2nd try..

Foghorn

slantback37 said:

Yes, but I only have a small egg. We couldn't afford the Med one. Now I heard that from another member that I could put the lump all of the way to within a inch of the plate setter.. Though wouldn't you still have a lot of bad smoke if it were all still burning?? Going to be kind of hard to explain but if I started the fire on one side.. Wouldn't I need for it to work it's way all of the way across before I even think of putting on the meat??

As the temp in the firebox rises, the stuff that makes the nasty smell/taste (volatile organic compounds or VOCs) will evaporate off of all of the lump.   Each individual piece does not have to catch fire for this to happen. 

slantback37

So as long as there is a high heat in there it will take care of any of the VOC's from all of the lump.lighted or not??
I will try one of those spatch chickens in a couple of weeks. This weekend is my weekend to work. I will be asking questions later on just about everyting about it. Thanks

buzd504

Yes, even at 250 dome, the lump will be hotter than that, and the VOCs should burn off.

Ladeback69

@slantback37, first let me say welcome to the forum.  As can see this is a great place to get advice and everyone is helpful.  I found this video on YouTube about how to light and relight the egg.  No I only fill almost all the way up to the bottom of the plate setter if I am going to do a low & slow.  If you have some lump left over go ahead an reuse it.  You may need to add a little more.  Also you should like the Rockwood better then the BGE brand and the smoke smell will not be as strong and will go away faster.  Just remember after you light it give it at least 7 to 8 minutes to get going.  After you put the plate setter in it could take a little bit to get up to temp.  With Spacthcock I like cooking it around 300 to 350 indirect.  I only takes bout 45 minutes to a hour depending on the size of the bird.  I hope this helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSrLeWwtH2c

slantback37

Thanks. I will be getting a 3 to 4 lb bird. I saw the youtube video aabout cutting tightvto the sides of the back bone to cut it out. Then make a small cut in the bottom to expose the breast bone.

Ladeback69

slantback37 said:

Thanks. I will be getting a 3 to 4 lb bird. I saw the youtube video aabout cutting tightvto the sides of the back bone to cut it out. Then make a small cut in the bottom to expose the breast bone.

If you have a sharp knife it is pretty easy.  I make a cut on both sides of the backbone when I do it and remove the backbone.  Turn it over and flatten it out.  Brush on a little EVOO and my favorite rub.  Put it back in the fridge while I get the egg ready to cook.  I just did one this last Saturday for lunch.  

robnybbq

Go to the naked  whiz site - recipes - poultry - Step by step guide with pics on how t ocook a spatchcock chicken.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm

slantback37

Okay. Will do
 After work of coarse..

buzd504

Poultry shears are great for cutting out the backbone.  A bit specialized perhaps, but once you are doing a chicken a week, well worth it.

robnybbq

its a safe site,   the name is intimidating.

johnmitchell

@slantback37..Keep us posted on your chicken cook and post some pics of your set up...That might be helpful for us to give some more advice.. 

slantback37

I took a few pics of my egg and table, but I don't know how it will help any..

buzd504

Nice set up.  One thing I would be careful of is that having your gasket level at the same level as your table is going to expose your table to a lot of heat and could potentially be a fire hazard.  This is why you will notice the lip of most eggs raised 3 or 4 inches over table level.  Keep an eye on it.

slantback37

Okay. I can put some more fire bricks under my base.

johnmitchell

Fantastic set up great idea with getting the egg a little higher.

slantback37

Would a cinder block be okay to use for a greater height??

Ladeback69

Are those solar cells for lights around the egg?

johnmitchell

What I would suggest is to try and get some air flow between the bottom of the egg and your fire bricks/cinder block. This you can do by adding either some ceramic pot raisers or go to the BGE website and look for them under accessories 

slantback37

Kind of like a flood light with a motion detector. I have a portable LED light that clamps to the table.

slantback37

There is airflow. There are three bricks there. There is room for air to enter, and exit from three ways.

slantback37

I kind of fixed the height of the egg. I took it apart and lifted it 2". I chopped up some 2" square conduit.

slantback37

When cooking that chicken.. Will the skin get crisp??

robnybbq

If I want crisp skin I leave the bird uncovered in the fridge overnight before cooking

slantback37

What if I want to use a dry rub.

Shiff

slantback37 said:

What if I want to use a dry rub.

I pull back the skin and put the rub under it, then pull it back in place.  Works great. The skin doesn't always come out crispy but it seems to when I cook the chicken indirect at 350-400 degrees.

Foghorn

slantback37 said:

What if I want to use a dry rub.

Even if you don't have time to leave chicken in the fridge overnight, you can rub it with cornstarch an hour or more before you cook it - then apply your rub of choice right before it goes on the egg.  This goes a long way toward crisping the skin.  And cooking at higher temps (350-400) results in crisper skin.

slantback37

How much cornstarch??
I also saw one where they cover it in butter, and even shove butter under the skin.

slantback37

Well I talked to the guy at work today. He made ribs yesterday. He said he just lights the egg, and puts on the ribs. He said there is no need to wait, or get it up to temp. He also said that maybe it was because my egg was new, and needed to be seasoned first.

Foghorn

"How much cornstarch??"

I'm not sure how to quantify that other than to say that a thin-to-moderate dusting is usually good.  When I do wings I put it on thicker. 

Shiff

slantback37 said:

Well I talked to the guy at work today. He made ribs yesterday. He said he just lights the egg, and puts on the ribs. He said there is no need to wait, or get it up to temp. He also said that maybe it was because my egg was new, and needed to be seasoned first.

Due to VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the charcoal, it is going to smell pretty bad until they burn off.  This smell will be picked up by your food.  It can  take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour for the VOC to burn off depending on your charcoal and temperature.

If you light your egg with the wax starter cubes and put on your food immediately, you will get the bad VOC taste/smell and the paraffin taste in your food.