Beer Can Chicken Experiment 

Being an american that grew up in Holland, it cracks me up to see 2 Dutch guys doing southern cooking. Awesome, pure awesome.

poor away half of the beer, add some chickenspices to the beer, throw in some garlic & rosemary & close off the top of the chicken with an onion. Beer can chicken works

I just watched an english speaking Dutch guy trying an American beer can chicken recipe with Alabama white sauce. We live in awesome times. We really do take the internet for granted.

The point isn't to cook it faster. It's to make it moister and more flavorful.

As somebody that makes beer can chicken all the time I think there’s two keys to doing this properly. First thing is that you can’t use cold beer. The beer needs to be left out at room temperature minimally. Second if you take a high alcohol content cider (9-12% ABV) you’ll get a juicier apple flavored chicken which, in my opinion, goes with the flavor of chicken phenomenally.

Closing the opening in the neck cavity will allow the steam to better stay inside the bird. Pull the skin over the opening and use a turkey lacing skewer to hold the skin in place. AND only 1/3 can of beer needed.

I did my own version of this experiment several years ago and decided to drink the beer and cook the chicken......lol....what I HAVE decided is that the stand puts the bird in an orientation such that indirect heat from the outsides cooks the legs faster without drying out the breast/body that I leave in the middle (in my case coals from a weber kettle on the outsides but leaving the middle burner off in a 3 burner gas rig would be same thing I suspect). Love your channel!

As everyone else has said, you only use half a can of beer! It works well and we use this method all the time. We've even done a can with an apricot jam and mayonnaise mixture, which gave the chicken a almost sweet and sour taste my kids love. They are not huge fans of the beer taste, so I do both.... 😄

Great example of just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Thanks for unpacking this one objectively and for ensuring no more beer is wasted

I was laughing because you doubted the beer can chicken but you could tell It was the best ! The “ burnt seasoning “ looked like it was cooked right

I was under the impression you were supposed to pre-heat the beer can/contents BEFORE you put the chicken on it. This helps prevent things you spoke about at the beginning of your video.

I do this every Thanksgiving day. Beer butt Turkey. It take me 2 hours to cook a whole 18LB bird. I put my bird in a roaster pan and wrap and seal the whole thing in foil. Best juicy tasting Turkey ever!!!

To make a Beer Can Chicken recipe work you need: 1. half litre beer, so the beer will overflow and make the chicken juicy 2. beer in room temperature, so you don't need to warm it up that long 3. baking tray to deflect the heat and catch all the juice You can add some chopped onions and carrots on tray. The chicken should reach 75' Celsius. Done it, love it ! ;-)

Love the Channel! This is my version of Beer can ChickenPour out some beer in a bowl mix the beer with 1/2 tbs of melted butter with pinch of smoked paprika, salt, and 1/2 tbs of garlic powder. Inject the whole chicken. Heat the Beer on the grill till it boils first so the can and beer are hot! Then go ahead and finish everything the same way you did!!

Sorry if im wrong Pitmaster, are you not supposed to empty the beer to under a half before cooking??

Excellent experiment Roel! Technically it's the fact that "beer can chicken" is grilled vertically on some gadget, in most cases a beer can. Traditionally 3/4 of the beer is removed, spices are added and the chicken is propped on top. Theoretically the moisture from the beer will keep the chicken moist, but it doesn't. Nice white sauce BTW

Use a room temperature can of beer pore about 2/3 out, add soy sauce, garlic and teriyaki and ginger if you like, to the beer. Cooks up fantastic.

I once saw a guy cook a whole chicken in a big coffee can. The can was filled halfway with charcoal. He lit the charcoal. The chicken was dipped in a spicy bbq sauce and then wrapped in banana leaves. He then put the chicken in the can. It looked good.

Its not a speed thing and you only use a partial can, not full, thats a waste.

Step 1 drink half a can. Step 2 shove the can in a chicken. Step 3 put chicken in pre heated oven. Step 4 drink rest of 6 pack while chicken cooks. Step 5 eat chicken it will taste just fine.

Cans contain a plastic film inside to keep the contents away from the metal. Wont that melt in the oven and fill the food with melted plastic fumes??

I'm pleased it's not just a gimmick! It's hard to know without doing a side by side test. Thanks Roel!

I used half a small can of beer, generous salt and rosemary inside the chicken, and a usual amount of seasonings on the outside. It was the best chicken I've ever had.

If you want the skin to be crispy, use some air and blow it under the skin to separate it from the meat. Then when you roast it, the juices from the meat won't affect the skin and keeping it from crisping up

I’m from Alabama and white sauce isn’t my fav. I’m not real big on it, but I do use it on chicken sometimes. When made right it’s actually good. Roll Tide is a way of life!!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

you can put aromatic herbs, garlic and other condiments inside the tin to improve its flavor, greetings from Mexico.

