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:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Spatch-tacular!

Options
BrotherEgg
BrotherEgg Posts: 95
in EggHead Forum
Cooked my first spatchcocked chicken last night and it was everything that you guys said it would be. Spatchcocked it myself. When I asked the butcher at the local market if he could spatchcock a chicken for me he said "huh?". I'm pretty sure he thought I was cursing at him. I figured I could probably do it and I really don't want to make any more enemies with sharp knives! It was pretty simple after all.

My daughter came over for dinner last night and she loved it. She can be picky so I took that as a genuine compliment. After reading a bit more about the variations on how to cook this I think I will do a couple of things differently on the next one.

First, I would not use as much or any butter. The bird was so moist I don't think it needed it and I actually think it washed (or dripped) much of the flavor from the seasonings away. Second, I would use a drip pan. There was a lot of smoke created by the drippings and I think it would have tasted even better with a little less smoke flavor. My PSWoo3 should be arriving this week so that will help with the drip pan set up and getting the chicken up a little higher in the grill. Lastly, I wold leave it rib side down. I'm not sure I gained much by flipping it. I think I will get the same result when I get the it higher in the dome.

image

image

_______________________________________________________________________________
Large BGE, PSWoo3, 13"CI grid, Grid Extender, Weber Genesis B Gasser/BGE Storage Cabinet
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Options
    Looks good @BrotherEgg. 

    I'm sure you've read all of this before but, just in case, try putting rub both on top of and under the skin. Every now and then I'll slide some lime slices under the skin. I like to do my with the grill raised up to the gasket level and will flip it skin-side down for about 10 minutes or so to get the skin nicely browned and a little crispier.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
    Options

    You did something i haven't seen here before!  Cooked the chicken direct, but at a "low direct", not "raised direct"??  I bet it cooked fast!  Looks great!  Now you suggested you are going to use a drip pan in the future, does that mean you are going to cook indirect?

    For years i injected my spatchcocked chickens, then i tried brining one six hours before cooking.  Made a major difference.  The chicken is not only moist, but has a very rich taste, like it is cooked within it's own juices..  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    Options
    Does going direct always create this unwanted smokey taste? Would raised direct eliminate this as the chicken is further from the coals.I know Mickey often does raised direct and he never mentions this bad smoke?
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****? 



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Options
    I've never had a smokey taste with my spatchcock (doing it raised direct). Maybe you've got remnants of smoking wood from a previous cook?
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CharlieTN
    CharlieTN Posts: 177
    Options
    I did my first one raised direct.  I went bones down the whole time and after 30 minutes slid a pan under the bird with some sliced potatoes in it.  The potatoes cooked up nicely and had a bit of the chicken drippings on them but not bad at all.  Took right at 1 hour with the egg stabilized at 375.  

    One other trick is to butterfly the bird and lay it out open in the fridge for 24 hours.  Lets the skin dry out nicely and it will be nice and crispy.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Options
    CharlieTN said:
    I did my first one raised direct.  I went bones down the whole time and after 30 minutes slid a pan under the bird with some sliced potatoes in it.  The potatoes cooked up nicely and had a bit of the chicken drippings on them but not bad at all.  Took right at 1 hour with the egg stabilized at 375.  

    One other trick is to butterfly the bird and lay it out open in the fridge for 24 hours.  Lets the skin dry out nicely and it will be nice and crispy.
    Charlie, I'm not questioning you on this but, as much as my wife loves spatchcock chicken, I could NEVER, get away with doing this. 
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CharlieTN
    CharlieTN Posts: 177
    Options
    TexanOfTheNorth said:
    CharlieTN said:
    I did my first one raised direct.  I went bones down the whole time and after 30 minutes slid a pan under the bird with some sliced potatoes in it.  The potatoes cooked up nicely and had a bit of the chicken drippings on them but not bad at all.  Took right at 1 hour with the egg stabilized at 375.  

    One other trick is to butterfly the bird and lay it out open in the fridge for 24 hours.  Lets the skin dry out nicely and it will be nice and crispy.
    Charlie, I'm not questioning you on this but, as much as my wife loves spatchcock chicken, I could NEVER, get away with doing this. 
    I was really surprised, she didn't complain too much, at least to me anyway.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    edited June 2013
    Options
    Get it raised. 400. Try to put chicken in the fridge uncovered overnight. No pan. This just works for me over and over.
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BrotherEgg
    BrotherEgg Posts: 95
    Options
    I think the smoke mostly came from the butter. I really over did it. I left the bird in the fridge for about 3 hours but I covered it with plastic wrap. That probably defeated the purpose.

    It didn't cook too fast at the lower level. It had it on for about an hour. 20 min skin down and 40 min ribs down. The temp in the thigh was about 165 when done.

    Not sure if the drip pan would make it an indirect cook. I was planning to rest the pan on the Plate Setter retaining brackets of the PSWoo3. I don't know if the thin aluminum drip pan provides enough mass to make it an indirect cook like the ceramic Plate Setter would.

    Steve

    _______________________________________________________________________________
    Large BGE, PSWoo3, 13"CI grid, Grid Extender, Weber Genesis B Gasser/BGE Storage Cabinet
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    Options
    BrotherEgg said:
    I think the smoke mostly came from the butter. I really over did it. I left the bird in the fridge for about 3 hours but I covered it with plastic wrap. That probably defeated the purpose.

    It didn't cook too fast at the lower level. It had it on for about an hour. 20 min skin down and 40 min ribs down. The temp in the thigh was about 165 when done.

    Not sure if the drip pan would make it an indirect cook. I was planning to rest the pan on the Plate Setter retaining brackets of the PSWoo3. I don't know if the thin aluminum drip pan provides enough mass to make it an indirect cook like the ceramic Plate Setter would.

    Steve

    Yes it would make it indirect.
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CharlieTN
    CharlieTN Posts: 177
    Options
    I guess that would make mine 1/2 direct, 1/2 indirect.  Now I sound like I'm ordering expensive coffee.

    My setup puts the bird up into the dome a bit.  I think that helped to crisp the skin up nicely as well.  More of the oven effect.  

    I put the basic grate on the fire ring.  I then used a jerry rigged second grate with bolts for legs to get the bird even higher.  Now that I have the grill extender, I'll just use that.  This put the bird about 1 1/2 " above the felt line.  I would actually like it a bit higher eve than that.
    image
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories