Beer Cola-Can Chicken
I was discussing Memorial Day eats on the ride home with my coworker and mentioned the possibility of smoking some beer-can chicken this weekend. This utterance caused my workmate to drop his jaw, take his eyes off the road to stare directly at me and exclaim with puzzled excitement, “What the hell is that?!?!” His response left me equally dumbfounded, since beer-can chicken has been such a staple in my grilling repertoire that I couldn’t fathom another human being not knowing the gastronomic joys this bird brings.
The virtues of grilling a chicken vertically over a beer-can, which creates an extremely moist and flavorful bird, are disseminated countless times over the internet and cookbooks, but I've never let the phrase "beer-can chicken" pigeonhole this into a singular dish. Instead I use the concept as a starting point for endless experimentation to create some unique versions of this grilling classic. This time around I took a cue from Steven Raichlen and tried it out with cola, Dr Pepper (my favorite cola) to be exact, which resulted in a subtly sweet and spicy bird that easily held its own against those made with beer. So on Memorial Day, this king of grilled chicken recipes can be a new and exhilarating experience for the uninitiated and seasoned pros alike.
Cola-Can Chicken
- serves 2 to 4 -
Adapted from Beer-Can Chicken: And 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill.
Ingredients
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 quarts cold water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 can (12 ounces) cola
2 teaspoons melted butter
1 to 2 chunks of light smoking wood (preferably cherry or apple) optional
Procedure
1. Mix the salt and white sugar in the cold water until completely dissolved to make the brine. Wash the chicken inside and out and place it in the brine breast side down, placing a weight on top of the chicken to keep it submerged. Brine the chicken in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then remove from the brine, wash again, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken on a plate and put it back in the fridge to air dry overnight (optional).
2. Combine the chili powder salt, light brown sugar, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Pop open your cola and drink 1/2 of the soda. Make two additional holes at the top of the can with a church key-style can opener, and toss in about 1 teaspoon of the rub. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the body cavity. Hold the bird upright, with body cavity at the bottom, and lower it onto the can so the can fits into the cavity. Pull the legs forward to form a sort of tripod, and then tuck the wing tips behind the chicken's back. Brush the chicken all over with the melted butter, and then apply the remaining rub to the chicken liberally.
3. Light 1 chimney of charcoal, and when lit and covered in gray ash, dump out onto the charcoal grate. Arrange half of the coals on each side of the grate and place a drip pan in the middle between the two piles of charcoal. Place the wood chunks on top of the charcoal if using. Bring the grill to between 325-350 degrees. Place the chicken in the middle of the cooking grate, over the drip pan, then cover and cook until an instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees in thickest part of the thigh. You may need to add more charcoal about 1 hour through cooking.
4. Use tongs to carefully transfer the bird on the can to a cutting board, use caution since the can and the liquid inside will be extremely hot. Let the bird rest for 10-15 mins, then remove the can, carve, and serve.
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34 Comments:
Flat out, my favorite way to cook a chicken. I switch up the rub and contents of the can every time I make this, and have yet to be anything but absolutely awed how good it turns out every single time.
njgood at 12:39PM on 05/23/08
That bird looks mighty proud to be sitting on that Dr. Pepper can.
LiveToEat at 1:21PM on 05/23/08
I love beer-can chicken and will also be making a version this weekend. I've never tried it with soda before though, but I've always been curious about that.
Marvin at 1:26PM on 05/23/08
I don't know if this is scientifically sound, but I worry that the dyes and metal on the outside of the can might be a health hazard when stuck up the rear of a cooking chicken.
I use a ceramic chicken sitter. It's not as picturesque as the can, but much less likely to tip over.
Cathy at 1:30PM on 05/23/08
"you put the beer can in the chicken's vagina!" Joy Behar- on the View
bisbee at 1:54PM on 05/23/08
That's not just any Dr. Pepper can. That's Indiana Jones Dr. Pepper!
Sekkyo at 2:15PM on 05/23/08
You can use lemonade, cola or beer. I sometimes put a bay leaf in the beer can just for kicks.
kdjmom3 at 2:50PM on 05/23/08
Holy crap that looks delicious. I once tried to do it in the oven, but I have a ridiculously small oven, and it, uh, tipped over. Not my proudest moment.
