Newbie needs advise on cooking whole chickens indirectly

GumpFu · September 2012

I am having people over tomorrow for my wife's birthday and cooking 4 whole chickens. I have heard cooking them indirectly makes them very moist. Has anyone got a really good recipe and cooking method they could share with me or direct me to with links? I have a raised grate with cooking racks and can double stack the chickens. I have a LBGE and would like to know the details from prep, to smoke to temps and all points in between. I have done a cursory search on the BGE site as well as google but the info is sketchy at best. I may not be looking in the right spot on the BGE site but the search engine doesn't come up with recipes more questions like mine. Thanks in advance.

Austin Egghead · September 2012

When I use the vertical roaster I will use the place setter with a drip pan. If you don't have a vertical roaster beer can will work. I did 2 chickens (one butt up the other butt down) on the large at last years Eggfest in Texarkana and they came out very good. If I remember I think the temp was about 375.

To keep the burning of the fat in the drip pan from burning, put table salt in the drip pan about 1/2 inch thick. Salt will absorb the fat ..no burned fat taste and smell. If you want to capture the drippings add root veggies and small amount of liquid. If you want real crispy skin, remove the plate setter and run the temp up to 450. Don't try to crisp up skin if chicken is a pull at final temp...it will get way to dry.

Good luck

GumpFu · September 2012

Thanks Austin

Skiddymarker · September 2012

For me, indirect with a setter is the way to cook chicken, it is always moist. Learned on this forum was how to spatchcock a chicken, once we used this we have not used our vertical roaster. Don't think you can do 4 split birds in your LBGE, so you may be forced to stack them.

Typically, split the bird, find a rub, start the fire, drop in the setter, put spacer on setter (I use a dollar store cooling rack to raise the drip pan off the setter), the drip pan, the grid, the bird, bone side down. Temp at 375-400, cook until 160 breast, 170 thigh. No flipping no nothing, easy.

Smity · September 2012

I did my first 2 spatchcock chickens last night and they were the best I've ever had. I used dizzy pig raising the steaks rub put them on at 250 for about 2-1/2 hrs with some applewood. I will be doing this again for sure. You can check out my post "spatchcock chicken and fatties" for pics if you want.
Good luck!!

goblueintx · September 2012

When referencing temps, is this dome or grid temp? (another newbie doing first spatchcock now).

misu · September 2012

I've done 4 chickens in the past low and slow for pulled chicken. It was a tight fit, I used 4 beer bottles and tied their necks to be able to close the dome. I think the setup was plate setter legs up with an aluminum pan on top holding everything. You don't get the best looking skin but the meat was awesome. Egg temp was about 250-ish and little smoke.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2012

goblueintx said:

When referencing temps, is this dome or grid temp? (another newbie doing first spatchcock now).

We normally quote dome unless otherwise noted

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2012

GumpFu said:

I am having people over tomorrow for my wife's birthday and cooking 4 whole chickens. I have heard cooking them indirectly makes them very moist. Has anyone got a really good recipe and cooking method they could share with me or direct me to with links? I have a raised grate with cooking racks and can double stack the chickens. I have a LBGE and would like to know the details from prep, to smoke to temps and all points in between. I have done a cursory search on the BGE site as well as google but the info is sketchy at best. I may not be looking in the right spot on the BGE site but the search engine doesn't come up with recipes more questions like mine. Thanks in advance.

The search function sucks on here so no worries. Thanks for searching first though as it does help from time to time.

Are you trying to cook all of these at the same time? If so, you are going to have to stand them up. I'm thinking only 3 will fit but I could very well be wrong about that.If you are cooking them separately, I'm a big spatchcock fan........that just does not sound right. I wish it was called something else. i would rather be a big fan of something other than spatchcock.

Seriously though, it's a great way to cook a bird.

Little Steven · September 2012

Pulled this down from a genius cook on the other forum. Guaranteed lower temp in the breast than the dark meat.

lousubcap · September 2012

@GumpFu-missed the party but with your set-up you can spatchcock 4 in one shot-here's the link to spatchcock chix and once you go down this road-no looking back-

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm BTW- his main link is the best intro reference there is. Enjoy the journey-

sporktaor · September 2012

I do four using beer can stands available at the depot so they can stand up. I put rub under the skin sometimes with butter to keep moist, but not needed as long as you have drip pan full of hot water. Make sure to let rub sit for a few hrs or overnight. Most importantly make sure birds don't touch if a wing or leg extends over time. beware that the dome thermo may hit a bird. On a similar note, I found a local butcher that sells bone in whole breasts which is perfect if u don't like dark meat.

henapple · September 2012

I used to "beer butt" my chicken but spatchcock is definitely better imho. I learned here about cooking the veggies under the chicken as they're cooking. Awesome stuff. Can't remember who posted it....may have been Travis.

GumpFu · October 2012

thanks guys, those are some great ideas. I wish this search engine were better on the BGE forum. My chickens are getting better and better. I like getting all the little details from youo old-timers who have been doing this for a while. A little tinkering makes a big difference in taste.

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Newbie needs advise on cooking whole chickens indirectly

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