Will She Still Love It?

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

Ok folks. My wife is officially kicking a$$ on her life changing new way of eating. She's up to 10 miles on the bike, 2 miles on the treadmill and 45 minutes strength training. I'm so proud of her! Making her favorite Spatchcock. However I've changed it just a little from my old norm. Did not rinse. Spatchcocked, blotted dry with paper towels, NO EVOO, very lite kosher salt, coarse pepper and dusted w/ cajun spices. Setup raised direct 400℉-415℉. The lump is WGWW leftover from my last 17hr L&S. I was amazed I still had probably 1/2 of it left along with some pecan and black cherry chunks. I did a quick stir and lit in 3 spots on top w/ MAPP torch. I'm hoping for even more crisp skin. I never had a flavor issue using the EVOO but, nonetheless I want to see if I can taste a difference. Considering I make 2-3 Spatchcocks per week SWMBO will be the judge, jury and executioner on this test. I'll update with more pics upon completion.

Monty77 · June 2014

you got me wanting some chicken! Can't wait to see the pics! My wife has jumped into the health kick life style in the past year at first I was thinking I can't make my favourite things for us to enjoy anymore, I couldn't have been more wrong, now we try lots of different ideas and recipes that are heart smart and some are really good!

Happy Eggin

SmokeyPitt · June 2014

So is the only change the absence of EVOO? I don't think she will miss it. Hopefully she won't have to execute you if it is not up to standards

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

Forum/ Vanilla dropped out my fist couple of pics and I had to log back in a few times. Ugggh let's try it again.

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@Monty77‌ I make them roughly the same each time setup and temp. I vary my spice regime a bit and try to experiment with fresh and dried herbs. Thanks.

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@SmokeyPitt‌ biggest difference is I DID NOT rinse and no EVOO. I never had a foul (pun intended) flavor from it. But, I've heard others state they do so I just wanted to see if we could taste a difference. & I always strive for crisp skin. I always pull at 165℉ breast & 180℉-185℉ thigh. This is just an eggsperiment for the most part.

Carolina Q · June 2014

Blake, I never rinse since I don't see any point. Plus, it splatters all those disgusting bacteria all over.

)

Here's a no-oil, indirect method posted on the other forum by Judy Mayberry. She got it from Austin Egghead and it sounds great. I saw it when she first posted it back in January and, shame on me, I STILL have not tried it! If you're looking for crispy, perhaps this is the answer. I just bought a couple of whole birds and I swear I'm going to try it next time.

http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1350550&catid=1

Sounds like your wife is doing great!! Congrats to her!!

Leftover chicken breast, steamed broccoli and Mallmann's burnt carrots with goat cheese for me tonight.

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@Carolina Q‌ Michael. I did read @Judy Mayberry‌ post on the crisp skin she achieved using the indirect method of another members methodology. I'll try that next go around. This was crisp. But, truthfully it is usually more crisp when I use EVOO. I will call that an unseen variable ;-). I'll try a few more times this way and I'll also try the way the other member swears by. I love crisp skin so I'm always willing to try new things to achieve my desired results. Overall was flavorful but, no significant taste difference without the oil. I'm not discouraged :-). It turned out great but, I know I can do better. Thanks Michael ;-)

tulocay · June 2014

@NPHuskerFL‌ - do you always position the legs/thighs towards the front of the egg? Does that help in some way?

DMW · June 2014

Here's a nice article about rinsing chicken, the terrors of doing it and splashing bacteria all over your kitchen. Errr, the terrors of not doing it and leaving it on your chicken, err, just go read the article.

http://ruhlman.com/2013/08/bacteria-run-away-run-away/

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@DMW‌ thanks for the link. @henapple‌ linked an YouTube video that was oh so yummy. Needless to say I won't be rinsing anymore. :-)

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@tulocay‌ I've done both ways and haven't seen a huge difference one way or the other. The obvious theory is to face the thighs towards the hinge because the rear tends to be the hottest. True but, I pull the whole bird forward so I unusually find the breast and thighs finish simultaneously.

fusionhq · June 2014

I told the guys at work today how good Spatched is. You can't beat it!! Any way it's done!!

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@DMW‌ here's a couple a good why you SHOULDN'T RINSE CHICKEN clips. And I give @henapple‌ credit for bringing this to my attention. ;-)
Don't Wash Your Chicken:

http://youtu.be/xN9ZvYKqjM4
Don't Wash Your Chicken! Germ-Vision Animation:

http://youtu.be/JZXDotD4p9c

DMW · June 2014

Yep, I've seen them, I usually don't wash my chicken. I like Ruhlman's take on it when those reports became popular a year or so ago. The whole thing was reported in a scary enough fashion that many were probably scared to cook raw poultry at all. Cooking your own food is way better for you than eating prepared food on a regular basis.

I've heard it said that if you culture most kitchen surfaces they are more contaminated than the average toilet bowl. I'm not planning to start drinking out of the toilet bowl any time soon.

)

nolaegghead · June 2014

People wash chicken?

I guess I would if it fell in the dirt or if I were eating chicken sashimi, both of which are equally unlikely.

