam cup. You’d think the cup would melt right?

Nope. The water in the cup keeps the Styrofoam at its current temperature. The Styrofoam won’t melt until it reaches a temp of around 460 degrees F, but water boils at 212 and can get no hotter. So, you can hold that flame to the Styrofoam all you like, and it will never melt, but you could eventually boil water.

The same principle applies to the beer can chicken recipe. The can will never get any hotter than the boiling temp of the liquid inside, or the temp of the chicken it is in contact with.
 

lilylove

Active member
That one looks painful for the poor chicken Adillo! lol!!!

I've only made one beer can chicken ( in the oven) and it was ok...but not very flavorful... gotta try again.
 

chowhound

New member
That's a pretty wild design, AC. Thanks for posting that.
Lilylove, you've got to work on your beer can chicken. A decent rub, a little time.... I love beer can chickens. I never cooked one in the oven, but it can't be much different than grilling one indirect. As a matter of fact, the last time I ate at my father's he did a couple in the oven. Very flavorful.

Keltin, why don't you try calling this place and giving them your arguement on their pitch (in your spare time). I'd be interested in what they say. They do make an interesting pitch, though I'm not sure how much I buy into it. It might be a fun call ;^)
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
I just use a regular can for mine. Take the paper label off and scrub off the glue that held it on. Also, I have a pie tin with a nail thru it. I just place the can on that and go from there. Since the can isn't permanently attached, no big deal to clean or use a new one.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=303876 Vertical Roaster with Infuser

This is the closest thing that I could find to what I was talking about. My mom's didn't have an infuser. She always called this device a broaster and not a vertical chicken roaster. The fat would drip and collect in the little pan and the bird was sitting above it. It made for a lovely chicken.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=303876 Vertical Roaster with Infuser

This is the closest thing that I could find to what I was talking about. My mom's didn't have an infuser. She always called this device a broaster and not a vertical chicken roaster. The fat would drip and collect in the little pan and the bird was sitting above it. It made for a lovely chicken.

That is medieval looking – how utterly cool, I want one. For some reason, it reminds me of the Pear Of Anguish used in medieval torture……but I do NOT want one of those! :yum:
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
When one roasts a chicken, it sits in its own fat even if you use aromatics to try to lift it off the bottom and it even happens with racks, but with a broaster or now as it is called, a vertical roaster, one does not have that problem. The skin comes out crispy. The bird gets done. You just need to check between the thigh and leg to make sure that it is to temp--I hate raw bloody chicken.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
That's what I was wondering? Wouldn't the beer/liquid leak out?

It leaks a little, but not much. Since you are poking the nail thru the can, it is a tight fit. By the time it is done I have only lost about 1/3 of the liquid which is now in the pie tin. I think that also helps spread the aroma of herbs around.
I don't use beer much, mostly I use wine and herbs on mine. Also, you can use a screw instead of a nail, then you are able to put a washer and nut on it to minimize liquid loss.
 

GotGarlic

New member
That one looks painful for the poor chicken Adillo! lol!!!

I've only made one beer can chicken ( in the oven) and it was ok...but not very flavorful... gotta try again.

Trish, try this: We use a soda can - empty and rinse it, and fill it halfway with white wine. Add a few sprigs of your herb of choice - we often use sage and thyme, or rosemary and chives. Mince a couple cloves of garlic and a couple tsp. of the same herbs and rub them under the breast and thigh skin of the chicken. Rub olive oil and S&P on the chicken skin. Now roast on the grill. Yummy yummy!
 

chowhound

New member
Thanks for the link Fryboy. I love the handles on that one. And also the well, which acts like the can and keeps the liquid inside the bird.
 

Love2"Q"

New member
almost bought this one yesterday ..
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Emeril-Pre-Seasoned-Vertical-Poultry-Roaster/dp/B001CTZWRE[/ame]

i might still get it ... i like the idea of putting some veggies and maybe some chicken
broth in the pan when cooking ..
 
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