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Leaping Frog Chicken!

Little Chef
Little Chef Posts: 4,725
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Here is a fun new one for all of us Spatchcock fans to try.....Leaping Frog Chicken. You will see from the pics, this is appropriately named.

First....the butchery......

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Separated the leg skin from breast skin, and popped the thigh joint. Notice, left the thighs attached!!

Next....

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Cut through the rib bones, up to the wings, but left attached at the shoulder of the bird.

Then....flipped the breast over....

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just like opening a jewlery box. Then flipped the whole thing over....

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Smashed the breast until the breast bone cracked. It became nearly flat.

Finished butchery......

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Then rubbed, inside and out.....

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Onto the medium, at 375*, raised grid, direct....

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And the finished "FROG"....lol

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It was a chicken to start, I swear!! :woohoo: :whistle:

This was the first cook for me with this butchery... which I must add, is courtesy of Gourmet Magazine June 2009. (pg 102 to be specific!) I made some mistakes, which I felt I would share with you.

I should have gone hotter for the skin side down on the original sear. Also, with this butchery, use a big spatula, not tongs. There is a recipe provided in the magazine that I followed pretty true. But...I would add lemon juice to my wet rub, not lemon slices under the skin! :blink: Kept the skin way too wet, and tore. :S I did skin down the first 10 minutes, I would up that to 20 min. Then I would finish bone side down. All in all, easier to butcher than a Spatchcock! And the rub was excellent....again, add lemon juice to the rub, and forget the slices under the skin. ;)
The whole cook took a bit more than 1 hour, but could have been quicker (and better) at 400-425*.
Just my thoughts, and I am stickin to 'em! Have fun with this new cut!!
We will post a slide show of the butchery on Bubba's site tomorrow. ;) It will include step by step photos. I abbreviated for the forum. ;)

Have fun, everyone!! RIBBIT!!! :laugh:

Comments

  • bubba tim
    bubba tim Posts: 3,216
    I was the first Egghead to eat this "frog". Very very nice. Moist and juicy. Fast to make and easier than a spacthcock so says LC..could be a new thang for eggheads
    SEE YOU IN FLORIDA, March 14th and 15th 2014 http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com You must master temp, smoke, and time to achive moisture, taste, and texture! Visit www.bubbatim.com for BRISKET HELP
  • eenie meenie
    eenie meenie Posts: 4,394
    LC, It looks just like a frog :lol: ......I can't wait to try it! :side:
  • AnnaG
    AnnaG Posts: 1,104
    The chicken that looks like frog looks great!!! I will have to try that... :)

    Are you guys in the same room, sitting on the couch while you post? :)
  • bubba tim
    bubba tim Posts: 3,216
    she is on the porch, I am in my office
    SEE YOU IN FLORIDA, March 14th and 15th 2014 http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com You must master temp, smoke, and time to achive moisture, taste, and texture! Visit www.bubbatim.com for BRISKET HELP
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    LC,

    Fun looking cook. Got to try it on the next chicken dinner.

    Thrideye sometimes uses this cut but he separates the top from the lower half.

    GG
  • bubba tim
    bubba tim Posts: 3,216
    Kent, That would not be the same cut...
    SEE YOU IN FLORIDA, March 14th and 15th 2014 http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com You must master temp, smoke, and time to achive moisture, taste, and texture! Visit www.bubbatim.com for BRISKET HELP
  • AnnaG
    AnnaG Posts: 1,104
    Good information!!! I didn't know that the double-wide came with an office... I will have to look into that...
    :)
  • bubba tim
    bubba tim Posts: 3,216
    2 beds, 2 baths, 1 office
    SEE YOU IN FLORIDA, March 14th and 15th 2014 http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com You must master temp, smoke, and time to achive moisture, taste, and texture! Visit www.bubbatim.com for BRISKET HELP
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Anna...Thanks! And honestly, the frog chicken was amazing! I think because the breast is further from the fire than the dark meat, the whole bird cooked very evenly! The legs/thighs were perfect, and the breast was super moist. All in all, an easy, and successful cook! ;)
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Rebecca...this was a fun one! :laugh: Didn't look much like a frog, until we flipped it over to the bone side! Then it looked exactly like one! :laugh: A fun cook, and was really quite easy to do! Definately a conversation getter if you are having guests... :woohoo: ;) And the chicken was perfect! ;)
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    GG - It was a fun cook! :laugh: With the way the meat was distributed on the grill, the white, AND dark meats turned out perfectly! We had fun with it, but had a better dinner! :laugh: ;)
  • very nice pictoral!!! very creative butchery, and it looks delicious!! thanks for sharing. ..
  • BigGreenDawg
    BigGreenDawg Posts: 327
    Maybe I can convince my 6 yr. old it is a giant frog and it tastes just like chicken :woohoo: Just kidding, I will have to try that for the next chicken cook, thank you for sharing.
  • Just my thoughts, and I am stickin to 'em
    Michelle, you are starting to sound like Bubba Tim :woohoo: Looking forward to the instructional video! B)
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    Rut Row!! :blink: Maybe I got to get back to basics.... :blink: :woohoo: :woohoo: :laugh: ;)
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Tim,