Cook it hotter for crispier skin. I've heard of people taking off the skin, scraping the fat and goo off the inside, then re-attach with meat glue. That's not on my bucket list of cooking.

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

Also I "DO NOT" normally flip the yard bird but, I did this one. I flipped to skin side down at 150℉ breast and pulled at 165℉ breast and thighs were at 190℉. Very moist, excellent flavor and just okay crispy skin. I'll try it again next go round. :-)

GATABITES · June 2014

@nolaegghead‌ - what's your ideal temp from crisp skin?

fusionhq · June 2014

Damn. I always wash my chicken. ;-(

DMW · June 2014

I also don't carry antibacterial hand gel with me.

anzyegg · June 2014

The chicken looks good and I love the rig man....future dreams for me.....

CANMAN1976 · June 2014

Just found out bout the flippin trick...it seems to really help the skin crisp up!!!

Botch · June 2014

The chickens I get are sealed in plastic, with a transluscent pinkish liquid around them that I'm sure has plenty of cooties in it. I'll continue to rinse this stuff off so I'm not eating it (cooked or not), and any splatter on my steel sink or Formica plastic countertop, well, I'll wash it off with hot soapy water.

Guarantee I'll die either way, so I'm going for emotional comfort.

jerryb78 · June 2014

I'd stick with the EVOO if that works for you. The whole low fat craze from the 80s and 90s turned out to be mostly a sham. Minimize the starchy sides and eat a reasonable portion of chicken along with some veg and it'll still be a healthy meal.

Also, I *love* air chilled chickens that don't come swimming in that nasty juice. Try one if you can get one. You pay more per pound but at least you're paying for meat and not a bunch of water.

Botch · June 2014

Oh, and regarding taste differences with/without EVOO: Cook's Illustrated demonstrated that the VOC's that make EVOO special over regular olive, or even vegetable oil, are driven off without much heat at all. So, save the good stuff for your salads and drizzles on servings; use cheap oil, vegetable oil, butter, or transluscent pinkish cootie water to make the rub stick.

nolaegghead · June 2014

@GATABITES - depends on how I cook it. If I'm roasting a chicken, I'm around 450-500, maybe even higher at some point. Raised direct, maybe 400-450, I'll flip it if the skin isn't crispy. Chicken skin is the best part. The hotter I cook, the lower I'll pull. If I'm around 500 dome, I'll pull the when the coolest part of the breast is 150.

Drying works well if you take the trouble to do it. I'll put a little oil on the skin for the spices to stick to.

I'm not at all a fan of smoked chicken. Low n slow with smoke wood ain't for me. I might throw some wood in for the spatchcock, for color and a little hint of smoke flavor, but it will always be a light fruit wood.

@Botch - they actually do wash it at the processing plant. I like to think that juice is from the chicken, but they might add some for extra weight (money grubbin bastardges!!). If only they'd stop adding plutonium to the wash....

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@jerryb78‌ the EVOO argument on chicken was that it caused some to have an acrid taste. My wife tasted no difference and she is very sensitive when food is to smokey. The only time she has disliked anything off the egg it was when I was first starting out egging and didn't let the creosote clear completely. We aren't fanatical about stuff we don't believe in or follow any of these so called fad diets. This is her making a conscious choice to eat better Period. I'll be going back to the EVOO as I like it. For me it added a little something and I barely use any to begin with...its more to help herbs, spices, etc to stick.

nolaegghead · June 2014

@NPHuskerFL - If you're avoiding smoke on your chicken, the oil will pick up more smoke than dry skin, but most of us cook chicken hot so it's not a problem.

This is kind of interesting.

http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/smokeParticles.html

NPHuskerFL · June 2014

@nolaegghead‌ I agree. I can see picking up some undesired flavors at lower temps but, Spatchcock I tend to roll at around 400℉-425℉ raised direct and haven't ever had this flavor issue I've heard so much about.

nolaegghead · June 2014

@NPHuskerFL - Dude, I've ruined some stuff "experimenting", and I know of this blechky taste people speak off. I completely ruined a beautiful chuck roast once by burying a 2 pound stick from a Pecan tree in my lump pile. I should have known better, but I achieved the impossible - 10 hours of bad smoke.

That said, putting oil or not putting oil on really doesn't make much difference. I plan on cooking some spatchcock birds tomorrow, I'll try half oil, half dry. One brined, one not.

This article is a fun read. Always take what people say and what you read with a grain of salt. You can't attribute the end product to one sample change.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/05/how-to-roast-a-chicken-butterflied-tips.html

Jupiter Jim · June 2014

NPHuskerFL said:

@jerryb78‌ the EVOO argument on chicken was that it caused some to have an acrid taste. My wife tasted no difference and she is very sensitive when food is to smokey. The only time she has disliked anything off the egg it was when I was first starting out egging and didn't let the creosote clear completely. We aren't fanatical about stuff we don't believe in or follow any of these so called fad diets. This is her making a conscious choice to eat better Period. I'll be going back to the EVOO as I like it. For me it added a little something and I barely use any to begin with...its more to help herbs, spices, etc to stick.

I agree that little bit of EVOO is no big deal, nice looking bird.

Will She Still Love It?

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