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In search of a "holy grail" chicken recipe..
I have a fellow smoker, good friend, and discerning palate joining my family for supper on Thursday. I'd really like to blow their hair back with some chicken. I've already ribbed and brisket'd them, and they've returned the favor with a killer pulled pork and some equally amazing beef short ribs. It's time for some birds.
I picked up a couple of higher quality, large roaster chickens today. Now all I need is your secret recipe to try out... In a pinch, I'll spatchcock and season them with my go-to chicken spices. I'd really like to try something new though..
Thanks!
Kevin.
Comments
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A lot of folks here rave about @Mickey's coffee rub on chicken. In the interest of full disclosure I have to admit that I have never made it - but I have used a store-bought coffee rub on chicken that I like very much.
Here is a description copied from Mickey's post from another thread:
Coffee Rub (turkey, chicken, beef & pork)
Equal part: Instant Expresso Ground coffee
Equal part: Brown Sugar
½ part: Black Pepper
½ part: Kosher Salt
½ part: Garlic Powder
¾ part: Ancho Chili Powder
Don't worry on exact, just close on measurement. I used to use turbinado sugar but we like with brown better. This is pulled from MollyShark, Hungry Man, & Richard In Fl then tweaked. I find the ancho chili powder is far less expensive in the bulk spice area than the bottled area ( have used both light or dark version). I make it starting with a half cup Instant Expresso Ground coffee and work from there as it seems to store well if sealed.XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle
San Antonio, TX
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I like plowboys yardbird seasoning on chicken but mickeys is great as well! What sort of flavor profile are you going for? You could literately go 1000 different ways. Jerk chicken is always a winner as well as teryaki chicken. I don't think you really have to brine for a spatchcock chicken but you could to add another layer of flavor. Check out some APL recipes. Those are always great!1 large BGE, Spartanburg SC
My dog thinks I'm a grilling god. -
How large are your chickens? Too big and they will be tough. No more than four pounds. Brining or marinating definitely will make a huge difference. Look up Steve Rachein's Bahamian Chicken on the web or this forum. You can use a whole spatched chicken instead of just the breast. Really really good.*******Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
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My family LOVES Alabama white sauce on chicken. We like thighs or a spatchcock chicken, I usually just rub with salt and pepper and cook raised direct at 350 to 400. Then comes the white sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon powdered garlic
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish from a jar (either in vinegar or creamy)
1 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground cayenne pepper
My boys have gone thru a batch with 1 chicken. It's become a staple in our house.
Lititz, PA – XL BGE
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Yup, you gotta try the white BBQ sauce on chicken if you haven't already done it. Just google Big Bob Gibson chicken with white BBQ sauce. There are quite a few variations out there but they're all basically the same. 2 critical things to me. First, make sure you're using a recipe that has cayenne in the BBQ sauce. Gotta have that kick to fight against the vinegar. Second, make sure you have some hickory chunks on your fire. I've tried it with just charcoal and with other kinds of wood chunks and it isn't the same. Have to have hickory. Here's the recipe I use:
White BBQ Sauce 3/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Chicken 1 teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 whole chickens (3 1/2- to 4-pound), patted dry and split (see photos) charcoal and hickory wood chunks Vegetable oil for grill grate Instructions
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For the sauce: Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute.
Refrigerate sauce in airtight container for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. -
For the chicken: Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over chicken.
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Setup grill for dual zone cooking and light grill, heat to 325ish. Place chicken over indirect heat, skin side down on grill, and cover.
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Grill chickens until skin is well browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Flip chickens skin side up and grill, covered, until breast meat registers 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes longer. You can move chicken over direct heat for a few minutes towards the end to crisp up the skin if you want.
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Transfer chickens to cutting board, brush with 2 tablespoons sauce, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Remove foil and brush chicken with 1 tablespoon sauce. Carve and serve, passing remaining sauce at table.
And then I like to serve mine with slaw of some kind. This is usually the one I use for this chicken recipeTangy Apple-Cabbage Slaw
In step 1, the salted, rinsed, and dried cabbage can be refrigerated in a zipper-lock bag for up to 24 hours. To prep the apples, cut the cored apples into ¼-inch-thick planks, then stack the planks and cut them into thin matchsticks.
