I finally got around to making Beer Can Chicken after seeing it in about 400 cooking shows, 273 cooking magazines, and 4.7 million websites. In most of those presentations I saw a common thing– the beer being used was typically a watered-down American pilsner. And I thought, “well, American Pilsner, you can make football even more entertaining with your wonderful commercials, but I doubt you can punch up the flavor of a grill-roasted chicken.” And with that in mind, I sought to find a full-flavored beer that came in a can, would lend it self well in aromatic cooking, and was worthy of getting shoved up a chicken’s butt.

Yes, I know you could simply grab an aluminum can, dump the contents, and pour in the beer of your choice, but where’s the adventure in that? So without further ado, I bring to you a very good pale ale that not only comes in a can, but sports a fabulous name: Porkslap Pale Ale. Brought to you by the smarmy brewers at Butternuts Beer and Ale, Porkslap Pale Ale is flavored with crystal hop and a touch of fresh ginger. Staying true to that porky theme, I paired the pale ale with the spicy Jamaican Firewalk rub from the Dizzy Pig Barbecue Company. This is a fantastic, Jamaican Jerk-inspired rub that’s got great flavor and heat. This rub is amazing when liberally tossed on chicken thighs and grilled, so I figured why not use it on the whole bird? Sure enough, all I can say is, “Well played, Dizzy Pig, well played.”

The Verdict

Delicious. Stood up my bird in my gas grill, complete with jerk spice/veg oil rub and beer can suppository, over indirect heat. Cooking time was around 75 minutes, resulting in crisp, spicy skin, with moist and tender meat within. But the beer, Rob, what about the beer?! Ok, the verdict on the beer making a difference:

Not really.

I can’t say I really tasted a beer taste, let alone a pale ale taste, in the chicken. There was a slight hint of a yeasty flavor, but I’d say that Porkslap is best served cold in a glass and that, in this application, pretty much any old brew will suffice. I’m also thinking that a good option would be to go car-bomb on it and drop a shot of bourbon in the beer can for some flavoring potential.

Is it possible that there is a beer or ale out there that could impart some flavor through aromatic goodness? Probably. I’d say that a good sour Flemish ale would have a chance– but again, probably better served in a glass.

Dizzy Pig Barbecue Company: www.dizzypigbbq.com
Butternuts Beer and Ale: www.butternutsbeerandale.com
Beer Can Chicken Recipe: simplyrecipes.com
Sour Ale: www.globalbeer.com

Or, more accurately, “How I maintain diplomatic relations when cooking on the griddle in my Mother-in-Law’s kitchen”.

I was going through photos from this last year and had a laugh at this one. I can’t remember what it was I was making, I think I was using it to sear a beef tenderloin, but this was the defensive wall that went up around the stove in my MIL’s kitchen. Obviously, cleanup was a breeze!

Though you don’t need to go to extremes like this to prevent grease splatter, while anti-splatter screens mostly work, consider some strategic foil placement next time you’re pan frying or searing to avoid having to clean every crack and crevice around your stove.

I’m at BlogWorldExpo 2008, in the cool, stylish, exciting, entertaining, tragically seedy, and love-or-hate-it city of Las Vegas. I’ve much to blog about which I eventually will including a tour of Belgium beers at the Burger Bar with Cliff Lusso from Global Beer, a fantastic lunch at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, and an excellent dinner at Todd English’s Olives.

But it was coffee on my mind this morning after a late night of exploring the LV Strip. Of course SBUX was my ultimate supplier– I spotted a Peet’s at Mandalay Bay, but it’s a little too far. The drip delivered in it’s two tablespoons per six ounces, and I got my fix.

And therein lies the question: two Tbl of coffee to six ounces of water? Really? Have you ever tried that at home? I have, proper grind density and all, and do you know what? Strength: Pure biodiesel. So what’s up with that recommended recipe, Starbucks? We find that at home, around 1.5 Tbl (or a well-rounded Tbl) per six ounces produces a perfectly strong brew for us, though everyone complains, er, remarks, that our coffee is on the strong side. I feel that anything less produces a taste that’s over-extracted and burned.

So how does your mileage vary?

Building the stack was the biggest challenge of the day, fortunately a make-ahead item for this menu, as it’s served cold. Making the stacks requires a ring mold, or even a short (and, of course, clean!) section of pvc pipe from your local hardware store. I used an adjustable, plunger-style measuring cup to build the stacks, which allowed me to really give them a good squeeze that held them in one piece and keep a uniform size.

I made this for eight, so recipe-wise, I’ve tried to reduce it for four.
The rice:
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2″ cube of crystalized ginger (optional)
Cook the rice using your preferred method. Let it cool, then refrigerate, as it’s easier to work with cold at assembly time.
The mango mixture middle:
1 1/2 mangoes, diced in 1/4″ chunks
1 avocado, diced
1/2 medium-sized red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
zest of 1/2 lime
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
Gently combine all ingredients until evenly mixed. Refrigerate. Onwards!
The crab and and swordfish ceviche:
1 lb fresh swordfish, diced in 1/4″ chunks
1 lb fresh jumbo lump crabmeat
juice of 1/2 lime
zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 to 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce

Combine the lime juice, zest, and hot sauce with the swordfish. Place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes to let the acidic lime juice go to work on the swordfish. Remove from the fridge and combine with the crab meat.
And now, we stack.

(click to crabstackusize)

The first layer, the base, is the rice. Next comes the mango mixture, followed by the seafood. I did everything upside-down in the mixing cup, turned it over, gave it a good press, and then slowly lifted the mixing cup up, while pressing the rest of the plunger out. (Maybe that needs a video or something) Any how…

Measuring it out it’s about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of rice for the base, 1/3 cup of mango mixture, and 1/3 cup of the seafood.
Top it with three thin slices of cucumber and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garnish with a spring of fresh cilantro. Consume.

It’s a simple rub featuring minced, fresh rosemary, brown sugar, kosher salt, and some crushed red pepper flakes for some bite. My herb garden from the summer is still kicking out rosemary despite being iced-over a few times, so I snagged a fresh sprig. I also added some chopped green onion that I happened to have on hand. Good move.

On the side is an orange marmalade, rice wine vinegar, and rosemary dipping sauce. Typically not an orange marmalade kind of guy, its sweet and sour accompaniment convinced me otherwise. It’s simple to prepare—one cup of marmalade, ¼ rice wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of minced rosemary all warmed together on the stove.
The chicken itself is easy—combine the rub, toss it with the chicken and a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil and then it’s onto a medium-high grill for about five minutes per side. Done.
I served it with a side of simple jasmine rice. One little cool twist on the rice was dropping in a cube of crystallized ginger to cook with the rice. It added a light hint of ginger flavor to the rice—just enough to make you to say, “what is that?” (in a good way, really.) and proved a nice pairing to the Asian-inspired chicken.
So stock up on the thighs. And make this first. Then, follow it up next weekend with the Grilled Tandoori-Style Chicken Thighs. That was pure, curried bliss.

Ah, Gourmet Club! Amazing themed nights with food and drink to the extreme. This particular picture is of delicious pizza toppings including, sautéed onions and peppers, barbequed chicken, sliced meatballs, and ham and pineapple, just to name a few. My husband Dan and I hosted the “Food Court Night.” We dressed like various mall employees (Rindy and James in black and white stripes for Foot Locker, Eddie and Sabrina in Olive Garden aprons, and Amy and Jerry looking quite “Gap-ish” ) and ate food such as make your own California Pizza Kitchen Pizza, Joe’s Crab Shack cocktails, and Olive Garden Salad. All recipes found at www.copykat.com. We have been doing this for four years and have done various themes such as: Sock Hop, a Hawaiian Luau, a Murder Mystery, Red Neck Night, Kentucky Derby, Low Country Crab Boil, and the list goes on. Here is how to start your own.

1. Get with a fellow foodie and choose who and how many people you want in your club. Eight is a good number. Always best to choose other food enthusiasts with adventurous palates.
2. Decide when and how many times a year you plan to meet, with each host rotating through the dates. Commit to these dates and plan ahead with your babysitters if needed.
3. Two weeks prior to the event the host will send out the “Top Secret” file. This file contains the revealed theme, what each quest is to cook including recipes, and expected attire. Keeping it all secret lends to great anticipation among the gourmands.
4. Create a scrapbook or binder to include recipes, tips, thank you notes, wine lists, and pictures from each event.
5. At each place setting supply a “question”, this gets the conversation going and always adds to laughs and memories. Ex. If you could do anything successfully, what would you do? Who would play you in a movie? What was your first job? Describe your first kiss?
6. Be sure to have each quest bring storage containers to share the leftovers– if any!