Of Beer Cans And Barbecue

Q: Why do meatloaf recipes call for an egg or two? What will happen if the eggs are left out? --NFD

A: The egg, and keep it to one for best results, is there to bind things together. You like that even slice? You like leftovers that can be made into that most-coveted of lunchtime staples, the meatloaf sandwich? Make sure you have some egg proteins to bind everything together.

Meatloaf is the ultimate blank slate when it comes to seasoning variations, meat types and sauces or glazes. My personal favorite uses a pound each of ground sirloin (chuck can be substituted) and a pound of good pork sausage. A close runner-up would be the Good Eats meatloaf, which uses 18 ounces each of ground chuck and sirloin.

Q: Are kosher salt and rock salt the same? --Sandy O.

A: Kosher salt is an ultra-pure salt (no iodine or other additives) that is sold in flake or small crystal form. It is ideal for most cooking uses, especially for sprinkling on a ribeye steak before grilling to give it a nice crust.

Sorry, sidetracked myself there. Good cuts of beef over an open flame have a habit of doing that.

Rock salt is just what the name implies, large chunks of salt which have not been purified and may contain some "off" chemicals or other substances. It's not generally considered fit for human consumption. Check the package carefully. It's used in ice cream freezers and for melting the ice off your sidewalk so you can get to your car and drive to the store and buy a ribeye and some kosher salt.

Q: Have you heard of a recipe for grilled chicken where you put an open can of beer in the cavity of a chicken and put it on the grill? If you have, what are the exact cooking instructions? Thank you. --Joyce U.

Joyce, the creature you're talking about is none other than beer can chicken, known in some coarser circles (such as the Meat-A-Thon group) as "Beer Butt Chicken," referring to where the can is, uh, placed.

Making it can be as simple or as complex as you wish. I prefer simple, myself.

Ingredients

1 roasting chicken, approx. 4 pounds
1 12-ounce can beer (I use Lone Star. It's a Texas thing)
¼ C. spice rub of your choice
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Light charcoal or preheat gas grill to 350° F. You'll be cooking indirectly, so light only one side of the grill.

Pour off a few ounces of the beer, no more than 1/3. If you're going to use wood chips, which I highly recommend, pour the beer over them and let them soak while you get everything else ready.

Using a churchkey or other suitable tool, carefully make two or three other holes in the top of the beer can to allow maximum vapor escape. Add 1 tbsp. of the spice rub to the beer in the can.

Remove excess fat from the chicken, then rub it down inside and out with the dry rub. Make sure to put plenty inside the body cavity and neck opening.

Lightly oil the outside of the can and set it in a shallow pan which will fit on your grill. Put the chicken onto the can slowly, and adjust the legs to make a "tripod" shape so the bird won't roll over.

Carefully move the pan to the grill and place it away from the heat, for indirect cooking. If using wood chips, drain them and put them on the coals now, or in your smoker box on top of the burner.

Roast until your probe thermometer reads 165° F. deep in the breast meat. Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Repeat as needed.

NOTE: This CAN also be done in the oven. Start at 400° F. for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° until done.

Hi, I can't find the answer to this anywhere. We like fresh peeled baby carrots. I'm very careful to check the freshness date printed on the bag when I buy them, and I refrigerate the carrots in the vegetable bin. Sometimes, even days before the freshness date, they get slimy. YUCK! What causes this slime to happen? Are the carrots not shipped/stored correctly during shipping? --Carol B.

That slime is a byproduct of a bacterial rot that lodges in the carrots sometime during the journey from the field to your crisper drawer. I would NOT recommend eating them. This is one of those "occasional" occurrences that happens when you're dealing with fresh vegetables. You can minimize the chance of it happening by making the trip from the grocery store to your refrigerator a quick one. Warmth increases bacterial activity, so letting your carrots get toasty warm will just make them a better habitat.

Q: Hello and thank you for taking the time to look over my question. I wonder if there is any way that I can make my bbq chicken taste better. I've eaten a lot of chicken from bbq places and their chicken tastes so much better then mine. If you can please give me some hints that I can use while using my bbq pit, which is run by propane. --Adam B.

A: Propane is a great cooking fuel. It's cheap and easy to get hold of. However, it doesn't smell like much when it's burning. You need some wood smoke, my friend!

Consult the manufacturer of your grill. Just about all of them sell smoker pans or boxes which are designed to hold wood chips and allow them to burn slowly, releasing their smoky goodness into your bird.

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