I just don't like wasting beer. I think you get more added flavor if you brine it first for a few hours.

have done the beer can chicken many times, a trick I use is, pour half the beer into saved fruit cocktail can ( because of the larger size). Because of the larger size, you'll have to stretch the bird over the can which will radiate and help cook bird from the inside as well. I use corn flakes (crushed of course) with the rub, to add that extra crunch, putting garlic and jerk power in the beer to add flavour.

fantastic, keep up the good work, when I do a beer can chook I inject the chook with a bit of melted garlic butter which for me adds a bit of extra tenderness. You could omit the garlic depending on personal taste. This technique works great for me but doesn't mean it would suit others. Just thought I'd share the idea no need for negative reactions. Thank you

"A knife is a tool; you should use it that way." Words that so many of my fellow American men need to hear. There's this weird sensation around "manhood" about having the nicest, most expensive, knife and never using it because they don't wanna ruin it. What's the point of the knife then? Anyway, great cook today! I have really enjoyed your channel since I found it in November. Keep em coming!

I ike really crispy skin. I use a little Miracle Whip salad dressing (not Mayonnaise) Rub it on the chicken untill it disappears like a hand cream. Add your seasonings and roast.

The point is to cook it slowly over indirect heat. Rotate it relatively often to ensure even cooking.

Hahahaha He was lost on the "ROLL TIDE"

If you smoke it at a lower temperature like 225f then you can cook a chicken that size for two to three hours and you'd have more than enough time for the beer to get up to temperature of the chicken.

Alabama white sauce, mayo, white vinegar to desired thickness, salt and pepper to taste, and a little bit of lemon juice(optional). Blend in a blender, or put it in a jar and give it a good shake. I like to hold on to an old mayo jar, and put a cup or 2 of mayo in that jar, and add my vinegar, shaking until it’s as thick or as thin as I want it.

Wtf Roel, where's the Ketjap Manis? I totally expected "I'm going to make this sauce better by adding ketjap"

I always used a torch to heat up the beer can before putting the chicken over it. Also, you can drink some of the beer down to about 2/3 to make it easier to keep warm.

I'm from Tennessee and it broke my heart to hear you say "roll tide."

I’ve done this many times an idk I’ve got the beer to steam out into the chicken. An it’s always come out great yes it may take a bit but it can be done.

you should actually warm half a can of beer on the grill before putting the chicken over the can never start with cold or room temperature beer 😊

A tiny bit of research on beer can chicken and your experiment might be worth doing and uploading.

The Alabama sauce is just excellent. ROLL TIDE, Pitmaster X!!!!!!

I have made beer can chicken a lot, you have have to stick a apple or onion in the top trap the steam and flavor. But what i really like is coke chicken. Also only half a can of whatever your useing or it will over flow

Partial can of beer and make sure the beer is at room temperature. Also use a kolsch type beer. It pairs well with the chicken. Use charcoal and not gas grill. Makes all the difference. And it's not about how fast it cooks, it's about the beer infusing into the chicken.

I use an empty cream of mushroom and add some Bacardi rum with coconut. I then use drippings from inside and outside chicken plus cream of mushroom soup to make gravy, yum

WOW! That made me want to go to the store and get some chickens. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Jay 😁

The trick is to preheat the beer ,,, yes .... now the chicken breast will be juice as well ... did I say juicy as well ... I mean juicy as Hell ! 😂😂

I'm from Decatur, Alabama... Home of Big Bob Gibson's and the original Alabama white sauce. As much as I love your videos, that was NOT Alabama white sauce.

Maybe a beer can chicken, but can a chicken beer?

I typically do a half can room temp beer (and spices) with indirect heat. I put the back of the bird to the heat to have the most indirect heat to the breast (i.e. left side burner off and right side on). It prevents the flare ups and overall burning of the skin. I tend to think turning the bird back to the fire helps retain moisture better.

The experiment needs to be repeated with the chickens in three different locations each to even out the possibility of a hot spot on the BBQ. The one without liquid in the can might have been near to a hot spot.

i make the chicken using only 1/3-1/2 (4-6 ounces) of the beer with the rub, garlic, onion and/or whatever else i can think of thrown in. i also use a beer can chicken roaster that has an integrated tray to catch the drippings to avoid flare-ups. the drippings can then be used to make a sauce/gravy.

