Smoked Beer Can Chicken
Beer can chicken a.k.a drunken chicken is a fun and easy cook on your smoker or grill. You just need to make sure you have enough clearance to close the lid over a chicken that is going to be standing up. If you want to avoid knocking over the chicken while it’s balanced on a beer can, purchase a cheap beer can holder rack. These come in various sizes so you can get a single or double holder. If you are going to smoke the chicken, you can do low and slow 235F – 250F for around 4 – 5 hours. The skin will be a bit rubbery but you can sear it on high heat at the end of the smoke. For this recipe we’ll run a little hotter at 300F for about 3 1/2 hours. This makes the skin more crispy but gives enough time for some smoke flavor. If you cook this on a grill, it should be done indirectly. For flavoring, this recipe adds herbs and garlic to the beer cans. But you can use citrus or chili peppers or whatever you like.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 whole chickens
- 2 cans of beer
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs sage
Directions
First, let’s get the most difficult step out of the way. Drink 2 cans of beer. Next use a can opener to remove the tops of the cans. After the tops are removed, add beer until each can is 1/4 full. Next rough cut the garlic cloves into chunks and add them and the herbs to the cans.
Next, remove the chicken from any packaging and dry off the skin with paper towels. Spray the skin on all sides with duck fat and this will help give the chicken a nice golden color. Season all sides of the skin and the inside cavity with your favorite BBQ seasoning. If you don’t have any favorites, a simple salt, pepper, garlic and paprika combo will do.
Preheat your smoker with pecan or hickory wood at 300F. You can use a lower and slower temperature (235F -250F) to get more smoke but the skin will come out less crispy.
When the chicken is seasoned, place the beer cans into the holding rack and slide the chickens over the beer cans. If you do not have a holding rack you can use a foil pan as a base and try to carefully move everything into the smoker. If you are going to use a wireless (or wired) temperature probe, stick it in at the top of the breast near the neck and push it in downward (see video).
Spray the chicken every hour with duck fat to oil those birds up like they are getting a tan at Miami Beach!
When the top of the breast meat reaches 165F and the legs and thighs are 175F, remove the chickens from the smoker and let them sit for 5 minutes. Don’t tent the chickens with foil, it will keep the steam on the skin undoing your crisping efforts. Now you can carve the chickens or pull the meat off the bones for good pulled chicken.
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Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Grilled romaine has an excellent flavor and it compliments many dishes. Not only is it easy to make but it’s also quick to cook. You can put these on the grill while you cook some chicken or fish and have yourself an excellent meal combo. If you have leftovers, you can eat them cold the next day. And one thing you must do is add the grated cheese on top. That just takes it to another level!
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 3 romaine hearts
- 1 lemon
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 oz romano cheese
Directions
First, preheat the grill at a medium heat and clean the grill grates when hot.
Next, slice each heart of romaine in half lengthwise. Brush both sides with olive oil. Salt the inside with kosher salt.
Place each romaine half open side down onto the grill and cook for 5 minutes with the lid open. After 5 minutes, flip over all romaine hearts and cook for another 5 minutes. Use tongs to check for softness and remove the romaine hearts when they become less stiff.
Squeeze some lemon on the inside area of the romaine hearts. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Finally, top with fresh grated Romano cheese.
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Turkey Carcass Soup
Turkey Carcass Soup
Do you have a leftover turkey carcass and maybe you are worried about raccoons pulling it from your trash can? Well for this reason and many more, you should turn that carcass into a delicious hot soup. You only need a few more dollar’s worth of ingredients to put together over a gallon of goodness. This recipe does take some time and you can split up the steps across several days. But once it comes together, you will be glad you didn’t toss that turkey carcass.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey carcass
- 6 celery stalks
- 6 carrots
- 2 white onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 12 oz egg noodles
- 4 qt water
Directions
The first step is to make a broth. You can do this days in advance and store the broth in refrigerated or frozen jars. Or you can take a nice lazy weekend and create the broth and soup at the same time. If you choose this path we recommend that you chop all the vegetables for the broth and soup at the same time.
For the broth, rough chop 3 celery stalks, 3 carrots, 1 white onion, and 2 garlic cloves. You can add the tops of celery with the leaves to the broth. Add 2 whole sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage.
For the soup, finely chop 3 celery stalks, 3 carrots, 1 white onion, and 2 garlic cloves. Mince 2 sprigs of rosemary, thyme and 2 sprigs of sage.
Place the broth veggies and the turkey carcass into a large pot or dutch oven. Include the turkey neck and any bones you might have saved. Next submerge everything with 4 quarts of water adding more if needed. Set the burner heat on high until the contents starts to boil (about 30 minutes). Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool down. Remove the turkey and large vegetables from the broth. Using a strainer with cheesecloth, pour the broth into another pot to remove small bits and some fat.
Add the broth back to the pot. Pull all the meat from the turkey carcass and put it in the pot. Add the soup veggies, seasonings, and herbs. Bring the soup to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Skim off any foamy fat that might form on the surface. Add the egg noodles and cook for at least 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and serve.
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Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Loaded scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin are so good that you could serve them as a main course. In this decadent recipe, we combine a cream sauce from scalloped potatoes with the cheese from potatoes au gratin. And if that is not enough, we added all the favorites of a baked potato. When you hook this up for the holidays, you’ll be the winner winner of your Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. This recipe does require some prep time and you can get this done a day ahead of the cook. And it’s flexible enough to bake at a variety of temperatures. This makes it easy to slip in the oven along with your main course or other side dishes. The combined flavors in this recipe are quite intense. You’ll love the variety of different cheese and dairy products layered in the fresh potatoes and herbs. And a most interesting flavor comes from the chicken broth. Don’t you dare skip this ingredient it is a difference maker!
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- 1 white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 – 6 green onions
- 12 oz bacon
- 16 oz cheddar cheese
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup flour
Directions
First, hand shred the block of cheddar cheese. Next, using a super thin guard on a mandolin, slice the white onion. Dice the green onions and mince the garlic. Finally mince the rosemary and thyme. Remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.
Next, slice the bacon into bits and fry it in a skillet on medium heat. When the bacon grease starts foaming and the bits are turning brown, remove the bits with a slotted spoon and place them on layered paper towels. Carefully remove most of the bacon grease and leave about 3 tablespoons in the skillet.
Add the thinly sliced onion and continue to cook on medium until the onion becomes translucent. Add the minced garlic and a pinch of the herbs. Next, slowly stir in the flour and combine together for several minutes. Next, add the chicken broth and stir until the sauce thickens. Slowly add the whipping cream followed by a few slices of cream cheese. Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce, then continue to add whipping cream and cream cheese until all is incorporated into the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes then turn off the heat.
Peel the potatoes, then use a mandolin with a thin blade and slice them. When the potatoes are all sliced up, use a non stick spray or vegetable shortening to grease up a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add a layer of potatoes to the dish first. Next use a large spoon and cover the potatoes with a layer of sauce. Next apply a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Add some bacon bits and green onion. Repeat these steps until all the ingredients are used. Be mindful of how much you have left for each item so that each layer has equal amounts of everything. This should make 4 to 5 layers.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. If you need to cook with other food at a lower or higher temperature this is fine. After 30 minutes use a toothpick and stick it all the way to the bottom of the pan. Feel for the tenderness of the potato slices. If there is a lot of resistance like a raw potato, keep cooking with the foil cover. If there is partial resistance, cook for another 30 minutes uncovered. When the toothpick slides in and out with very little resistance, almost like butter, the potatoes are ready to eat. Sprinkle the top with fresh thyme, some green onions and bacon. Allow it to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
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