Apple Rosemary Beer Can Chicken

Note: The below recipe is from KamadoGuru forum user DerHusker. When I saw his post I immediately purchased all the ingredients to do up my own slightly tweaked version. If you would like to see the original click HERE.. if not keep reading and try not to drool on your keyboard. As always I will lead with the step by step, and you will find the ingredient and tool list at the bottom.

Alright lets get started

to kick off a good Beer Can chicken I start by loading up the Kamado Joe and getting it heating up to 375 degrees for a fast cook (45mins-1hr) or 275 for a slow cook (2 hrs). As the Q is heating I place all the ingredients below (except the cider) into a food processor and give it a blend until it is paste like or looking kinda like pesto consistence.

Tip: Add the oil slowly you may need more, or less depending on how runny or solid you would like your wet rub,

Tip: Most of these ingredients you can eyeball, but the cinnamon and sage should be fairly accurate, Both of these are strong and can take over the dish

Once the wet rub is ready, start to work it up under the skin of the chicken. Get a good couple tablespoon under there and then proceed to use the rest of the rub on the outside of the bird.

Once coated its time to add the "beer can" portion of the recipe. If your not into booze you could use standard apple juice or non alcoholic cider, but I opted for a can of Somersby Apply Cider, it is a personal fav of mine and adds a ton sweetness and flavour… not to mention I get to

Tip: When trying to get up under the chicken skin, use the handle end of a butter knife and work slowly in order not to rip the skin.  Use your hands to add the wet rub a little at a time and work it in as deep as you can

Tip: Watch your can size, the Somersby can is a little large for smaller chickens, just cram it on or pour the cider into a smaller can.

Once on the grill just set it and forget it. I rarely check in my my birds, unless I see excessive smoke or want to rotate it a bit. The cook was only interrupted once at which time I spun the chicken to ensure an even cook.

I always probe my chicken in the breast and thigh looking for it to reach above 165. Once there I pull the chicken from the grill and let it rest for at least 5 minutes prior to quartering.

Ingredients:

1           Roaster Chicken (3lbs)
1           Green Apple (diced)
3           Sprigs of Rosemary
3-5        Sage Leaves (dried is also fine)
1/2 tsp   Ginger (minced)
1/4 tsp   Cinnamon
2 tbsp    Montreal Chicken Spice
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1    Can  Somersby Apple Cider


As mentioned above this recipe is my own take on a recipe that can be found on the KamadoGuru forum HERE

Sides: I paired this dish with roasted sweet potato and a salad of arugula, BBQ apples and fig balsamic dressing

Heat Source & Tools

(1) Royal Oak (Blue Bag)
(2) Kamado Joe Heat Deflector
(3) BeerCan Chicken Stand

Quick and Easy BBQ Chicken Wings - Tips and Tricks

This past weekend while visiting the in-laws I was asked at the last minute to cook dinner. When I asked what the plan was I was simply handed a Costco sized bag of chicken wings and told "it's your call".

When at home, this would not usually be an issue, but at the in-laws I knew immediately I had two serious obstacles to deal with.. (1) an old BBQ with temp control and hot spot issues and (2) a pantry seriously lacking in rubs and sauces

If you find yourself dealing with similar issues, here are some tips and tricks for turning out some tasty  chicken wings

Dressin' up the wings

When dealing with a pantry light on options, I tend to focus my attention on items that i know pair well on the BBQ and that are commonly found even in the barest of pantries.. items like Paprika, garlic powder, and of course Montreal Steak Spice.

Yes, the three of these items combined make a very simple BBQ rub that works well on chicken wings.  the paprika and Montreal Steak spice can be added in equal parts but the garlic powder should be used sparingly (if at all)

Tip: Montreal Chicken spice will work better then the Steak spice if it's on hand, make the switch.

Tip: Mix you home made rub and toss with chicken wings in a large plastic bag of bowl. Try to get it as evenly dispersed as possible.

As for saucing the wings, in situations like this I tend to leave them dry and then provide the available BBQ or other dipping sauces on the table and let the family choose their own, and how much sauce they like.. most people have at least one BBQ sauce, and a mix of Asian cooking sauces in their fridge at any given time. Try mixing these up to make your own unique flavours

Cooking the Wings

Cooking wings can be challenging, even more so on a BBQ that is older and has multiple hot and cold spots. The key to working this style BBQ is to keep things moving. Once the wings are ready spread them out on a single layer leaving some room between each wing.