So glad to see someone make Alabama white BBQ sauce! To be pedantic about it though - that style is specifically from Northern Alabama, almost on the Tennessee boarder. As you get further South you almost never see it being used. There's MANY variants, and most people who make it at home just use cider (or plain distilled) vinegar in about a 1:2 ratio with the mayo, add pepper, cayenne, salt, and that's it. I've also seen people add water to thin it out a bit. The original concept comes from BBQ legend "Big" Bob Gibson.

Use room temperature beer instead of cold....may keep chicken from overcooking.

You don't use a full can of beer, about 1/3 is enough.

You can also put aromatics like thyme rosemary and the such in the beer can and you are supposed to drink about half of the beer before you use it because it’s just going to overflow when it gets hot which might be why it took longer to cook

I have a ceramic doodad that you can put the chicken on instead of using the Can which has aluminum which is said to be linked with various forms of dementia. I suppose what I can do is heat up the beer first and put it in there. Then I can cook my chicken and the beer should come up to temp sooner.

Great test. I usually pour some of the beer on the chicken before adding the rub to really impart the beer flavour plus helps rub to stick. Then I only put about 1/5 of the beer in the can as too much takes the heat away from warming up the nearly full can. One can of beer is enough for dousing 3 chickens plus a bit for 2 additional empty soda or beer cans.

Well we have been cooking chooks on a beer can on the campfire in Australia for years and always have a great result. Lots of flavour and nice and tender. Secretly, the beercan is the way to go!

roel is going to eat every last fucking chicken in that tent!

Just made my first BBQ smoked chicken 🐓 on a gas BBQ with Apple, Cherry and Mesquite wood chips. 3.5hrs at 150*C. Was absolutely delicious 🤤

In south Texas in many different ways. Try different beers and soft drinks. I use cherry coke. It comes out extremely juicy.

There is also a more stable based method that the chicken juices drain back down into the 1/2 beer and spice that I have found works even better. It has about a 10 Inch base that the cone and a perforated platform come of so that the beer/soda/soup base then cook and steam from the inside. also root veggies can be steamed and cooked in the juices.

They say that you must make sure the can has no liner in it that is a plastic product or spray as it can go into what you eat. Many beers have a spray lining on the interior of them from what I've been told.

Pro tip: puncture the entire inside of the carcass with the point of a knife. Don't worry about it drying out as there will be steam coming. Then PRE-HEAT your beer can with seasoning added (with maybe 50-60% remaining after the warning),at least a half an hour before insertion, but allow the outside of the can to cool, so it doesn't stick (You can do this in an oven). TRY IT! Oh, yeah, close the top of the chicken with toothpicks as others have said. We're not bullshiting you, bro! It basically creates a pressure cooker within the chicken itself. That REALLY does come out in the end product! My chickens, cooked this way, pretty much FALL OFF FROM THEIR CAN when you try to handle them, and almost dissolve in the mouth!

I got worried when he cut the thigh off the chicken and I saw the undercooked meat near the bone. That is the area I test temperatures in......I'll bet it was around 60c.

Use 1/2 can of ROOM TEMPERATURE beer. Add some chicken rub to the beer and drop in a rosemary sprig. Close off the top of the chicken with either an apple or sweet (vidalia) onion.

It’s the same principle as if you stuff a chicken full of stuffing it won’t cook evenly. Pretty basic thermodynamics. As others have said, use half (or less) of the can. It works with warm chicken stock instead of beer as well...

No need to complicate a fairly easy cooking method. It works. The common denominator is to use 1/2 the beer. Flavor it with garlic, rosemary, thyme or whatever herbs you wish. You cannot mess this up. I like to put some bbq sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Your best friend is a digital meat thermometer.

For all my friends in Holland: The University of Alabama has an American Football team called "The Crimson Tide" Hence the phrase "roll tide"!

I prefer squirt soda. I also do it in an oven in a pyrex 13x9 with veggies and potatoes and pour another can of soda in the veggies. You also did it wrong you have to cut the neck hole so the soda boils over the top. It keeps it so much more moist.

why am i watching this? it's make me more hungry

So I'm thinking, heat the beer, then pour it back into the can. Mine with room temp beer was a bit dry on the breast too. Great job, I enjoyed watching.

The steam moistens the chicken. I like olive oil on the skin and rub olde bay seasoning on. I then place a piece of foil on the neck to help keep the steam in.

Set BBQ up for indirect heat but with the melal beer can touching a metal drip tray on the heat diffuser. (My can holder is made from iron.) Use half a can of beer. The beer will boil a lot quicker through conduction heating whilst che chicken cooks evenly. I get amazing results using a Big Green Egg style of BBQ.

