Beer Can Chicken
Can the vapors from beer infuse the chicken causing a reaction?
Yes…absolutely Yes.
For three days in July I was stumped by what I had eaten to cause a glutened reaction. We all know how that goes, we re-trace every step, every bite of every possible thing we ingested trying to figure out how we were glutened. It wasn’t until laying in bed the third morning as
I started feeling better that I asked Mr. Spinner, “hey…when we had beer can chicken the other night, you used gluten free beer, right?”
I started feeling better that I asked Mr. Spinner, “hey…when we had beer can chicken the other night, you used gluten free beer, right?”
His answer was…“No! You cannot be glutened from vapors…good grief.”
Sigh…..
We’ve made beer can chicken many times before but I’ve been the one to prepare it…always using gluten free beer. His response prompted me to Google whether beer could cause gluten reactions in beer can chicken, and up pops Shirley Braden’s post on Gluten Free Easily for Beer Can Chicken.
As I read through her post, which is a wonderful read by the way, she mentions using gluten free beer which I had always used as well. But I wondered, would regular beer cause a reaction? I then Googled “can vapors cause a gluten reaction?” and a discussion thread came up. A woman wrote asking if she could have been glutened from the vapors of her husband making beer at home. The overall consensus of the thread was that gluten particles (molecules) are too large and heavy to rise in steam, making it unlikely to be glutened by vapors. They told her it could be a psychological reaction. Really?? Well needless to say, she wasn’t too happy with their response…rightfully so.
I then emailed Shirley, (who’s been a great help to me many times) knowing her expertise in gluten sensitivities and guidelines. I asked her if I could have been glutened by using regular beer in beer can chicken. Her response to me was, “Yes, we absolutely can get glutened this way, that’s what did you in!” She also went on to say, “I’ve mentioned before that we can’t eat seafood that’s been steamed in beer either…you’ll have to educate your hubby. We can even get glutened from breathing in flour or the steam from processing gluten foods, etc.”
So that was it…I was glutened from the vapors of the beer infusing the chicken. And to me, that made perfect sense. Of course, Mr. Spinner felt horrible…both for not using gluten free beer, but also for basically saying it was ridiculous to think that’s what made me sick. And you know what? Many times I think some of the precautions we need to take are ridiculous too, but it’s not a choice. We all know the frustrations of being glutened…it’s not worth taking a chance…ever. Mr. Spinner was quickly forgiven as it’s a continued learning process…for all of us…this gluten-monster that contaminates so many of our foods. I tend to think I’ve discovered all the triggers until something like this happens, and yet one more time I learn of another way we can become glutended.
So we won’t stop eating as we always have, you know that’s one of my goals. We will still make Beer Can Chicken, we’ll just always use gluten free beer. Our apparatus is made for two chickens and we use a glass jelly jar to fill with the beer in place of a beer can (many GF beers don’t come in cans). This picture is after we took the chicken off; you can see it’s still as full as when we started. The beer doesn’t actually bubble up into the chicken, rather the vapors and moisture from the beer infuse the chicken while roasting in the enclosed grill making it incredibly moist and tender. It’s so good.
Here’s how you do it…
Prepare your chicken by rinsing and removing any giblets or packets and pat dry with a paper towel. Season liberally both inside and out with a GF chicken seasoning or simple sea salt and pepper. Set the chicken standing upright onto the gadget directly over the jar that you filled with gluten free beer (or the can). We place it on a baking sheet so it’s easier to transport to the grill. If you don’t have one of these gadgets, you don’t need one…just use the beer can.
Here’s an important tip:
You’ll want to use indirect heat. To do so just light the front two burners leaving the back burner off. Heat your grill on high until it reaches 375 degrees, then set dials to medium high. Once the grill is ready, place the chicken on the back grate of the grill as shown. Close the lid and roast for 1 1/2 hours with minimal checking so the heat and steam remain.
Mmmmmmm!
Allow the bird to rest for 10-15 minutes once removed from the grill.
Then carve and enjoy!
