Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube | Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Wars have been fought over lesser Spatchcock!
Options
KiterTodd
Posts: 2,466
I made my first Spatchcock a year ago. It was perfect.
Since then I've had some good birds but have been fighting to relive the perfect spatch. Along the way I got distracted by the technicalities of well intentioned advice like letting it stink up my fridge for a couple days before cooking, brining, or only cooking on the third Thursday after a full moon.
Today, with the weather warming, an egg cook was in order! Had plans all weekend that SWMBO scheduled, so a long cook was out of the question. It'd have to be today, it'd have to be simple, and I decided on chicken. Wasn't going to go crazy, just pick up a chicken on the way home and cook it a hour later. Grilling can be a multi-day affair, but it can also be simple and instant. A culmination of the knowledge collected on this forum!
As I walked into Wegmans I passed a sign advertising $3.99 rotisserie chickens. I was tempted. I knew my raw chicken would cost more than that. Next I passed a $14 organic 5 lbs. chicken. Nope...keeping it simple. I found a Wegman's 5 lbs. bird for probably $6. It was the right size and this cook was all about efficiency. Picked up some fresh oregano and I was out of there.
Got home, lit the chimney and prepped the chicken. Spatched, rinsed, dried and let it sit while I dumped in the lump and adjusted the egg. RO with a few hickory chunks. Seasoned the bird while the egg got up to temp...
Olive oil, light sprinkle of corn starch (don't know if it works, but I read it here),
fresh garlic, fresh oregano, pepper. some paprika and a lot of kosher salt.
Egg hit temp and I put it on for an hour. Was shooting for 375, but it was closer to 390 for the hour.
It was AWESOME!!!
Was relieved to know I could keep it simple and still have a great outcome!
For me, this was perfect. The ONLY change I would make for SWMBO would be the Hickory. I put in 4 chunks and it had a nice smokey flavor but too much for her. I'd put in 2 chunks next time. Otherwise, NO CHANGES!
Thanks for a year of tips, forum.
Maybe in a couple years you'll convince me on Sous Vide.
Since then I've had some good birds but have been fighting to relive the perfect spatch. Along the way I got distracted by the technicalities of well intentioned advice like letting it stink up my fridge for a couple days before cooking, brining, or only cooking on the third Thursday after a full moon.
Today, with the weather warming, an egg cook was in order! Had plans all weekend that SWMBO scheduled, so a long cook was out of the question. It'd have to be today, it'd have to be simple, and I decided on chicken. Wasn't going to go crazy, just pick up a chicken on the way home and cook it a hour later. Grilling can be a multi-day affair, but it can also be simple and instant. A culmination of the knowledge collected on this forum!
As I walked into Wegmans I passed a sign advertising $3.99 rotisserie chickens. I was tempted. I knew my raw chicken would cost more than that. Next I passed a $14 organic 5 lbs. chicken. Nope...keeping it simple. I found a Wegman's 5 lbs. bird for probably $6. It was the right size and this cook was all about efficiency. Picked up some fresh oregano and I was out of there.
Got home, lit the chimney and prepped the chicken. Spatched, rinsed, dried and let it sit while I dumped in the lump and adjusted the egg. RO with a few hickory chunks. Seasoned the bird while the egg got up to temp...
Olive oil, light sprinkle of corn starch (don't know if it works, but I read it here),
fresh garlic, fresh oregano, pepper. some paprika and a lot of kosher salt.
Egg hit temp and I put it on for an hour. Was shooting for 375, but it was closer to 390 for the hour.
It was AWESOME!!!
Was relieved to know I could keep it simple and still have a great outcome!
For me, this was perfect. The ONLY change I would make for SWMBO would be the Hickory. I put in 4 chunks and it had a nice smokey flavor but too much for her. I'd put in 2 chunks next time. Otherwise, NO CHANGES!
Thanks for a year of tips, forum.
Maybe in a couple years you'll convince me on Sous Vide. LBGE/Maryland
Comments
-
Looks good! Try some pecan wood next time. It's very good in poultry and mild.NW IOWA
-
That looks great. I've yet to hit that color on the skin. Some of my favorite cooks are stop at the store on the way home and throw it together.
