Cook #3: Beer Butt Chicked w/ Rosemary Potatoes

Cook #3, was a recipe from the big green egg website:  Beer Butt Chicked (found here:http://www.biggreenegg.com/recipes/beer-butt-chicken/).  I won't go into details since the recipe is readily available.  I will say that I've read you are supposed to use a "lager" beer & I chose to use Budweiser (side note:  I don't care for Budweiser as a beer for drinking but it seemed to work well for the cook),  I also used the accessory the "sittin' chicken" to roast my chicken (see below).  I will say that I used "Grillmasters Dry Rub" from www.kitchenwindow.com (a local store here in Minneapolis, also where I purchased my egg from) as my seasoning.  I also used a smaller chicked (about 2-3 lbs).


Coals:  I used about 75 % new & 25 % previously burned charcoal filled to the top of the firebox.  Again, I lit a single starter cube in the center of the lump.  After about 10 minutes the cube was out and we were ready for business.  Learning from my previous cook, this time I added the plate setter immediately, the grate & closed the lid and was ready to dial in my temperature.  I started by closing the bottom sash to 1/2" and keeping the daisy wheel slot fully open.  This dropped the temp far more than I was expecting it to.  Shortly there after, I opened the bottom to 7/8" & then eventually to 1" with the daisy wheel 50 % which seemed to hold 350 F very well.  After pre-heating for about 10 minutes, it was ready for the chicken & potatoes.

The Cook:  On the bird went, after 20 minutes I would open the lid and spray with the liquid mixture.  I also started the timer after the temp reached back to 350 F, after opening & then closing the lid.  It should be noted that this required me to open the daisy wheel to 100 % after I closed the lid.  Adding a large piece of meat drops the temp as would be expected.  I continued with spray, every 20 minutes for about a total time of 1 hr 10 minutes.  The final product is below. The chicken was tender w/ a great flavor. Some bbq sauce was added and made for the perfect compliment. I wish the flavor had penetrated the bird more but it was definitely tasty & I would make it again.


Final Settings: Charcoal: 75 % new / 25 % previously burned, 1 starter cube, center of lump Plate Setter: legs up w/ grate on top Bottom Sash: 1" Daisy Wheel: 50 %