BangieB at 2:54PM on 05/23/08
How long are we talking here, start to finish in just the cooking? Also, how do you get the lid on over the bird being upright like that. Wouldn't it rest against the lid? I have a regular old Weber and though the lid is domed, I can't see a whole vertical chicken fitting comfortably underneath it.
rockandroller at 3:35PM on 05/23/08
@rockandroller: Start to finish depends on whether you choose to brine the bird. With the brine: about 3-4 hours. Without it: 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Those times take into account prep and cooking.
A bird does fit nicely under a weber lid. You want an average size bird, 3 1/2 - 4lbs, no giants. The worst that happens is the top of the bird touches the lid, which I did have happen once, and the parts that touched the lid were a little charred, but the rest of it came out perfect.
josh! at 3:42PM on 05/23/08
What is the significance of the beverage in the can - does the flavor really permeate the bird or is it mostly just the moisture benefit?
Would you get interesting results if you filled the can with teriyaki sauce or some other liquid condiment?
tech9803 at 5:12PM on 05/23/08
@tech9803: It's mostly a moisture benefit, but you do get a slight taste of the beverage being used. Go ahead and try whatever comes to your mine. Teriyaki might be a bit thick, but if you water it down with some orange juice, I think it might work great.
josh! at 6:53PM on 05/23/08
What is the best technique for getting the bird off the can when it's done? I don't want to spill extremely hot liquid all over the place, that's for sure.
I tried beer-can chicken once and the can didn't want to come out of the cavity. It took a lot of, um, careful persuasion.
minstrel at 8:01PM on 05/23/08
@minstrel - I made beercan chicken for the first time last week (it was awesome). I had my boyfriend stick meat-fork-like utensils under each little armpit and pull up as I firmly held onto the can of beer with the tongs.
It worked pretty well for us, but if anyone has better tricks I'd love to hear them!
joyyy at 9:52PM on 05/23/08
Thanks, joyyy! Unfortunately, I have to find a way to do this myself, without a boyfriend or other helper. I'll work on it!
minstrel at 1:01AM on 05/24/08
@minstrel: I accomplish this myself by grabbing the beer-can with the tongs and just barely lifting it while sliding a cutting board underneath the chicken. Even just lifting it an inch is a little nerve-racking, but it seems to work well.
josh! at 8:48AM on 05/24/08
I've never tried cooking chicken this way, but another possibility would be to slide a pan under the chicken before you take it off the grill. After that, pierce the can, drain the liquid, and then remove the can from the chicken without fear of splashing.
DannyBear83 at 12:11AM on 05/25/08
Someone linked you guys on Tastespotting...but it looks like he quoted the first sentence of the second paragraph. Perhaps he didn't read far enough to see that that it's a cola recipe and that's not a beer can.
wunami at 3:07AM on 05/26/08
My husband and I made this recipe this weekend. We had some issues w/the grill going all fiery (need to work on that drip pan) but the chicken came out great! We bought some beer can stands from Lowe's which helped to keep the chicken upright. To remove the chicken from the can I let the chicken cool, my husband held down on the metal base and I pulled up on the chicken. We put the hot can/stand in the sink and then when cool removed the can from the base stand. We skipped the brining step and used a bay leaf in the Dr. Pepper can. We made a 2nd chicken with beer and you could definitely taste the difference between the beer / soda chicken. I preferred the one made with the soda to the beer chicken.
JenM Dallas at 11:18AM on 05/27/08
Dr Pepper is cola?
smile at 11:53PM on 05/28/08
Does it matter if it is "diet" cola? That's all I buy.
SoCalMelaney at 9:43PM on 05/31/08
@SoCalMelaney: I think diet cola would work fine. The flavor from the soda is subtle, so I don't think there would be a big difference between diet and regular.
josh! at 10:44AM on 06/01/08
I personally think that 165 F cooked leg temperature will suffice.
