Monday, July 12, 2010

Beer Can Chicken and Weekend Recap

I'm watching the Food Network Challenge and they have food stylist making breakfast foods. They're doing things like putting soap in the OJ to make it look freshly squeezed and freezing the syrup so it looks thick. Now I know why my dimly-lit-wrongly-used-settings never made for nice pictures. Ya gotta cheat a little.

Anyway, I'm sitting here after another wonderful summer weekend wishing tomorrow was another Sunday instead of the beginning of a work week...

Oh wait, I'm going to Boston on Tuesday!

I cannot wait to visit my sister. I love Boston. Love love love. I feel like I belong there. But, until I get there, DC will do. And DC did this weekend.
I started on Friday, and after a long day of school work, I headed to U Street downtown to meet my friend Matt for a comedy show. Which was hilarious, by the way. But you're not here for the jokes, I'm sure. What I was as excited about was U Street restaurants.

Ben's Chili Bowl is famous and Ulah Bistro is delicious but been there and done that. Both of em. So, we went to Alero, which is this awesome Mexican place with a nice vibe. The outdoor seating was booked but we were sat immediately inside. No big deal, it was a million degrees outside.

Our waiter recommended the margaritas but Matt and I are old fogies. We simply couldn't be cool hipsters and order the trendy drinks. That aside, when Matt didn't pick up the tab we think that Miguel was flabbergasted at my cheap date. It's okay, Miguel, we're just friends.

I ordered PORTOBELLO FAJITAS! They were no where near as good as mine. Okay, they were delicious. It's a tie. But really, I only ordered these because I knew I wanted a portobello sandwich with feta cheese the next day. And of course, I forgot to take pictures of the original, so the lunch is all you have. Sorry, sorry.

It was good, to be fair! Anyway, next, I saw Toy Story 3 with Amie and her family. So cute. It made me feel old because the little boy in the movie was like 8 in the last movie and now he's going to college... He grew up so fast! After TS3, we went to Macaroni Grill where again I didn't take a picture of my fantastic chicken rigatoni with caramelized onions. Anything with caramelized onions is okay with me. And their bread. I love their bread. I need the recipe for their bread. 

Then, a night out in Arlington followed. And a huge piece of pizza...oh geez. I didn't mean to. I didn't even want it. But then it was there. And it looked so familiar and comforting. And it felt so right.

This morning was my weekly breakfast with ma and pa in Old Town, Alexandria. Bruegger's Bagels as usual, and the iced coffee was on point today. No farmer's market, but that's because my roomies picked up a ton of Amish grown/baked goods from Pennsyltucky on their way home from Arts Fest in State College. 

Which leads me to these cute little Amish rolls that are in the oven heating up while my beer can chicken rests. That's a-comin'.

I first had beer can chicken at Penn State, grilled by my friend Shep. She's a machine on the grill, and her chicken was the bomb. I've been wanting to try it myself for quite some time, and finally, I did. It's time consuming, yes, but who has anything better to do on a Sunday afternoon in the summer? So, if you want some of the most moist (try saying that ten times fast) chicken that you've ever had, give it a try. (From Food Network website) First, a few pictures of the process...
Before she's cooked. Just a raw bird, gettin' ready to sizzle.
Attempting to give my mom a chicken body.
The bird and I... little did I know, she was pregnant...
PUSHHH....(inappropriate?)
Carved and plated. Delicious dinner.




Beer Can Chicken
What ya need:
1 (4-pound) whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

What ya do:
1. Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside. 
2. Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.
3. Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.







9 comments:

Julie M. said...

Yum! I love beer can chicken. Yours looks perfect. Nice work!

Lisa | Authentic Suburban Gourmet said...

Beer can chicken is one of the BEST ways to prepare chicken. It comes out just perfect. Sounds like you had fun with it.

Monet said...

You are so cute! I love Food Network Challenge...I get addicted to TV shows easily. Your beer chicken looks very flavorful and moist!

Le said...

I was just watching the Essence of Emeril and he was talking about beer can chicken. I've always wanted to try it out! The chicken looks great btw :)

cookie said...

inappropriate and hilarious!!!

Unknown said...

Great post!!

Unknown said...

We adore beer can chicken. Next time, to have the spice rub flavor infuse the chicken, add a couple of tablespoons to the beer before shoving it up the bird. It'll steam inside that way. :)

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I'm a big fan of beer can chicken, too. (My kids even got us a two-can cooking doohickey!) And I'm a big fan of the Penn State Arts Festival, too -- although I haven't been there in years.

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