Twenty years have passed since a much younger Steven Raichlen prepared a beer can chicken on the Today Show. That followed his New York Times story on beer can chicken, and yes, a Beer Can Chicken book (Workman Publishing) that has sold nearly a half million copies.
In recent years, there’s been a lot of internet trash talk about beer can chicken. (It feels a little like a campaign to disprove the existence of Santa Claus to a kid.)
So how does this singular dish—and the notion of roasting a chicken on an upright open can of beer is certainly singular—stand up today?
Beer can chicken burst on the barbecue scene around 1995, and while I didn’t invent it (I learned it from a Texas barbecue team called the Bryce Boar Blazer), I did introduce it to the American mainstream.
Cook’s Illustrated did some tests to see if it was safe to cook with BPA residues, and came to the conclusion that “ the beer can cooking method is safe”. However, if you have any concerns, I would suggest using a vertical roaster.
Myth #2: The beer can prevents the Maillard effect (a.k.a., flavorful browning) from occurring.
As far as the claim that that the beer can prevents the Maillard effect (a.k.a., flavorful browning) from occurring inside the cavity—well, I don’t know about you, but I look for the browning on the exterior. Dark crisp skin is, of course, the best part of a roast chicken and thanks to its vertical position and the fact that the skin on the back of the bird roasts as well as the skin on the breast, beer canning gives you all the crisp skin you could wish for.
I’ve never seen a chicken brown in the cavity. In fact, I often stuff a chicken with lemons or garlic or celery or herbs to flavor it from the inside out. What matters to me about the interior is flavor. I’ll save the Maillard effect—the luscious browning and cellophane crispness—for the skin.
Myth #1: Beer can chicken leads to overcooked chicken.
The thermodynamic issues question just how much heat is conducted by the can and beer to the inside of the bird. Not much, claims “Debunking,” which goes on to point out a disparity between the interior temperature of the bird (165 degrees F) and how much you have to heat the exterior to get there (180 to 190 degrees F).
Well, I won’t argue with their numbers (the only temperature I look for is 165 degrees in the thigh—the indicator the chicken is safe to eat). But I will say that I have almost never eaten an overcooked beer can chicken—indeed, for me, one of the virtues of beer canning is that it’s a much more forgiving cooking process than straight indirect grilling or spit-roasting. So nota bene: if you tend to overcook chicken, beer canning is for you.
Guy Fieri’s Beer Can Chicken (THROWBACK) | Guy’s Big Bite | Food Network
FAQ
What does beer do to cooking chicken?
What are beer cans lined with?
At what temperature is a beer can chicken done?
Is beer can chicken safe?
Cook’s Illustrated has tested beer cans enough that it would be totally reasonable to assume that Beer Can Chicken is safe, but if you want to avoid the can without spending money on a special pan, I just thought of an alternative to the beer can. If you have onetake the funnel section from angel cake pan, or tube panit fits perfectly!
Is it ok to eat chicken for irritable bowel syndrome?
Yes, chicken is okay to eat if you have irritable bowel syndrome. Chicken is a lean protein that is easy to digest. Just make sure to avoid fried chicken or chicken that is high in fat. You can eat chicken baked, grilled, or boiled. Try adding it to soups, salads, or pasta dishes. Adding chicken to your diet may help to improve your symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Be sure to talk to your doctor or registered dietitian if you have any questions about what foods to eat or avoid if you have this condition.
Does Beer can Chicken taste good?
“If you take that beer can out and cook the chicken whole, warm air can get into the cavity and cook the chicken from two sides. When that happens, you’re not going to overcook the interior.” Don’t get me (or Meathead Goldwyn) wrong. Beer-can chicken tastes good.
Can you put beer on chicken?
Sadly this is not the way the results bear out. You can put rosemary sprigs or other seasoning in with the beer and you will impart some very delicate flavors to the chicken meat, but pretty much just the meat right on the rib cage and bones takes any flavor. The reason it doesn’t work well begins with the science of cooking chicken.