The whole bird will be juicier
kanopemainer at 11:41AM on 06/02/08
I like the brine idea. I've used wine in the can and have placed thin slices of lime and garlic between the skin and the flesh and also try basting the bird with a barbeque sauce towards the end. Also throw some garlic cloves into the can with your liquid of choice.
chefjeff51 at 4:49AM on 06/11/08
This was super delicious and has got me buying whole chickens again. Instead of the drip pan I put bricks in the middle of my weber charcoal grill (I have a gas grill too, but never used it) with the charcoal on either side. We made 3 chickens last Saturday on Pepsi cans. They took just over an hour over the bricks. Indirect heat cooking on my grill has revolutionized along with the chimney has revolutionized my outdoor cooking. We live inland California and it is way too hot to use my kitchen starting in about May. With indirect heat I have even cooked Silver Palate's Chicken Marbella in a glass dish along with some steamed broccoli and my house stays cool!
PageZ at 4:57AM on 06/11/08
Oh, one other thing. I have a traditional Weber charcoal grill with the dome lid and we cooked two 3-4 lb. chickens at one time with room to spare. The bricks in the bottom unintentionally sped up the cooking time (I had put them in the bottom of my grill to keep the charcoal pushed to either side of the grill), but that was great and the chickens turned out very juicy. We gave one to a friend who said it was the best chicken she had ever had. I hope this helps the person up there who has a Weber grill. I love mine and I will never go back to gas. Hated that.
PageZ at 5:01AM on 06/11/08
The flavored juice drinks in the Mexican section at the supermarket are also a good choice. They come in a can (like Colas) and in flavors like Peach, Nectar, Pear, etc. The Nectar is great with a brown sugar based rub. Gotta love the looks of that chicken sitting up there getting all pretty!!!
SCHLURP!!!!!!!!
Comfortcook at 7:05PM on 06/13/08
I bbq my beer can chicken in a Caphalon angel food cake pan. I put the liquid and any other seasonings in the bottom of the pan and it steams as well as having the chicken directly over the can and cuts down on all the grease spattering on the grill and cover.
mrfygrl at 9:40PM on 06/13/08
I bbq my beer can chicken in a Caphalon angel food cake pan. I put the liquid and any other seasonings in the bottom of the pan and it steams as well as having the chicken directly over the can and cuts down on all the grease splattering on the grill and cover.
mrfygrl at 9:45PM on 06/13/08
I just made this about an hour ago. The result is a tender chicken with tons of flavor, no silverware required! DIG IN! I also made some mango salsa for some sweet and heat!
steakpuff at 9:08PM on 06/14/08
HI, HERE IN LOUISIANA WE HAVE BEEN DOING BEER CAN CHCKEN FOR YEARS..WE USUALLY PUT WATER IN AN EMPTY CAN WITH ONIONS, PEPPERS, A LITTLE LIQUID FLAVORING OF YOUR CHOICE SUCH AS BBQ SAUCE, LIQUID SMOKE , SOY SAUCE, HOT SAUCE ETC. WE THEN SEASON THE CHICKEN ALL OVER WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE, BUT ALWAYS WITH ONION & GARLIC POWDER, SALT AND RED PEPPER. WE HAVE EVEN INJECTED THE CHICKEN. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS SO JUST THINK UP YOUR OWN WAY AND IT WILL COME OUT GREAT. IF DOING IT IN THE OVEN PUT THE CHICKEN IN A PAN WITH ABOUT AN INCH OF WATER IN IT AND IT WILL ALSO HOLD THE MOISTURE BUT YET HAVE A CRUNCHY OUTER SKIN. YUM >>>ENJOY
granny at 10:29AM on 06/17/08
I FOR GOT TO SAY THAT ANOTHER THING THAT WE DOI S SPRAY THE CAN WITH A NONSTICK SPRAY SUCH AS PAM AND THAT ALSO HELPS THE CHICKEN COME OFF THE CAN EASIER
granny at 10:38AM on 06/17/08
@granny: I think your caps lock key is broken!
Raphael at 10:54AM on 06/17/08
I've heard about this for years and never tried it. But OH MY SOUL!! I have GOT to try this now! Well, I'll assemble it and have my Honey grill it. The MEN do the grilling in this house. LOL It's time to do something new too! This is now on the menu for Saturday!
Preacherswife at 11:21AM on 06/18/08