-
Thanks @Philly35. Have some in the box, will try it next cook!
LBGE/Maryland -
Very well done spatchcock.
-
spatch is definitely one of my favorite cooks. I agree on the pecan wood, I normally throw in a hand full of chips, nice flavor and lighter than hickory.In Manchester, TNVol For Life!
-
Great story, I love the skin hella crisp. I use lighter woods on poultry too, like peach, apple, and cherry, it's milder, yet still smoky delicious.
Using a MBGE,woo/w stone,livin' in Hayward California," The Heart Of The Bay " -
I'm a cherry man myself. I save hickory for beef and pork.
Great cook though, most important thing was you guys loved it!
A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS -
Nice bird and nice color. I seldom use any wood chips/chunks when cooking a spatchcock direct. Sometimes a few apple chips if I want more smoke. To me, the lump imparts a mild smoke flavor without additional wood.
Any road will take you there if you don't know where you're going.
Terry
Rockwall, TX -
Looks great, I'm with Jason I've never got the skin to reach that color maybe the corn starch dried it out just enough and the higher temp helped also.Lenoir, N.C.
-
KiterTodd said:I made my first Spatchcock a year ago. It was perfect.
Since then I've had some good birds but have been fighting to relive the perfect spatch. Along the way I got distracted by the technicalities of well intentioned advice like letting it stink up my fridge for a couple days before cooking, brining, or only cooking on the third Thursday after a full moon.
Today, with the weather warming, an egg cook was in order! Had plans all weekend that SWMBO scheduled, so a long cook was out of the question. It'd have to be today, it'd have to be simple, and I decided on chicken. Wasn't going to go crazy, just pick up a chicken on the way home and cook it a hour later. Grilling can be a multi-day affair, but it can also be simple and instant. A culmination of the knowledge collected on this forum!
As I walked into Wegmans I passed a sign advertising $3.99 rotisserie chickens. I was tempted. I knew my raw chicken would cost more than that. Next I passed a $14 organic 5 lbs. chicken. Nope...keeping it simple. I found a Wegman's 5 lbs. bird for probably $6. It was the right size and this cook was all about efficiency. Picked up some fresh oregano and I was out of there.
Got home, lit the chimney and prepped the chicken. Spatched, rinsed, dried and let it sit while I dumped in the lump and adjusted the egg. RO with a few hickory chunks. Seasoned the bird while the egg got up to temp...
Olive oil, light sprinkle of corn starch (don't know if it works, but I read it here),
fresh garlic, fresh oregano, pepper. some paprika and a lot of kosher salt.
Egg hit temp and I put it on for an hour. Was shooting for 375, but it was closer to 390 for the hour.
It was AWESOME!!!
Was relieved to know I could keep it simple and still have a great outcome!
For me, this was perfect. The ONLY change I would make for SWMBO would be the Hickory. I put in 4 chunks and it had a nice smokey flavor but too much for her. I'd put in 2 chunks next time. Otherwise, NO CHANGES!
Thanks for a year of tips, forum. Maybe in a couple years you'll convince me on Sous Vide.
I see the FORKSteve
Caledon, ON
-
@Little Steven Ha. I saw the knife the first time I looked but missed THE FORK!
You, Little Steven, have fine observations skillls!
NO FORKS!
Join THE CauseNew Albany, Ohio -
-
Skin color looks great.
Give two chunks of cherry a try on your next yardbird.Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD. -
That certainly looks perfect.
It bothers me as well that rotisserie chickens cost less than whole, uncooked chickens.Which came first the chicken or the egg? I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. -
-
LBGE/Maryland
-
Nice skin you got there!____________________Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
-
Agreed. Anybody know why / how this is the case?SmokeyPitt said:It bothers me as well that rotisserie chickens cost less than whole, uncooked chickens.Phoenix -
Typically they are smaller birds. Around me the rotisserie birds are advertised between 1.75-2.25 lbs after being cooked. The grocery stores prefer using as small a bird as possible as they cook to time as opposed too checking each bird individually.I raise my kids, cook and golf. When work gets in the way I'm pissed, I'm pissed off 48 weeks a year.Inbetween Iowa and Colorado, not close to anything remotely entertaining outside of football season.