    I separated the lower half and inverted it rather than leaving it together.

    chicken2.jpg

    chicken2.jpg

    When I did this cook last week my intention was to try for the 6 hour slow chicken cook. I didn't come close to 6 hours though.

    It was cut so I could pull the white meat and let the dark meat cook longer.

    Kent
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Michelle,

    Thanks, this cut is going to be fun with the grand kids.

    We are going to cook frog. The names usually freak the kids out then we end up having to cook hot dogs or marshmellows. That's OK too, it's all fun.

    I think I will try and find a small lime and put it under the skin where the eyes should be. A take off of thirdeyes vertical 'girlie' chicken.

    Kent
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    "bone side" oh great, that's going to be hard to get eyes on there, ah, oreo's.

    GG
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    A couple olives would probably do for eyes, too! LOL!!! Go to the dollar store, and buy some green kids "booties"...LOL...put them on the leg tips!! (AFTER the cook, of course!) :blink: :laugh: ;) Have fun!! :laugh:
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Great idea, maybe some green olives with pimento and the booties.

    This is going to be fun. The g. kids think granpda's nuts anyway.

    A couple of years ago I had a good crop of corn (stalks) growing and water melons growing. The water melons were the save of a large orange and the corn was mostly corn stocks.

    When the 5 year olds and younger came over the magic corn always had something on them. Bagged microwave popcorn, cups of strawberries, marshmallows and on an on. The g. kids were amazed at grandpas magic corn and all the things it could grow.

    The watermelons was a tougher project. The kids kept watching the lime, lemon, orange size watermelons and wondered when we could eat them - and if they were going to get bigger.

    About a week later I invited all of them over to pick the watermelons. The plants were huge but the crop was, well lime, lemon and orange size.

    Before they got here I picked up some huge watermelons, honey dew, cantaloupe, grape bunches and put them in the vines.

    The kids ran out to the patch to pick and their eyes were as big as saucers.

    So... Cooking frogs is on the to do list.

    Grandpas at it again, GG
  • Little Chef
    Little Chef Posts: 4,725
    :laugh: :woohoo: :laugh: :laugh: ;) My "Grampie" used to do the same!!! :laugh: :laugh: God rest his soul, but my, what great memories!!! :laugh: :laugh: I miss that old man! ;) Thanks for bringing the memory back! :laugh: :laugh: :)
  • Beanie-Bean
    Beanie-Bean Posts: 3,092
    Ha! Good stuff, LC--if I told the kids that it was a frog (but tasted like chicken) they probably would not want to try it. Thanks for the tip on the lemon juice.
  • JLOCKHART29
    JLOCKHART29 Posts: 5,897
    Got to love what some one with to much time on there hands can come up with!! :laugh: Nicely done and it should have got a Bubba Tim carnavor meat dish approval! ;)
  • Misippi Egger
    Misippi Egger Posts: 5,095
    LC,

    Was this Bubba Tim's birthday dinner? Good job !


    BTW, what's the deal with the colored tape on the knife handle? Do y'all have different colors for each other's knives? Is that to keep Bubba's paws off your knives? :woohoo:

    Would have anything to do with melting pans or anything? :ohmy: