Smoked drunken chicken

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papa chops

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Mar 10, 2013
111
12
Modesto California
Tonight I'm smoking a drunken chicken with a Dr. Pepper due to the fact I don't drink anymore lol. Hope it turns out I'm using hickory chips this go around
 
Looks good. What goes in to making a Drunken Chicken?...JJ
 
Just rinse the bird inside and out, then pat dry. I put rub inside and out drink a 12oz beer half way down or soda what ever you like. Tuck the wings in by flipping the tips up and back so they don't burn. Now they make racks to sit the can in and slide the bird over the can. If you don't have the rack u can balance them. So now the beer or soda steams the bird from the inside making it nice and juicy. Thus is the first time I've smoked one, I used to do them in my grill with indirect heat before I built my smoker. They're a lot of fun to do
 
Here's the finished poduct, I pulled it at 165 deg. The bird was delicious but the skin was like leather. It looked like it was goiN to be nice and crispy but it was not even edible :(
 
Looks good! Crispy chicken skin is one of those things that seems simple but isn't. Try drying the bird uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours and upping the heat in your smoker. I've had pretty decent results at 325˚-375˚. Chicken doesn't really benefit from the traditional low and slow, and with a strong wood like hickory you'll get plenty of smoke in the 90-120 minutes it takes to get the bird done.
 
Hey thanks, I was hoping for a little advice! The meat was very moist and tasty but the skin was so tuff! I didn't even want to give it to the dogs for fear they would choke on it lol
 
I see nowhere in that article any mention of why I think beer can chicken is so juicy. He did mention part of why I think it helps. The can sticks to the chicken when cooking. Creating a seal that impedes the juices flow out of the chicken, allowing it to be redistributed.

Only way to really know would be to weight two chickens, Beer can one and Spatchcock another and see which retains the most weight.
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BTW I am not trying to say I am correct, or even that the article is wrong. I am only saying that maybe the theory was wrong.
 
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Nope, that's cool.  I just think it's good info and like to share it.
It was a good read, and the research that went into it is much more than I would dedicate myself to doing.
Next time I do a beer can chicken I will post a picture of what my first cut through the skin looks like. I cut the skin right above the thigh, if prepped correctly and the skin has no holes, I see a pool of juices, like the thigh and leg is in a hot tub of awesomeness.


I use the neck skin to cover the neck hole to keep as much moisture in as well.

 
Was the Dr. Pepper flavor noticeable?  I'm thinking of making something similar w/a spice rub to give it a sweet and spicy taste but don't want the Dr. Pepper flavor to be too crazy.
 
Nope, that's cool.  I just think it's good info and like to share it.
It was a good read, and the research that went into it is much more than I would dedicate myself to doing.

Next time I do a beer can chicken I will post a picture of what my first cut through the skin looks like. I cut the skin right above the thigh, if prepped correctly and the skin has no holes, I see a pool of juices, like the thigh and leg is in a hot tub of awesomeness.



I use the neck skin to cover the neck hole to keep as much moisture in as well.


instead of the skin over the hole.. quarter an onion and stick a few pieces in the hole... added extra flavor as the onion cooks down and juices run down into the chicken... it also traps moisture in the cavity from the liquid in the can...
 
The dr pepper was not noticeable enough. I ended up tossing the leathery skin, then pulling the meat and making chicken salad with the smoked meat. It wasn't my intention originally but it turned out very tasty! Sometimes You gotta work with what Ya Got!
 
Do you poke holes in the can to give the fluid more exit points? I poke 4 holes (north, east, south, & west) and find it help distribute the moisture and flavor better. Also I'll plug the opening at the top of the chicken (the neck) to make sure liquid goes into the chicken instead of evaporating straight through. Just use an apple or orange or lemon or something. I've also heard that some people cut the top off their cans, but poking 4 holes seems easier that cutting off a top to me
 
Oooooo. I haven't done that since I left Texas. Yes,Papachops , it makes a great cooking liquid.

We would(because we liked it so much) reduce the Dr.Pepper  and make a sauce with it, basically add the syrup to the other sauce. Sometimes I'd go through a long process of some kind but that was before my enlightenment , I did not put it in a log of cooks...
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Now , all my cooks go into a Log Books ,I can recall my proceedures better.

Have fun and , you never know until you try it...

Have fun and . . .
 
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