Chicken...Getting it Right

Principal Cook

Just got my egg in December and have been trying to master cooking whole chickens. Just can’t seem to get it right with a vertical roaster. When the breast meet is perfect (175 degrees) the leg joints are too rare. If the leg joint is just right, the breast meet is like leather. Any suggestions?

djm5x9

PC:[p]Butterfly your birds (cut the back bone out) and let them lay flat on the grill. You will get a more even cook that way. See link . . .[p]You can also cook the chicken upside down and get the same results. To do this on a BGE you have to be creative . . .


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The Naked Whiz

djm5x9,
Of course, if he didn't want to butterfly it.... (you knew this was coming, didn't you?) ....he could always spatchcock it. :-)[p]
TNW

Vegas Slim

The Naked Whiz, lol have to love that spacthed chicken!! i will tell you it is the best chicken we have ever had and make it no other way thanks whiz!!

The Naked Whiz

djm5x9,
I suppose the duck-equivalent would be spatchdrake, just in case you were wondering..... :-)[p]TNW

djm5x9

<p />Whiz:[p]And if it were a goose?
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Banker John

The Naked Whiz,
would that be a loose goose ??? LOL

The Naked Whiz

djm5x9,
Why "spatchgander", of course![p]TNW

Porkchop

couple of suggestions...[p]1) brine the bird. that way, you can bring the entire bird up to a higher finishing temp (so the dark meat is done) w/o drying out the breast meat[p]2) beer butt chicken. the liquid in the chicken-setter keeps the breast meat moist by steaming inside the breast cavity. bring the temp up to finish the dark meat and the breast meat remains moist.[p]3) try tenting the bird after the first half hour to 45 min of the cook with tin foil over the breast area. it should keep the breast from drying out while bringing the dark meat up to temp.[p]i don't try to roast whole or even spatchcock my birds anymore anyways. i cut the whole bird up, brine the pieces, and cook them like that.

djm5x9

The Naked Whiz:[p] . . . And this is why they call you "The Naked Whiz"!
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djm5x9

Porkchop:[p]I used to halve my birds and grill them. They were good, but butterflied I find that the bird retains moisture as well as cooks more even. Occasionally I grill bird parts, but prefer butterflied because the bird retains more moisture.

Gandolf

The Naked Whiz,
ButterSpatch, man, ButterSpatch! :~)

nikkig

Gandolf,
I guess that's better than spatchfly![p]~nikki