Eric's Smoked Beer Can Chicken

Let me please start off by saying that Eric's smoked beer can chicken was THE best chicken I've ever had. Hands down.

We got this amazing whole, pastured chicken from Tara Firma Farms in our CSA box. This chicken, like all local, pastured meat, is very special and deserves simple, amazing recipes to allow for the meat to take center stage and shine. The plan was to "smoke" the chicken and share the treat with some good friends. Eric did the cooking, so I'll have him share the recipe and some tips.

In Eric's words:
"I love BBQing. I can't think of much else I'd rather do on a nice and sunny, summer day. Cold beverage, pool, BBQ. My best advice to someone starting new with BBQing is 'be patient'. If you rush the process, you'll end up with a hockey puck for dinner. Not even Canadians want that. So plan ahead. Figure out roughly when you want your food to be served and work backwards from there. Plan for about 30 minutes for the coals to catch fire and the grill to be ready. I don't propane because I prefer to work with the fire and smoke, but you can cut probably 15-20 minutes off of the prep time with a gas grill. It goes quickly from done to overdone, so when it starts getting close, check on it often. Digital thermometers help a lot here. It might help to start hors d'oevres prior to pulling the chicken. First, it will not need to rest too long prior to cutting; and also, that bird is going to look gorgeous! Let *everyone* see it!! Finally, have some fun. It started as a nice day. End it as a nice day, too."


The final product was amazing. This bird was smokey perfection. The meat was cooked perfectly. And let me tell you about the skin! I love chicken skin, and usually it's not that good. So I typically don't eat it. This was the best skin I've ever had. Ever. It was better than bacon. IT WAS BETTER THAN BACON! (Just in case you didn't hear me correctly the first time). Eric deserves a ton of credit for why this meal was so superb. He put in a lot of hard work making it amazing. The chicken (and how she was raised) deserves the rest of the credit. This pastured bird didn't just taste better, but actually looked different than a frozen "brand" bird. The skin on our dinner was white before cooking, not yellow. The difference was immediately noticeable and even the leftovers were amazing. My mouth is watering, writing this now. Much like smelling those frozen chicken bones as they underwent their first stage of becoming veg and chicken stock! I am so excited for our next whole chicken from Tara Firma Farms. There is really nothing else like it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eric's Smoked Beer Can Chicken Recipe adapted from "Weber's Way To Grill" weber.com/grillout/ (Eric's cooking notes appear in italics.)

• 1 whole pastured chicken, about 4 pounds, giblets and any excess fat set aside
  
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) beer, at room temperature
• 4 handfuls hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
• Rub
  • 2 teaspoons granulated onion (omitted; not for taste, I simply didn't have any)
    
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon prepared chili powder (I used 2 tsp New Mexico Red Chili powder)
    
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • (1 tsp hickory sea salt)
    

1. Remove and the neck, giblets, and any excess fat from the chicken and put in your meat freezer bag for making stock. Save the fat separately (not good for stock) or discard. Sprinkle the salt over the entire surface and inside the cavity of the chicken, covering it all like a light blanket of snow. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

2. In a small bowl mix the rub ingredients.

3. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water. Gently pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season it all over with the rub. Fold the wing tips behind the chicken’s back. Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling.

4. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F). (Normally when I BBQ, I prepare a 'two-zone' fire for direct and indirect cooking -- all of the coals on one side only. This time, I made a 'ring of fire' with the coals so that it was mostly indirect cooking but with even temperature all the way around the bird. I hand-fashioned aluminum foil into a water-pan to put in the center of the ring and under the bird -- an aluminum pie tin would work also. This is to promote a little moisture in the air so that our treasure wouldn't dry out and also to catch most of the grease from the chicken to prolong the life of my grill. While the coals were coming to a good smoking temperature, I BBQ'd some beets in the center of the grill. Might as well not waste the heat!)

5. Open the beer can and pour out about half the beer. Using a can opener, make 2 more holes in the top of the can. Place the beer can on a solid surface. Plunk the chicken cavity over the beer can. ('Pour out' has many interpretations. I 'poured out' half of the beer prior to it adjusting to room temperature...)
   

6. Drain and add the wood chips directly onto burning coals or to the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer’s instructions. When the wood chips begin to smoke, transfer the bird-on-a-can to the grill, balancing the bird on its two legs and the can, like a tripod. Grill over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, until the juices run clear and the internal temperature registers 170ºF in the thickest part of the thigh (not touching the bone), 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. (I added extra wood chips twice during the cooking to refresh the smoke. I also had to pour water into the drip-pan once or twice. The real key to this process is closing the lid. If you can't close the lid, there's not much use in adding wood chips. You NEED to trap the smoke. My bird barely fit without touching the lid, so it's something to look into before you get too far ahead of yourself. Also, our bird was only about 3+ lbs and needed MAYBE 45-50 minutes to cook completely.)
   

7. Carefully remove the chicken and can from the grill (do not spill contents of the beer can, as it will be very hot). Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before lifting it from the beer can and cutting into serving pieces. Serve warm. (I used tongs for the bird while sliding a spatula under the beer can until I could transfer the whole set to a baking sheet. The can might want to slip out and that would ruin your evening.)
   

8. Save the bones when finished and put them in your meat freezer bag for making stock.
   

Where does your food come from?

Do you know where your food comes from? McDonalds? Kraft? The Chinese restaurant around the corner? Vending machine? AM/PM? Walmart? Safeway? Whole Foods? Your local, independent grocery store? Farmers Markets and Farm Stands? CSA's? Your own garden?

Today Eric, Megan, and I got up close and down and dirty at Tara Firma Farms, our local CSA. We held chicks, fed and pet goats and pigs, and talked with cows.

Full disclosure: I frickin love this place. Tara Firma, to me, is heaven on Earth. It is a model for food production and needs to be both recognized and celebrated as an economically viable, sustainable, healthy and delicious choice.

The Tara Firma list of amazing never gets tired. These farmers love animals and food, and it shows. For me, it was love at first bite.

Today we took the 25-30 minute drive up 101 just past the Novato Narrows and barely into Southern Petaluma. Megan had been saying how she wanted to come up with us, so the three of us strapped on our trainers and prepared for a muddy Monday Farmday.

It's always an adventure when we go to the farm. The animals are rotated from paddock to paddock to mimic herd movement and maximize grass productivity. This tends to make for a wonderful game of "where are the chickens and cows today?"

We got close to the cows today. And they were very interested in us, too. This herd is all black with the exception of "White Face" and the few dark brown calves that I lovingly refer to as "Veal". Megan and I got our moo's going, and the cows responded in three part harmony.

After the cows, we walked the path past the farm store, biodynamic gardens, the massive compost pile, and all those ladybugs to see the PIGLETS! Three pens were set up with four litters of piglets, the cutest little animals you've ever seen.

The oldest litter was up and running, chasing each other around in circles and diving under their lean-to huts. Oh my god. They looked like spotted puppies with curly tails. Precious! The younger piglets were entangled in sleeping, twitching pig piles. Piglets might be some of the cutest animals EVER.

Next came more pigs. These older guys were hysterical. Eric had a great running commentary for them, very "Walk on the Wild Side." With the aide of his voice overs, the pigs enjoyed rooting and snorting and digging and instigating and eating potatoes from my hand and being the noisiest eaters ever (save one or two people I know) and scratching and scratching and scratching and scratching...

Seriously, we could have stayed here all day. But it was starting to rain, and we still needed to buy some bacon.

Our day at the farm was wonderful. There's something magical and very fulfilling about knowing where your food comes from. The food simply tastes better, too. But don't take my word for it. Please, come and find out for yourself.