Barbecue Tricks

The Dangers of Eating Undercooked Chicken

By Lynne Evans

You hear a lot of scary stories about people contracting illnesses which have been linked to undercooked chicken and unfortunately the results of eating n undercooked one can be severe and even fatal.

The problem is often that if you cook a chicken after defrosting, it may require a longer cooking time. Cooking in a microwave can be tricky as often I have found, the chicken is still raw close to the bone. You should avoid eating chicken meat which looks bloody. However smoked chicken may remain pink even hen thoroughly cooked, so checking only the color is not recommended.

Chicken can often contain the bacteria Staphylococcus aurea, and this can cause food poisoning. The problem with this strain of bacteria is that it has become resistant to certain antibiotics including penicillin.

Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks are also associated with chicken, and the meat can be infected by human handlers. This can cause a variety of symptoms and cause osteomylitis, where bones are infected, pericarditis which occurs when the bacteria attack the sac surrounding the heart, meningitis when the brain or spinal cord are infected, and hepatitis which is a liver disease, and pneumonia, a lung problem. Salmonella typhi bacteria can be the cause of typhoid fever too. However the symptoms of salmonella poisoning are usually milder with vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea, stomach cramps and these usually only last for one or two days.

Another bacterium which can be present in undercooked chicken is campylobacter which can lad to Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is a temporary paralysis which begins in the feet (you experience a tingling sensation) and moves upwards. This can cause complete paralysis, although this is usually temporary but may result in some weakness which will remain.

Chicken nuggets have recently caused outbreaks of food poisoning, perhaps because people eat them raw or do not realize that they are undercooked because they are coated in breadcrumbs and bite-sized – by the time you realize they are not properly cooked, it is probably too late.

The bacteria mentioned here are killed by cooking chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius, Gas mark 5. For a fan oven a whole chicken should be roasted at this temperature, while for a conventional oven the temperatures should be 190 degrees Celsius or 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The formula for cooking a chicken is generally recognized to be 20 minutes per pound plus and extra 20 minutes. (454 grams equals one pound weight.)

If you buy chicken products, then read the cooking instructions carefully and follow them to the letter to avoid any illnesses related to undercooked chicken. It’ so easy to get it right that you shouldn’t be alarmed by the food poisoning stories you hear. Chicken is safe to eat as long as you cook it thoroughly.

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Beer In The Rear Turkey

Turkeyon a grill or smoker can be tricky.    It’s easy to get rubbery skin (and that can actually make some people mad).  There’s a lot of expectation on a Thanksgiving dinner especially with skin lovers.

Beer in the Rear Turkey is almost fool proof.  It’s quick and give you a crisp golden skin with a hint of smoke.

The first time I heard about the beer can trick was around 1999 when my morning radio hosts became enamored with a recipe they found called Beer Butt Chicken.  They thought it was so great (probably just liked that the word Butt was in a recipe) they wanted to bring a grill to the radio station and demo it in the parking lot.   I’ve grown to like it too.  So it’s fun to be able to super size the recipe.

This time the poor thing gets violated with not just a regular beer can but you use the big “Foster’s Lager” sized can of beer. You can find it in most grocery stores.   Reserve half and enjoy as you prep.  You’ve earned it. You’re going to want to punch some holes in the top of the can and put some spice rub in the can.  And then you get to the bird…where you clean off the bird really well and make sure you get all the different things out of the inside of the cavity of the bird.  They hide it in different areas… the neck, the gizzards…

Caution: It's harder to REMOVE the can...

With the bbq spice rub inside the can… the steam and the beer flavoring will actually steam through the turkey and infuse it with a really super flavor keeping the bird moist from the inside out. You’re not going to get much from the outside-in because the skin of a turkey is kind of like a wet suit.    Rub the spice under the skin (I call this getting to second base with the Turkey).  The skin is really pretty resilient and thick so you’re not going to damage anything.

Then you just insert the can upright inside the bird.     Carefully lower the turkey on top of the can making kind of a tripod of sorts.    If you need a little extra room on the grill you may want to remove the bottom grill grate and put the tripod on a small roasting pan actually on the floor of the grill directly on the burners of the gas grill.  You won’t  actually turn the burners on under the bird.   Set up for indirect grilling heat.  Temperature is going to be 325 to 375 (if you have a temperature gage on  your gas grill – use it this time).    You can usually get this temp/indirect by having one or two gas burners on and the other two off.

To get a lick of smoke use some wood chips in a smoker box on he lit burner or using a tin foil pouch.  Making a smoker pouch really easy.  Then and then just let it cook.

After about an hour – open it up turn the bird around let it cook for another hour or until it gets golden brown on both sides.   Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and cook until you hit at least 160 degrees.

You’ll  want to use gloves and be super careful removing that can.   The liquid is dangerously hot and the can is greasy! Let rest before carving.

 

Beer In The RearTurkey

In the video demo we used an 11.75 lbs turkeyand cooked for two and a half hours (150 minutes). Approximately 345 degrees Indirect heat.

“Discard” half of the beer.    Add 2 tablespoons Rub into remaining liquid in can.   Using a “churchkey” can opener add additional holes to top of can.  Insert upright under and inside turkey using legs as tripod support.  Grill over indirect heat 2 to 3 hours until temperature measures 160 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.  Let rest  before carving serving.

Ingredients:

1 wholeTurkey(10 to 18 lbs.)

6 tablespoons of BBQ Rub or Greek Seasoning

1 can Fosters Lager (or 25.4 oz other)

From http://GrateTV.com  Jack and West talk spatchcockin a chicken and using Tea as a rub.