I tend to cook wings over medium heat with the grill top open, this allows me to monitor flare ups and keep an eye on the doneness. On a BBQ such as this, it is just as important to move wings around the grill as it is to flip them. Find the areas that hold steady heat and areas or pockets that you are able to put wings that are cooking to fast. Keep a spray bottle with water handy just in case

Once I get to a desired doneness, I often place the wings on the top rack and shut the grill lid for a last minute heat through. Don't be afraid to pile them up at this time as the juices will run down onto other wings.

Once ready platter your wings up and place them on a central spot on the table with the dipping sauces. I cooked this batch of wings along with some sausages, and cut the sausage into chunks so they too were dip-able making the whole meal family style finger food.. the kids loved it (and i did too)

Kamado Joe - Cheap Night - BBQ Drumsticks & Asparagus Spears

If you are ever looking for a nice quick and cheap meal, there is no better place to start then a flat of chicken drumsticks and some asparagus spears.. add a side salad and you are still under $10 to feed 2-3 people

Drumsticks have always been a crowd pleaser and until this day I still favor them over most other cuts of chicken.. on the BBQ anyways. here is a quick flavourful meal for any night of the week.

Set up your Kamado for indirect cooking, if you have the Divide and Conquer model you only need to set up one side for indirect and leave the other open for direct.. I do this so I can add a quick blister to my veggies and chicken at the end of the cook

Shake down and rub your drumsticks with your fav rub (or just salt and pepper)

Depending on the size of your drumsticks they will take between 45 minutes to an hour to cook. In a Kamado they stay nice and juicy so there is little worry of slightly over cooking them

At the 45 minute mark I sauce the drumsticks, turn, re-sauce, turn re-sauce and then move to direct heat to add a bit of blister to the skin and caramelize the sauce… then move them off the grill to rest

For my Asparagus, I usually finely chop cilantro, juice a lemon and toss it all in olive oil, and let it  marinate while the chicken is cooking. Just prior to hitting the grill I hit it with some salt and pepper and place them on my veggie skewers

And since I know you'll ask, you can find these veggies skewers  HERE

Asparagus does not take long over charcoal and since I like mine a bit softer then most I will not give you a time here, just keep moving them and you will until they are slightly blistered, soft internally and still have a nice snap when broken

There you have it, a quick cheap and relatively healthy meal on your Kamado in under an hour

Sauces & Rubs

(1) Ted Reader "Bone Dust"
(2) Guy Fieri "Kansas BBQ Sauce"

Heat Source & Tools

(1) Basques Natures Own (green bag) Charcoal 
(2) Kamado Joe Heat Deflector (half)
(3) Veggie Raft Skewers

Kamado Joe - Smoked Split Chicken & Portobello Mushroom Caps

My second cook on my KamadoJoe was a split or butterflied chicken, with portobello mushroom caps.

Ingredients:

(a) 3lb Chicken
(b) Generous portion of your favourite rub (this bird was done with Montreal Chicken Spice)
(c ) 2-4 Portobello Caps (stems removed)
(d) 2-4 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Step by Step

Chicken

(a) Split the chicken by cutting down both sides of the backbone to remove it.
(b) coat the inside of the bird with your spice rub
(c ) flip, press down to flatten and then coat the skin of your spice rub
(d) Cook over indirect heat for 1 hour or until done

Mushroom Caps

(a) remove the stems (if you haven't already done so at the grocery store to save some cash)
(b) use a spoon to remove the gills (the dark brown stuff)
(c ) place 1tbsp of balsamic in each cap
(d) cook at 350-375 for 10-15 minutes or until the balsamic is boiling away

Lessons learned/Tips:

Mesquite does not pair well with chicken, it had an overly smokey flavour and not the "kiss" I was hoping for. In future cooks I moved to Hickory and other less aggressive woods.

The use of a drip pan not only lessens clean-up but it avoids getting a singed or burnt flavour from the chicken fat burning at high temps.

Sauces & Rubs

(1) Montreal Chicken Spice

Heat Source & Tools

(1) Kamado Joe (red bag) Charcoal 
(2) Nature's Grilling Wood Chunks (Mesquie)
(3) Kamado Joe Heat Deflector