5 Chickens on a Large Egg?

Essex County

I'm having a bunch of people over to the house for dinner tomorrow night and hoped to do spatchcocked chicken that will be brined and then marinated in a mixture of lemon, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, etc...[p]But I am concerned about getting 5 good sized chix on the egg at once. I thought about doing a rib rack type of set up where they'd be lined up at an angle (like this: /////) and then flipping them halfway through. Any other suggestions on setup? Can they be cooked a little early and stashed in a cooler like a butt?[p]Thanks,[p]Paul

The Naked Whiz

Essex County,
I'd think it would take a pretty talented person to line up 5 spatchcocked chickens in a rib rack since the birds are so floppy once you remove their backbone and crack the keel bone. I'd say you could lay 3 of them flat on a large, but for 5 chickens, I'd think that beer can chicken might be the way to go so you can stand them on end? Whatever you come up with, let us know how you do.
TNW

Unknown

Essex County,[p]Couldn't you sear them in batches which should firm them up a bit and then place them on the rack to finish. Never done but it sounds like it could work.[p]Bullet Bob

mad max beyond eggdome

Essex County,
i agree with the whiz. . .go for beerbutts, set one in the middle with the other four around them. . ..go indirect with grid over inverted plate setter.. . .325 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours (depending on chicken size. . .just be careful that the dome temp thermometer isn't poking into one of the birds. ..

MickeyT

<p />Essex County,[p]Not spatchcocked but you could put one more in the middle.[p]have fun[p]mick

Essex County

Thanks for the suggestions! Beer butt is probably a better way to go. Now my problem is the indirect heat part. I don't yet have a plate setter. Can I just arrange them on a pizza stone or a cast iron griddle?[p]Thanks again!

a stick

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Kudos for giving the heads up about the thermometer. I always have to keep that in mind with larger cooks.[p]Essex, I did 4 beer butt & brined chickens two weeks ago and had room for at least one more. [p]However, I have decided to stop wasting Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water and High Country Barley (Coors). The brine should hold enough moisture and make the beer cans unnecessary. My previous offset smoker would not accommodate beer butt chickens - when I brined them, drying out the breast was never an issue.[p]If you have a grid extender, you could lay the chickens breast down and fit at least 5 on the bottom of your large grid and 3 on top easily. I like to keep the temp closer to 250 and pull the birds at a breat temp of at least 180 and rest 'em for at least 30 minutes. A 4 lb chicken usually takes just under 5 hours, you may need to add some time with the more birds you throw on.

mad max beyond eggdome

astick,
what i do is take empty cans, cut the tops completely off, then fill with only 1/2 can of beer (more than enough to do the job). . .by doing this it also makes it easier to [p]1. add rub to the beer (i always put a tablespoon full of whatever rub is on the bird, into the beer) and[p]2. its easier to insert the can in the bird cause you can 'pinch' the top. ..

Crab leg

mad max beyond eggdome,
You mean that you are supposed to OPEN the beer? Just kidding. That is the way I do it too.
Seth