-
Excellent-looking cook, I've only gotten skin that good-looking once.
Now. Describe your "chimney" technique, and why you light your lump that way; Inquiring Minds want to know._____________Remember when teachers used to say 'You won't have a calculator everywhere you go'? Well, we showed them.
-
It's also likely a "loss-leader" - the kind of thing they price low just to tempt you into the store with the expectation that you'll buy other stuff while you're there.blasting said:
Agreed. Anybody know why / how this is the case?SmokeyPitt said:It bothers me as well that rotisserie chickens cost less than whole, uncooked chickens.
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk -
Thanks, @Botch. This is the second time I got skin that good. The first time I made it, and then this time. I'm hoping it is now within my control and it wasn't just dumb luck both times with the bird I picked out. Surely it is repeatable!!!Botch said:Excellent-looking cook, I've only gotten skin that good-looking once.
Now. Describe your "chimney" technique, and why you light your lump that way; Inquiring Minds want to know.
Chimney - I've just always used the chimney and have not seen a compelling reason for me to change that. I don't want to have to plug anything in. I don't want a big brush torch and tank out on the deck. I have no complaints using the standard charcoal chimney for lighting my lump. I don't have to buy starter blocks. All I need is a piece of newspaper which I was going to recycle anyway. I know many of you are *very* happy with your lighting methods, and that's great. This works for me!
So, what I do (since you asked) is I put as much lump in my firebox as I'm going to use. Then I take as much back out as it takes to fill the chimney. Once that lump is out I arrange my wood lumps, if I'm using them, in what will become the middle layer of lump. I put the chimney on top of the grate, do that thing you do with a chimney, and when it is lit to the desired amount I dump it on the rest of the lump. Push it around with my ash poker to get it arranged, and I'm off!
The 5-10 minutes that the chimney takes to get going is always time I can use to get other things ready for the cook, so it never holds me up.
That may be more details than you wanted...
LBGE/Maryland -
On the money!!!Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"
-
Nice chicken. Corn starch helps, or air dry overnight helps to dry. The browning is more the result of oil and rub ingredients and heat I think. Brining is good for organic birds, they are seldom pre-brined. Most grocery store or big box birds are pre-brined to add weight, hence money. Find what works and stick to it!
Nothing wrong with a chimney, son uses one all the time, although he now has a weed burner. I use mine for the little Weber, but the egg gets an electric.Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad! -
@KiterTodd - what kind of grate did you cook on? That looks like a CI Raised Direct of some kind?
I just did Spatch tonight and did Raised Grid (CGS AR on highest setting), chick dried in the fridge for ~ 5 hours, skin separated from the meat (uck - not a fun process sliding your hands up where they don't belong!), EVO and DP Dizzy Dust - and the skin was NOT crispy in the slightest. (Did first 8 min or so breast side down, then 52 min or so on it's back..no joy).
I've done some cornstarch in the past but skipped it this time. Maybe that and your cooking surface is the difference?
Mini BGE, KJ Classic - Black, Cookshack SM025, Weber Gasser (mostly for Kamado storage!)
Categories
- All Categories
- 182.7K EggHead Forum
- 15.7K Forum List
- 459 EGGtoberfest
- 1.9K Forum Feedback
- 10.3K Off Topic
- 2.2K EGG Table Forum
- 1 Rules & Disclaimer
- 9K Cookbook
- 12 Valentines Day
- 91 Holiday Recipes
- 223 Appetizers
- 516 Baking
- 2.4K Beef
- 88 Desserts
- 163 Lamb
- 2.4K Pork
- 1.5K Poultry
- 30 Salads and Dressings
- 320 Sauces, Rubs, Marinades
- 543 Seafood
- 175 Sides
- 121 Soups, Stews, Chilis
- 35 Vegetarian
- 100 Vegetables
- 312 Health
- 292 Weight Loss Forum