National Barbecue News

DOUGLAS, GEORGIA (December 22, 2003) - The National Barbecue News, the worlds No.1 publication dedicated to the Sport of Barbecue, will begin printing a monthly column devoted exclusively to cooking chicken on a beer can. The article will be written by Buster Burgin, a State, National, and International award winner in the Drunk Chicken category. With billions of cookouts annually, the article will emphasize the family backyard barbecue as a source for healthy, delicious, and easy-to-prepare food. For more information on the National Barbecue News, check out www.barbecuenews.com

By Elizabeth Noller
Holiday Gift Ideas
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (December 11, 2003) - Cooking whole chickens upright on half-full beer cans is a secret serious grillers have used for years to create tender, savory birds. Traditionally, the beer cans have toppled over, earning the dish the name "Drunk Chicken." Buster Burgin, Georgia's 2001 Chicken Cooking Champion, designed a stainless-steel device that holds the beer can and bird in place. Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost ($39.95), available at Georgia Backyard stores, recently won first place in Chile Pepper magazine's prestigious International Zesty Foods show 2004's Best Grilling/Smoking Accessory.

www.georgiabackyard.com

Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost Wins The Gold
At International Zesty Foods Show

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (September 26, 2003) - Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost wins The 2004 Golden Chile Pepper Award for 1st place in the Grilling/Smoking Accessories Division. Chile Pepper Magazine's prestigious International Zesty Foods Show brings contestants from around the world to show their wares, and compete for the coveted "Golden Chile" award. More information at www.chilepepper.com under Firey Food Challenge, in the Accessories - Grilling/Smoking category.

ACWORTH, Ga. (July 21, 2003) - After years of research and design, Buster Burgin has solved the 'toppling crisis' associated with the preparation of great-tasting beer-can chicken with his introduction of Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost.

The Roost, a stainless steel cooking apparatus, combines the key components of any successful cookout- beer and chicken - to create a delicious meal that can be enjoyed virtually anywhere with limited preparation time. With a capacity of up to four whole chickens, the Roost is flexible enough to accommodate a romantic dinner for two or a boisterous party of tailgaters.

Like moths to a flame, millions of Americans flock every year to the great outdoors to don their chef's hats and become the master of the grill. BBQ competitions occur throughout the year, across the country, and grilling enthusiasts are constantly coming up with new and interesting methods of searing, basting, and blackening their favorite dishes.

Recently, the art of infusing chicken with beer or other flavorful liquids has attracted the attention of seasoned grill masters. This process involves placing a half-full can of beer on the grill and wedging an entire chicken on top of the can. The chicken roasts for a few hours while being steamed with the wholesome goodness of beer and your choice of seasonings. The Roost makes barbecuing drunk chicken trouble-free, leaving enthusiasts to enjoy themselves until their delicious meal of flavorful, golden brown, moist drunk chicken is ready.

Beer-can chicken has been a long-time favorite of backyard gourmets, yet previously, balancing chicken on a beer can has proven difficult. The repeated toppling of the chicken infused with beer actually led to the term "drunk chicken." Though no exact date is known, some folks would argue that beer-can chicken was invented about 6,000 years ago when the Sumarians first started brewing beer. Yet, more recent lore places beer-can chicken origins in the backwaters of Mississippi some 15 years ago. People searched far and wide for a solution to the 'toppling crisis', until one day, when Buster had a vision…

It was a hot and balmy summer day when Buster Burgin had to get up out of his lawn chair for the third time, to upright his beer can chicken. "It just kept fallin' over and fallin' over," recalls the roost's inventor. Looking down at his hand, while he held a nice cold beer, it dawned on him that "hands" were the answer. He needed a little hand for each beer, and each chicken. The next day, Buster built a prototype out of flat sheet metal and wire, and after a process of trial and error, the Roost was born.

Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost resembles a four-leaf clover, with four stainless steel rings, or "hands", that each holds a standard 12-ounce can of beer or soda. An easy-to-hold handle comes out of the center of the Roost for trouble-free preparation, transport, and carving. Because the Roost is perched directly on the grill, holding the beer cans and fowl firmly in place, the 'toppling effect' is no longer a threat to the drunk-chicken cooking process. Additionally, the Roost also works great in the kitchen oven, so apartment and city dwellers need not miss out on good drunk chicken.

Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost takes beer-can chicken cooking to a new level. A product of drunkchicken LLC, Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost is crafted out of food-quality stainless steel. Its patented ergonomic design makes it easy to use and simple to clean - its dishwasher safe. The Roost retails for $39.95 and can be ordered directly from the company Web site at www.drunkchicken.com. or by calling (770) 425-8797. The Web site is also an excellent resource for drunk chicken recipes and cooking tips.

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Contact:
Buster Burgin drunkchicken LLC (770) 425-8797 buster@drunkchicken.com

As we travel around in the National Barbecue News home away from home, a 40 ft. motor home with a large billboard on the back and signage on the sides, we have lots of memorable experiences. We've actually had a driver pull us over on a busy interstate and ask if we could come eat at their restaurant and tell us what we thought of their barbecue! However, most of the time we simply meet people interested in cooking, especially barbecue, who want to share a recipe, tell us about their favorite restaurant, or have us try a new product.

While attending a competition barbecue recently, Buster Burgin from Acworth, Ga., a town located just north of Atlanta, came by our mobile office and told us about a new invention he was marketing and asked if we would be interested in trying it out to see what we think. As always our answer was, "Sure," since we are always looking for better ways of doing things, especially when it comes to cooking.

We were a little busy going back and forth to the judging area and he brought us a couple of Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost™ and left them on our door step. And, just before Thanksgiving I was looking for something a little different to serve since I knew both of our children would be attending another evening meal sure to include the traditional turkey. And, since the Chicken Roost would allow me to do four chickens, there would be plenty for lunch and lots more to send home.

After putting on the coffee on Thanksgiving morning, I went about (while Joe slept a little longer) getting the chickens ready. It is recommended that you do the chickens on an outdoor grill with a cover or in the oven with a drip pan. We decided to use our Cookshack Smokette since it would fit perfectly.

I basically used the recommendations which came in the box with the Roost. After washing the four chickens, I rubbed them with olive oil and then generously with a commercial rub. Then I washed the Roost, poured out half of the beer, added several pieces of garlic to each can and just sat the chickens on each Roost and adjusted the legs to make them fit snugly.

Joe came into the kitchen just in time to volunteer and take them to the gazebo and put them in the smoker. We decided not to add any chips or pellets to the smoker. The instructions call for 2 hours at 350º, but since we can only cook at 250º, we allotted 3 hours and used a meat thermometer with a poultry setting to guide us when the chickens were ready.

"This is the juiciest, best tasting chicken I've ever had - better than fried!" was what one of my daughters-in-law had to say about the chicken. And, she was right! We ate a little more than one of the chickens for lunch, along with a macaroni and cheese casserole, sweet potatoes, peas, deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, a pasta dish, cornbread, turnip greens, and ham. We also had Red Velvet Cake and Pecan Pie for dessert! Yum...yum. I am blessed (and thankful) to have two daughters-in-law who enjoy cooking and bringing good stuff to share.

When lunch was over, it was also easier to wrap up a whole chicken for each of us rather than having to finish carving a turkey to give everyone to take home. It was a good choice and I recommend you check out their web site at www.drunkchicken.com or call Buster at 404-754-2600 and have one on hand in case you're looking for some great chicken with little effort.

The cooking championship, which is sponsored by the Buena Vista-Marion County Chamber of Commerce, was held in conjunction with the annual Rural American Festival on Saturday, November 3, 2001, in Buena Vista, Georgia. In 1994, the Georgia State Legislature designated Buena Vista as the official site of the Georgia Chicken Cookin' Championship. Congratulations to Buster.

Also, NBBQN was given a couple of Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost™ cookers to check out and give our opinion. We decided to make a small change in our Thanksgiving meal and cook four chickens, instead of the traditional turkey,on Buster's Drunk Chicken Roost™. And, it turned out to be a good choice. They were really good and a lot easier to split up among the three families after the big meal was over. We're planning to do this again because it's almost a shame to produce this much good chicken with so little effort! See his Roost at www.drunkchicken.com