Cookery Corner - Beer Can Chicken

[Justin]

Interesting this popped up again, I was planning on trying the Beer can chicken recipe in the very near future in my newly built smoker.

This was my latest construction project. I built a hot smoker out of an 18G keg to start doing american style BBQ, I've smoked chicken pieces and sausages so far (only had it running for about 2 weeks) and looking to try some brisket and ribs and beer can chicken soon as well.

Have a look, built from an 18G (80L) keg, I know-should have made a kettle out of it but this is another worthy cause. I intalled an electric coiled hot plate element, 0-110C thermostat and water bowl, racks etc. All fully stainless. Works great. You just throw on some hickory, mesquite, apple wood etc into a pan on the element, close the lid and let it run till done.



So far its cooked some lovely meals, can't wait to get a bit more adventurous and have the time to do a 8-10hr brisket and explore some more rubs and marinades.

 

[Bobby]

that looks great!!! i think i will put that on my 'to build one day' list.

 

[Guest Lurker]

Excellent info as always Justin. Thinking about doing this. Does it have a flue and have you tried putting racks at the end of the flue for cold smoking?

 

[Justin]

I'll draw up a plan of the inside. Really is pretty simple inside though, not much more than racks, a water bowl and an element.

As for true cold smoking, no I haven't rigged or tried to rig a rack for cold smoking. It might take a fair bit of modification to make it work with this one (if your planning to smoke around the 25-32C range for 1-5 days).

I have a full temperature range availble but it's really designed to run at about 105C as a hot smoker so that the element is turned on and off regularly producing the smoke, given it's thermostatically controlled I don't think it would work very well at cold smoking temps as the element wouldn't cycle often enough to smoke the wood chunks.

There seems to be quite a difference of opinion on what temperature true cold smoking occurs at. I've read all sorts of stuff from 23-70C for "cold" smoking. I suspect real cold smoking is in the lower portion of that range and relies mainly on your brining process to cure your meat. I've read plenty of info about smoking salmon and trout for short periods at ~70C, and the ones I have tasted were bloody nice. But it's cooked meat at this temp, not the transluecent flesh you see in proper smoked salmon.

Hope it helps anyway, I'll try to draw up a plan and post it.

Edit: Sorry, does it have a flu-no. It didn't need one really as there is enough gap around the lid to give good air flow without losing too much heat and I also installed a vent in the lid like on the weber bbq's to fine tune and play with. I generally leave it open so that there is a good flow of smoke. Apparently if smoke hangs around too long it contributes a bitter taste to the meat. Haven't gained enough experience yet to prove it but it seems well founded.

FWIW I guess you could plumb off a flu and cold smoke with it I guess. As long as you had sufficient length to cool the smoke you could run it to another cabinet where you hang the cold smoking stuff. More reading I guess with answer that, I can see no reason really why it wouldn't work. That way you could still run the hot smoker at sufficient temps to get good smoke generation (you don't actually need much smoke at all). More research

Here's the pic, it's basically the same as this except I put an element in the bottom instead of charcoal. Any metal container from an old fridge (no plastic innards), to a 44 gallon drum and anything inbetween could be used. The keg only cost me $20 so that's what I used.

 

[tangent]

i saw a pissed chef make a smoker out of 2 filing cabinet drawers at an office party. nothing like smoked meat nice work justin

 

[chillamacgilla73]

Fantastic work Justin - you've inspired me to pull finger for summer.....summer brings out the desire for smokey meat, beer and cricket on the idiot box....I can hear the crickets chirping now and the back flyscreen door swinging shut..... I have been smoking meat in the webber for a while with mixed results and a cold smoker would be a welcome addition to the back yard. I would love to oneday make fermented sausages(Salamis etc) next winter and a cold smoker would certainly widen the scope.

Thanks for the drawing - I'm going to nut out a plan of attack tonight.
:beer:

 

[Justin]

No worries, good fun to make and makes a nice BBQ. The old man has been going nuts on the smoked sausage and also did a whole chook last week too.

You can simplify that diagram somewhat too by the way. It doesn't have to be exact. You just need your heat source, a water bowl, and some racks for the meat.

As I mentioned I chose an electric stove top element so that I could fit a thermostat so I didn't have to attend it for the whole cook watching the temp. Pretty simple set up really.

I found a couple of good websites too. Plenty of info and a few good recipes by the looks of it too.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

www.smokingmeatforums.com

When I head home next I'm going to try on of these briskets I read so much about. Looks like they take in the order of 8-10hrs to cook. Hmmm should be tasty though.

But mine has been working great from all reports from the old man. So best of luck with it.

Cheers, Justin

Edit: Here's a link to a smoker made out of a rubbish bin and a bench top element. Very simple. This particular one doesn't use a water bowl, you can make your own judgement on that (hey try it both ways?). But it gives an idea of just how simple it can be. However, I have read that galvanised stuff is far from idea for a smoker because apparently if you heat galv it can give off toxic fumes. But any metal container or some large teracotta pots would do the job. Have fun.

http://www.cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html

 

[chillamacgilla73]

Thanks for all the info Justin - I'll get stuck in over the next few weekends and see how we go.

Re: Galv surfaces giving off toxic fumes - when welded galvanised steel gives off zinc(I believe?) fumes that cause shocking head aches(I know from experience). I am pretty sure it's non toxic coz all the workers at the galvanisers we use at work don't wear respirators or much other PPE...to be honest there complacency with molten zinc is somewhat disturbing......I'll still give the galvanising a miss to be safe.

 

[jimmyjack]

Heres a link on how to convert your weber bbq into a smoker

Smokenator 1000

 

[chillamacgilla73]

Cheers JJ & J

A wealth of info - much appreciated and will be taken on board. I like the pic from http://www.cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/elecsmoker.html with the bottle of Harp lager next to the temp reader - kudos to a beer drinker from the US that doesn't drink the worst megaswill available(Bud, Coors, Miller, Milwaukees Best etc h34r: )...he he

I'm thinking I'll have to smoke a little meat when I host a brew day round the macgillas in the not too distant future(I'm thinking I better sort some public liability insurance first...).

Thanks again guys
:beer: