A Chicken Walks into a Bar

Many years ago, someone pointed out to me an article in the New York Times with the headline, “A Chicken Walks into a Bar,” written by the then relatively unknown Steven Raichlen. By now, many are familiar with the recipe that he popularized in his book, The Barbecue Bible.

For me, the article was a cultural touchstone. For many years, I had cooked my meat – be it chicken, beef or pork – horizontally on the grill. Now this simple, vertical technique always leads to a moist bird on the inside and crispy, seasoned skin on the outside.

The upright position of the bird renders off all of the fat, while the beer steams up through the inside and offers an interesting sight was well. It’s fun and it’s easy.

On a recent Sunday afternoon I made Beer Can Chicken for the first time on my new Weber grill. However, because the lid on the grill lacked the proper height, I found that I had to improvise.

Thankfully, I have a large garage and thus had held onto a Brinkman smoker that I hadn’t used in years (You know the type, it’s shaped like a large bullet).

Guess the lesson here is never throw away a grill that still has a little life left in it, even after you’ve pined after that new, super deluxe model that you saw while shopping for tools at Lowe’s.

Combining the smoker’s lid with the bottom on the Weber grill, the chicken cooked quickly. Prior to cooking, it had been rubbed with olive oil and the rub from Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas. A little Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet sauce (made in Charleston, S.C.) was brushed on near the end to add another dimension.

Yuengling Traditional Lager, produced by America’s oldest brewery, served as the marinade. Abita Brewing Co.’s Purple Haze Raspberry Wheat Brew complemented the finished product as well as Donna’s delicious au gratin potatoes, first-of-the-season corn on the cob and a salad. Sunday night's dinner is pictured above.

There’s sometimes a question about what to do with the liver and giblets that have been stashed inside the chicken. I recommend placing them in some aluminum foil along with some olive oil and your favorite rub. It makes a nice appetizer for the person doing the cooking.

Personally, I think Raichlen’s recipe is a little too involved, but here is a link:
http://www.barbecuebible.com/featured/recipe/basic_beercan_c.php

Go for the gusto.

Juke Jointin’ with Little Ed and the Blues Imperials

Editor's note: I saddened to report that Bushman's Brewhouse, the subject of this piece, closed on July 2. Thankfully, Little Ed and the Blues Imperials continue to rock on.

About a year ago, I first heard about an interesting place called Bushman's Brewhouse in rural Brown County, Ind. Located at a former country club several miles away from downtown Nashville, and definitely off the beaten track, this place is a revelation.

There’s no barbecue on the menu, but it does have one of the best pork tenderloin sandwiches around. With the re-appearance of the Gnaw Bone tenderloin – first made famous in Gourmet magazine – Brown County is certainly blessed when it comes to Indiana’s official state sandwich.

It also has an extensive beer list that runs the gamut from Pabst Blue Ribbon to Texas’ own Shiner Black, and regularly features the best in blues.

In other words, it’s the closest thing to a real juke joint here in southern Indiana. On Friday (2/18/11), it only seemed appropriate that the band was Little Ed and the Blues Imperials. One of the first Little Ed LPs I ever bought was “Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits.”

Admission charge: $5.

John Hall, proprietor of the Bushman Brewhouse, advised me that we should come early. The place would start filling up after 7 p.m., two hours before show time, he said. We made our way through the narrow and hilly roads of Brown County, passing through the tiny towns of Unionville, Trevlac and Helmsburg. Unless you had a map or knew where this place was, you’d never find it.

The definition of a juke joint is a “vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States.” It’s also called a “barrelhouse.”

Even though we’re up north, this is southern Indiana. Hall quickly made us and everyone else feel right at home. This is HIS place and it IS a juke joint.

In addition to running this place, Hall also has companies that make harmonicas and ukuleles, has a Frisbee golf course and stages a major blues festival in nearby Bean Blossom, Ind., at the site of Bill Monroe’s famous bluegrass festivals. You can find out more about his business empire at http://bushmanmusic.com/.

Matthew Socey, host and producer of “The Blues House Party” on Indianapolis public radio station WFYI, introduced the band, but many of us already had met band members Little Ed Williams, Michael Garrett, James “Pookie” Young and Kelly Littleton, who were happy to mingle among us.

I could write in detail about the performance, but needless to say, if you weren’t there, you missed a heck of a show. After nearly 25 years, Little Ed remains an unquestioned showman with his slide guitar. His brother and bass player Pookie and drummer Kelly kept the beat and Mike is a great guitarist and someone you could have a beer with (Many did).

Let the good times roll.