Watson » April 2nd, 2015, 1:40 pm wrote:Interesting stuff here. I'm going to look for some of these ingredients next time I'm in the big city.
Last year I marinated a whole chicken in Coke Cola. It was very good and I can't believe I haven't had it again since. I think it is time to do it again, with some spices to jazz it up further. We are getting back to the BBQ type weather.
Ah, now vertical can chicken is something I can help you with, and improve your technique on.
As for the marinade: the cola technique is better suited for pork rather than chicken, but if you want better results, dilute the coke to half strength first (too much acid will start to ceviche the meat, and add some salt to it). Personally, for chicken, I prefer just a little oil, ground dried rosemary, and kosher salt, and that's it.
OLD SCHOOL METHOD:
About 20 years back, I used to regularly use a half-full "tallboy" can of whatever beer was handy for vertically roasting chicken. Some tips, in no particular order ...
* Liquid: It is important to keep the can about half full. The actual liquid used is of minimal importance, since the flavor & steam contribution is counter-intuitively minimal. The REAL purpose of the liquid is to help lower the center of gravity to reduce the tendency to tip. Another reason not to let the can run dry is that modern cans are lined, and contain BPA, and sometimes a plastic nitro widget for things like guinness, and if the latter burns, it's gonna stink up your dinner.
* Church Key: To help promote steam, use a church key to make a few extra openings in the top of the can. If you happen to have some impermeable stainproof pie weights, you can add a few of those too, to help lower the center of gravity still further.
* Pie Plate: The chief purpose of a plate is to provide a stable base for the can to help further deter tipping, and ideally it should be just slightly wider than the widest part of the bird. The other purpose of the plate is to catch drippings to prevent flareups. Fill it about halfway with boiling water, for extra steam, which also helps prevent splatters if bird juices otherwise fall into a pan of hot fat.
NEWER METHOD:
The beercan method has since been rendered somewhat obsolete, with the advent of sturdy tip-proof stainless steel vertical roasters. Here's one I reviewed on Amazon.

Norpro Stainless Steel Vertical Poultry Roaster: Here, a support cage is attached firmly to a drip pan, which eliminates tipping. The pan is just narrow enough, and deep enough, so that the juices shed by the bird during roasting will prevent it from running dry and splattering with subsequent drips, and evaporate of same will help humidify your oven. Keep the neck opening of the bird unobstructed, so that air can circulate vertically inside the carcass, which will speed cooking, and help it cook more evenly.
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Amazon link.
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My review (Nov 2010).