Beer Can Chicken Problem

[Crotonmark]

Im have a real hard time knowing when the chicken is done
I use a thermopop thermometer and when I test the chicken the breast is always over 165* and the legs are as well
However when I carve it the meat on the breast closest to the bone is pink or mushy
Definitely not cooked
What am I doing wrong? How do you measure the most internal parts of the bird for doneness?

Mark

[Capt]

I usually let a full bird go a bit over 165 and then like to hold it at that for a bit... Also it is pretty common for you to see red meat or even some blood that comes out of the bones.

Make sure you check the temp at the thigh and the breast and calibrate your thermometer.

What temp are you cooking at? Are you using gas, coal, or wood?

[Crotonmark]

Originally Posted by Capt

I usually let a full bird go a bit over 165 and then like to hold it at that for a bit... Also it is pretty common for you to see red meat or even some blood that comes out of the bones.

Make sure you check the temp at the thigh and the breast and calibrate your thermometer.

What temp are you cooking at? Are you using gas, coal, or wood?

I've been cooking at 375* with charcoal and wood. I can't stand that mushy texture and my wife won't eat pink chicken

How do you calibrate a thermopop?The temp when I insert into breast is 170* but it still has red and mushy areas at the breast bone

[Capt]

Originally Posted by Crotonmark

I've been cooking at 375* with charcoal and wood. I can't stand that mushy texture and my wife won't eat pink chicken

How do you calibrate a thermopop?The temp when I insert into breast is 170* but it still has red and mushy areas at the breast bone

I am not familiar with the thermopop but you can check it against a sure thing.

If it is in fact raw in the inside then I suspect its certainly an inaccurate reading.

Any pics?

ICE WATER
Fill a glass with ice cubes, then top off with cold water.
Stir the water and let sit for 3 minutes.
Stir again, then insert your thermometer into the glass, making sure not to touch the sides.
The temperature should read 32°F (0°C). Record the difference and offset your thermometer as appropriate.

BOILING WATER
Boil a pot of distilled water.
Once the water has reached a rolling boil, insert your thermometer, making sure not to touch the sides or bottom of the pot.
The temperature should read 212°F (100°C). Record the difference and offset your thermometer as appropriate.

[Joshw]

I temp at the hip joint, and like to go to 175 to 180. The breast will be fine, if you did everything else right, and the dark meat is even better.

[NC Native]

Take the beer can out of the equation.

[sudsandswine]

You cant put moisture into the meat through osmosis, so I imagine putting mass into an otherwise empty cavity that must then be heated along with the meat close to the cavity could produce the results youre seeing.

Cliff notes: cook the chicken whole with no beer can or better yet, spatchcock the chicken. I like dark meat at least 185*....165* is too low for that IMO.

[Capt]

Originally Posted by sudsandswine

You cant put moisture into the meat through osmosis, so I imagine putting mass into an otherwise empty cavity that must then be heated along with the meat close to the cavity could produce the results youre seeing.

Cliff notes: cook the chicken whole with no beer can or better yet, spatchcock the chicken. I like dark meat at least 185*....165* is too low for that IMO.

I agree when you "beer can" you are safe heating well over 165* because the bird is still whole you are less likely to dry it out.

If I were doing it I would personally get it to temp and then back down the heat since you using wood I like to finish yard birds with low heat. The lets more smoke flavor in and residual heat through.

I am sure there are some real chicken pros on here than would know better than myself

[Happy Hapgood]

It's rare (but possible) for a POP to go out of calibration. I suggest your probe placement is incorrect to check for temp. Probe in several places on the bird. ie. deep thigh, and deep breast. The POP may need several seconds to give an accurate reading.


Good Luck!

[Jaberwabee]

Spatchcock the chicken and it will solve your problems. Drink the beer.

[Texmex01]

I quit using anything in the cavity and started injecting my birds the night before.....Have not had a bad one yet...

[El Ropo]

Ditch the can for sure. Better yet, Spatchcock or part it out before cooking.

I consider a chicken 2 different types of meat. The white meat is lean and I prefer to cook it to an internal temp of about 155-160 F max. Carryover cooking will take it to 165 easily. The dark meat has a much higher fat content and contains more connective tissue etc. I prefer to cook dark meat to 190-195 F to help render out the fat. As you can see, 2 different types of cooks.

Cooking birds whole, this can be achieved by icing the breasts while letting the bird sit out on the counter for a while. There is also a way to sort of reverse spatchcock the bird, which involves cutting it in half leaving the breasts and wings as one half, and the rest of the bird as the other half. This way you can cook the 2 halves accordingly.

As far as pink or bloody meat close to the bone goes, this is typical of a very young chicken, and has something to do with their bones being so thin or weak that they leak out liquids that cause the discoloration you might be seeing. The meat may well be cooked to a safe temp, yet it still looks under cooked to the untrained eye.

[16Adams]

What went wrong? Cook,Cooker,Meat,Process?
The possibilities are endless.

https://www.chowhound.com/post/mushy...chicken-441875

[Crotonmark]

so I do test multiple areas of the bird - but I will end up with that mushy part by the bone that is kinda gross. The problem is the cook for sure. the dark meat is fine - it is just the lower breast I can't get cooked

[16Adams]

If you're confident in your cooker and process try a different brand of bird. I don't know if you read the link or not but seriously it can be any all or any combination of things. Great reason to cook more. More often