Beer Butt Chicken

[logan82]

I made beer butt chicken a few weeks back and was wondering if anybody had some recipes.

 

1 cup Butter(two sticks)

2 tbs Garlic Salt

2 tbs Paprika

1 can beer

 

Pour out half the beer. Pour 1/2 cup butter with 1 tbs garlic salt and 1 tbs paprika into can with beer. Baste the chicken with 1/2 cup butter 1 tbs garlic salt and 1 tbs paprika. I then cooked it in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. It came out really well, but I was looking for some recipes that might not require so much butter.

[TSack27]

You lost me at "pour out half the beer"

[patrickgpe]

i think he meant drink half a beer!

[Thurston Fluff]

You have to pour it out of the can to get it in your mouth so I'm sure that is the preferred pouring out technique. I've done it with apple juice and it worked out well.

[ttsather]

I've never used much butter when I make it, generally I find that the skin and surrounding fat plus the interior steam created by the beer keep things from drying out. The skin itself will get fairly dry, but it'll lock in a lot of moisture. I usually use some sort of poultry or meat rub, you can use almost anything to suit preference, and I make sure to get the rub under the skin. It takes some care to not tear the skin but with some patience it can be done and it really makes the meat more flavorful.

If you're just basting or otherwise seasoning the exterior, you will help prevent moisture loss but you won't really add much flavor unless you care to eat the skin with the chicken (I generally don't). On top of that, if you're basting mid-cook, you could end up doing more harm than good to the final product by opening the oven door/grill cover too often and creating heat fluctuations.


Specific to seasonings, chicken can be a palette for so many flavors. If I was to make one right now, I'd probably use (off the top of my head) . . . some garlic, ancho chili powder, black pepper, thyme, maybe ginger.

[NeedMoreFans]

I have the apparatus for making this, but haven't used it yet. I heard they are super good, so maybe that's what I'll have for dinner tonight.

[logan82]

Yes, pouring into the mouth is the preferred method. It takes some time to mix up the rest of the stuff so you should have time to slowly pour out half into your mouth as you work.

[LouisEly]

Sweet:

2 C Brown Sugar

1 T Paprika

2 T Chili Powder

2 T Seasoned Salt

1 T Garlic Salt

2 T Lemon Pepper

 

Spicy:

1/4 C Paprika

1 T Brown Sugar

2 t Cayenne Pepper

2 t Cinnamon

2 t Mustard Powder

1 t Garlic Powder

1 t Onion Powder

1 t Salt

 

Or if you want to save the cost of buying all the ingredients and the hassle of mixing them together, I recommend buying the dry rub from Zeke's Smokehouse. A 12 oz shaker of rub at the restaurant was only $5.95. http://www.zekessmokehouse.com

 

And put a small potato in the neck to keep the steam from escaping. And use Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss or Berry Weiss in a can.

[JoeHova]

What is beer butt chicken? Do you put the beer can up the chicken's butt? If so, why? There are easier ways to keep poultry juicy.

 

Also, Berry Weiss tastes like rotten Mixed Berry yogurt. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[1992casey]

Logan, what temperature do you cook at?

[logan82]

I did it at 350 for around 1 hour 45 min. I checked the temp of the chicken before pulling it out of the oven.

[Nottso]

I do our Thanksgiving turkey each year with a Foster's can. Best turkey ever.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

It is substantially better when you do this whole process on a grill...

[LouisEly]

I do our Thanksgiving turkey each year with a Foster's can. Best turkey ever.

How do you prop up that big ol' bird without it falling over?

[Nottso]

"How do you prop up that big ol' bird without it falling over?"

 

We have cookware that the handles pop on and off, so you can put any of it in the oven. I have an odd-shaped little pot that looks like a small wok with a flat bottom that works well on big (25+ pound) birds. For smaller ones, I put a low, flat skillet down, then use a couple of forks stuck in the lower part of the bird; the forks are angled down to the inside edge of the skillet. It can be tricky, but once it's set, it's set. You never have to baste it or disturb it at all. And as has been said, it's best not to open the oven or raise the lid on the grill.

 

The grill is definitely better for chickens, and would be for turkey aslo, but I can't fit a turkey in either of my grills. And, while soda or juices will work just fine, beer is best. The yeast in the beer will react with the skin, making it nicely browned and crispy. And the most important part, is to let the bird rest for 20 - 30 minutes before you carve. It won't get cold. The core temp will actually continue to rise while resting. When you carve immediately, you see all this juice run out and think you'll have a nice moist bird, but you won't. You will have let all the juice run out onto your platter. When the bird is resting, the juices re-absorb back into the meat.

 

I also brine the turkey for 24 hours prior to cooking, with kosher salt, sugar, garlic, onion powder, and whatever else suits me at the time (your choices may vary... only the salt remains constant).

 

A meat thermometer is your friend. With the beer can method, the bird will cook a little faster than normally. Never rely on the "pop-up" deals that come in some turkeys. The bird will be way over done by the time that thing pops up.

 

If any of you guys or gals makes a turkey following this method (and LET THE BIRD REST before you carve) I promise you it will be the juiciest, tastiest, most tender bird you've ever had. A buddy of mine does the deep-fried route, and he goes all out. Marinates the bird, injects it with all kinds of stuff, etc. Everyone says my beer can bird blows his away. I agree.

 

Happy Cooking!

[logan82]

I redid the original recipe but took out the butter completely. I rubbed 2 Tbs of olive oil on the outside and inside of the bird then the dry ingredients. Turned out just as well without the butter. I plan on using one of LouisEly's recipes next weekend. I picked one of these to do beer butt chicken. It works great and I am not limited to whatever I have in a can. I have been doing some reading and apparently any liquid will do.

 

I am also going to revisit the grilling thread from last year and try some of the hamburger mixes people recommended. I got a pretty nifty hamburger press for Christmas so my hamburgers don't end up as meatballs.

 

Also need a little clarification on what you do with the seasoning on the recipe Louis. Do you use all the seasoning on the outside or do you put some in with the beer?

[LouisEly]

I put all of the spices on the bird, but that might not be a bad idea to put the leftover spices in the bowl in the beer.

 

Do me a favor and take a picture of how you prop up the turkey so I can see exactly what you mean with the forks and the skillet.

[brucrustu]

I did a couple of pheasants this weekend. These birds are small and I need to work up an apparatus that would better fit their form. My new setup will need a smaller opening and longer neck.

I used a centennial rub from penzey's. Rubbed the birds and put a bunch in the beer.

They were good, but the beer was a wasted effort because of my poor seal.

[Nottso]

Louis,

It may be a while before I do another bird, but I'll try to mock something up so you get the jist of it.

[Nottso]

I was cleaning up old pics on the pc, and found this one. I had used a big Pyrex baking dish for this one. It was a huge bird (right at 30 pounds if I remember correctly). It's hard to make out the one fork that is visible, but I pointed an arrow at it. The tines are jammed into the bird, and the handle rests in the angle where the wall of the dish meets the floor of the dish. I think there was another fork behind the bird, but I don't really remember. I use whatever works; usually 2 forks, but I may have gotten by with just one in this case.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/DanAuctions4u/posting/belts002.jpg

[logan82]

Sweet:

2 C Brown Sugar

1 T Paprika

2 T Chili Powder

2 T Seasoned Salt

1 T Garlic Salt

2 T Lemon Pepper

Good recipe. I halved everything though. I still couldn't get it all to stick to the bird.