I need a beer....in a can!

Not the best opening shot as some of the skin came off as I was trying to remove the beer can from it's innards.  This is one of the easiest and strangest dishes to make. It's a beer can chicken or otherwise known as the poor man's rotisserie.    

Ingredients:

1 beer can

3-4 pound roasting chicken

Your favorite seasoning, (old bay, salt & pepper etc...) The one I used below:

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

I have bought a Empire Kosher chicken, which on the label said, best tasting chicken.  I had bought this before and it really is a delicious and juicy chicken.  Though at $3.00 / pound, it's pretty pricey for chicken.

For the beer, I bought a mexican beer.  Normally any beer works well, but believe it or not, this was on-sale and was even cheaper then budweiser!  Open the can and drink about a 1/4 of the beer.   Make some additional holes in the top for further ventilation

Cover the chicken completely with the rub and coat the inside as well if you can.   Turn the chicken on it's head and make sure the opening can fit the beer can.  Holding the chicken, place it on top of the beer can.  Now here it gets tricky, place the whole chicken with the can onto your grill.

It should remain upright and you should be able to close the lid.  Keep the burners on medium to cook around the 350-400 degree mark.  You do not want to have the chicken over the heat.  You basically want the flames on the side of the chicken, so place it accordingly. 

Let it cook for about 2 hours and the meat should fall off the bone.   After you remove the chicken, be careful removing the beer can as there will still be beer and it will be *hot*.  Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before carving and serve!

Which wiche is which?

What a great day today. We stayed at home all day and just chilled. I wanted to clear out my DVR so I watched episode after episode of Americas Test Kitchen and Everyday food finishing my day off with the Move The Taking of Pelham 123. Undoubtably I was a slug all day. Eventually hunger sets in and with notthing but left overs in the fridge I decided today's dinner was going to be a left over meal. I had the roast beef from the previous night which would make a great whiche but I have no bread. Thankfully the cable gods answered my calling and one of the episodes I watched of Americas Test kitchen had a bread recipe.

Looks like Beast Sandhiches are whats served up for tonight. Here goes:

Bread Recipe:
Bread Softare:
16 1/2 oz AP Flour
1 oz wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Instant Yeast
2 Teaspoons Honey
12 1/2 oz Water
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

Bread Hardware:
KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, White
Oxo Good Grips 5-Quart White Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
Saran Wrap
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Bakeware 9-Inch Round Cake Pan
Old Stone Oven 14-Inch by 16-Inch Baking Stone
Amco Food Service Half Sheet Pan
OXO Good Grips Pastry Scraper


To make the bread mix the wet ingrediants first until every component is well homogenized then mix in the yeast. Next, mix in flour and place in your stand mixer with the dough hook attachement on low for 3 mins. Stop and mix in salt and mix for another 3 mins. Saran wrap the bowl and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl and pull one side of the dough over and onto itself. Do this for all sides. Rest another 30 minutes and do it again. After another 30 Minutes since the last pull over. The dough should have almost doubled in size in room temperature. Carefully transfer the dough onto a flat surface and seperate into two batches with a scraper. Shape as you need them I made one batch into rolls and one into heroes. The dough should be butt up against each other to support themselves and they rise. Preheat the oven for 500 Degrees with your baking stone if you have it and a sheet pan with water. After 30 minutes spray the dough with water and stick into the oven after 10 minutes drop the temperature down to 400 and seperate the rolls and put them back in to bake for another 20 nminutes until golden brown. They should cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Roast Beast Sandwiche Software:
Thinly sliced beef
Sauteed onions
Toasted Hoagie Bread
Beef Jus
SnP

Hardware:
Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler Stainless-Steel 4-in-1 Grill/Griddle and Panini Press
Victorinox 12-Inch Granton Edge Slicing Knife with Fibrox Handle
Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition 10-Inch Serrated Bread/Slicing Knife
Victorinox 12-Inch Granton Edge Slicing Knife with Fibrox Handle

To assemble the sandwiche I sliced my hoagie roll in half lengwise with a serrated knife.
Spread a layer of Beef Jus, Beef, onions, and cheese. I then greased the top and botom side with melted butter and pressed until everything inside is nice and warm and comingled. Slice and serve! Its the perfect sandwiche and be sure to reserve some of the jus for dipping =).

Stop "Eyeing" my "Loin"

Guess what's on sale today at my local Pathmark. "Beef Eye," what the heck is that? It certainly doesn't look like an eye? In fact it sorta looks like a pork loin. After googling it on my blackberry I discover its the round cut from a cow's hind quarter. I'm guess its close to it's butt. What does that mean? Well faster twitching muscle parts of an animal tend to be leaner and less marbled with that said this imeans that this cut of meat is likely not as tasty and quick to get tough if I over cook it.

Guess we're gonna try to cook it and to add a bit of challenge to it let's do it on the "Q" =)

Main Software:

Beef Round: Trussed in cooking twine ( have your butcher do it unless your comfortable)

SnP

Your favorite Steak seasoning I used Mccormicks

1 tablespoon of Vegetable or canola oil

Side Software:

3 Skinned yams diced

2 tablespoons of Oil

SnP

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

4 Tablespoons Butter

Hardware:

Grill

Tongs
Thermometer

Iron Skillet

Knife *electric if possible

To start preheat your grill to the highest setting with the closed for 15 minutes. Take your trussed beef eye and roll it in your favorite steak seasoning and SnP. Coat with a thin layer of oil and let it sit until the grill is nice and hot.

Sear the meat on all side until dark brown. Approximately 4 mins per side.

llllllllllllllllllllll

Kill the middle heat element and drop the side burners down half way. Poke the thermometer into your meat and wire it outside of the grill. Leave your meat in the middle with the lid closed. If you have a shelf in your grill then put it on top with a drip pan underneath filled with water or wine.

In about 40 minutes or when your thermometer reads 160 you have a nice medium rare. Take it off the grill and tent it for 20 minutes. You can now make your jus or gravy. Take the drip pan and set it over a medium low flame. Add a pat of butter and some liquid mixed with a teaspoon of corn starch. Salt and Pepper until its tasty and thicker than water. Set aside.

Fire up your diced yams into a hot skillet with butter, sugar and oils heat until tender and turn up the heat to high until it caramelizes.

Now for the fun part, take out your electric knife that you havent used since Thanksgiving dinner at grandmas house slice thin and server with your side drizzled with your jus. You're a rockstar but your meal didn't cost you a fortune, rock on!