This is my second time doing "Beer Can Chicken". This time, I used Apple / Strawberry / Kiwi juice instead of beer. I am also using a different can holder too which holds the drippings so that it doesn't just fall to the bottom of the kettle. (You can see it on the second photo above.). The rub was Kick Butt's Hickory rub.
I also purchased the Weber 7403 Char-Basket Charcoal Briquet Holders on Amazon to keep the charcoal on the side. Because of this, I was able to put the chicken holder and chicken directly on the charcoal grate which kept the chicken lower in the kettle. This is important because in the last cook, the chicken barely fit in the kettle when putting on the lid!
I spritzed the chicken every 10 minutes with the Apple / Strawberry / Kiwi Juice and rotated the bird a quarter turn.
When it was all done, everything turned out relatively good! The skin was nice and crisp... not rubbery (which happens easily when smoking a chicken). Total cooking time was about 1 hour, 15 mins. Cooking chicken needs to be fast and hot to keep the skin crisp.
The breast measured in at 168 degrees and the thighs at around 182 degrees. I let the chicken rest about 15 minutes before cutting into it.
As good as it tasted, I think I may have over-cooked the chicken by maybe 5-8 minutes. Had I pulled it out a little earlier, the breast meat would have been a little more moist. Additionally, internal meat temps will usually still rise a little even after being taken off the heat source until it stabilizes. Plus, the chicken was closer to the heat source than last time since it was placed on the charcoal grate. Next time I'll know to maybe go about an hour total cook time and monitor the internal temp better. By the way, ThermoWorks' Thermapen Mk IV is AMAZING! I would not be able to cook without it on a grill!
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