Ingredients
1 medium head green cabbage , cored and chopped fine 2 teaspoons salt 2 Granny Smith apples , cored and cut into thin matchsticks 2 scallions , sliced thin 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Instructions
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1. Toss cabbage and salt in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until wilted, about 1 hour. Rinse cabbage under cold water, drain, dry well with paper towels, and transfer to large bowl. Add apples and scallions and toss to combine.
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2. Bring oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and pepper flakes to boil in saucepan over medium heat. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
XL BGE
Plano, TX -
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If you've already made a good spatchcock chicken, tomorrow may not be the day to experiment. You can up your rub game (maybe rub them two different ways - one coffee, one traditional) to provide a selection, but I'd add a sauce.
A new sauce will impress. Something to dip that flavorful chicken into. Either the white sauce above or my personal favorite, a traditional Peruvian green sauce. I discuss one here that was okay with my modifications at end of the thread.
Finally, salt. Lots of salt in that rub.
Good luck and post pics!
LBGE/Maryland -
Bookmarked
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Don't know if you want to try something different on a special cook but I do whole chicken on a beer stand inverted indirect. Dark meat is higher in the dome so it cooks faster and all the fatty stuff from the hind end runs down inside the skin and bastes the white meat.
Steve
Caledon, ON
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Try following Pepin's video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfY0lrdXar8 and do a chicken ballotine. It's not as easy as Pepin makes it look, but it's also not as hard as you might imagine. I'd highly recommend deboning the chickens a few days ahead of time and dry brining them.
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The ballotine is a great idea. Very impressive when you serve it!Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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It gets easier to debone the chicken every time you do it, but the first one was difficult.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
I just did a spatched bird the other weekend seasoned with garam masala and S&P. Then made a glaze of honey and sriracha. I had done this with thighs, never a whole bird. It was delicious, even cold on a sandwich.SE PA
XL, Lg, Mini max and OKJ offset -
Chicken bombs are easy and great.
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This is it for me right now. Awesome presentation and tasted great.
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1183939/smoked-maple-chicken#latest
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Thanks for all the recommendations, folks!
By the time I say some responses, I'd already popped the birds into a basic salt/sugar brine. I've never brined before so this'll be a first.
I took them out last night and sprinkled some corn starch on the skin and set them back in the fridge uncovered to dry the skin a bit.
As for the rubs, I'm going to do one up with the coffee rub (thanks), and I'm not 100% yet on the 2nd bird. Might just open a bottle of Yardbird and go with that.
As for sauce, I'll check my pantry but I'm 90% sure I've still got a bottle or two of Gibsons white sauce in there. When I did a BBQ tour through the US last Spring I stocked up on every sauce that impressed me, and I remember grabbing a bunch at Bob's joint!
I'll try to remember some pics, but to be honest, I probably won't be snapping any with company here.
Brining and drying pics is all I can do for now.
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I ended up making a good sized batch of the coffee rub, so I just used it on both. I did make up a double batch of white sauce, apparently we've eaten all of the Gibson's I had. Birds are on the egg now.
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Nice looking birds. That sounds like a great combination. The white sauce is also great for making chicken salad with the leftovers if you have any.Which came first the chicken or the egg? I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg.
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Excellent! Thanks for the tip. I love chicken salad sammiches, but I've never had a good recipe for them.
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Look forward to hearing the results! Spatched, Brined, Dried, Coffee rubbed...you're hitting all the marks! Should be an epic cook.
LBGE/Maryland -
The chicken was a hit with the guests, but I was a bit underwhelmed. I struggle with a crunchy skin in my BGE. I cooked it direct at just under 400, and it was still too rubbery for my taste. This included a few minutes of skin down to finish it. Do you guys rest your birds under foil at all? It's one of the last things that I suspect might be my issue..
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My experience has been that foil tented birds lose crunch to the skin. Even on deep fried turkeys it happens.Aledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. -
Evilsports said:The chicken was a hit with the guests, but I was a bit underwhelmed. I struggle with a crunchy skin in my BGE. I cooked it direct at just under 400, and it was still too rubbery for my taste. This included a few minutes of skin down to finish it. Do you guys rest your birds under foil at all? It's one of the last things that I suspect might be my issue..
I don't rest under foil though, and I've only flipped once to char the top-side (when it clearly wasn't the brown I wanted).
Guests loved it? For the win!
I have struggle finding the 3-4lbs. chickens recommended. I usually end up with a 5lbs bird. The next smaller ones are the cornish hens, but those are too small (I think?)
Glad you had fun though. Had to be. All that prep and experimentation.
LBGE/Maryland
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