I use a half can of coke and use a compound butter under the skin plus add baking powder to the rub. The baking powder helps crisp up the skin at a lower temperature . I also cook at a slower rate than normal. The butter and the steamed coke makes it almost TOO juicy.

You know beer cans are lined with BPA, right? You're literally cooking it into your food.

After watching this, we switched to half a can of Fresca and spices, heated by putting can in a pot of water on grill before it goes under the chicken. Pretty good!

I've been doing beer can chicken for years, I always brine the chicken night before and leave in the fridge overnight with all kinds of spices in the brine, room temp beer, room temp bird, then inject butter and spice mixture under the skin, and into meat. I've found 1/2 can Apple ales and the more premium beers seem to give the best flavor, Budweiser, Coors etc. give a bitter flavor. We've also tried fruit nectar's ( Apple, peach, apricot, pineapple) but prefer the beer. I wrap the bird in foil for the last of the cooking time after skin is nice and brown.

We here in california use a tall boy and you drink it down halfway so the beer gets hot....also we dont use propane we only use charcoal....happy grilling☺☺☺

Should have used cold beer, warm beer (not water), and a can with nothing in it.

Great experiment. Only leave a little bit of beer in the can. I prefer apple juice combined with using apple wood for smoking.

I think the unevenness of the grill interior has to be considered. There is simply not enough volume of liquid in a 12 ounce can to prevent equalization and similar result to can that had a temperature head start by more than 5 minutes or so.

beer can chicken werkt met een paar kleine aanpassingen wel. 1)het bierblikje mag maar 1/3de gevuld zijn 2) ik start met mijn kip in te pakken met aluminiuimfolie en dan 15 min rechtstreeks op de kolen te zetten, dan aluminiumfolie eraf en verder garen zoals jij doet. waanzinnig goed, de smaak van kip 3 met de sappigheid van 1 en 2

Where did you get that leather apron with the sheath? It’s awesome!

Ok here’s what I do and omg it has never let me down for tenderness and crispy skin, I slow smoke-cook mine on a UDS at 110C, I mix my rubs which doesn’t matter the skin will still be crispy, I use Irish Guinness and smoke for 3.5 hours and omg it literally disintegrates in your mouth when eating, I also use half a lemon on the top of the neck cavity and the flavour it adds is incredible, I did a whole turkey at Christmas one year and have never had a more tender and juicy bird, it took 5 hours but was incredible, love this channel mate, can you do some lamb shoulder as I don’t think I’ve seen you do it, I’m considering doing a smoking channel as have 5 different types and wouldn’t cook my meat any other way, I have actually drawn some inspiration for the way you cook and the meat you use, cheers brother, hope to meet you some day

So roasting the chicken outside and steaming the chicken inside with beer!

Noone says to put the chicken on a cold beer can . Put the can on the grill for a bit ,heat it up before setting the chicken on it . You will have all three ,tenderness taste & juices.

Any can, only leave the pop top open. 1/4 to 1/2 cup of beer. Smashed garlic. Maybe a bit of water to increase fluid level, but no higher than a third of the can. A 3-4 pound chicken will be done within an hour depending on temperature. I put the chicken on a foil pie plate to reduce flare up and grease mess. That is a beer can chicken. Drink the beer!

We do beer can every time half a can always turned out delicious. We use beer can tray that catches the drippings so no problems with flare-ups.

Cracking the cold beer is the first step. Drink half and let it come to room temp while you get everything else prepared. Or just use a beer already at room temp.

Take a smaller can, the Red Bull size can etc. Throw the Red Bull away, clean the can and pour the beer into it. And this works perfect and it doesn't require such a freaking large gaping hole beer can size chicken... I did this already over a decade ago and it's really good. The chicken gets very juicy on the inside. Nothing wrong with it...

It does work. My wife and I did one the other day. We put rosemary, garlic in the beer and put our own personal rub on the chicken and did it on the pellet smoker. It turned out amazing and juicy. Try it.

What was the point of adding ice cold beer normally when you cook that way the beer is starting at room temp

1-drink half the beer 2-add same spice same as on chiken in the beer about a tbs 3- use an aluminium plate under to colect the juice it will help the breast to stay moist It does take at least one hour of cooking timel, no need to rush a good thing 4- use the juice and the beer from the can to make a gravy. Try it out woth your pitmaster twist i m sure itwill be even better

Your empty can chicken looked bloody

Thanks!

You may want to try grilling a few hamburgers while those chickens are smoking up a storm. The smoke from the Chicken Fat gives the burgers quite a delicious flavor.

I'm blown away by this Alabama sauce! I'm from that region of the US and have never heard of it. SO cool. : ]

You only needed less than half a can off beer, then add some aromatics.