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 and Beer chicken!

Squarehook
Squarehook Posts: 33
edited January 2015 in EggHead Forum
Hey guys, 

Its my first post on here so thanks for all the great info this forum yields! 

Last night I did my first beer butt chicken as well as a spatchcocked. I used the larger bird (which was about 8 lbs) for the beer can and a smaller one (4-5) for the spatch. 

First off, I have been having a little trouble getting my egg to temp quickly. I live in Winnipeg, Canada so its cold here but it was a mild 32F yesterday.

I think I may be overfilling it with lump. I was originally using BGE lump when I got the egg but I recently switched to Wicked. The first try with Wicked it lit great! I DID  have the charcoal level lower though. Will less charcoal light faster and easier? I have ordered a High Q to see if the fire grate is part of my issue. 

Last night I filled it past the fire box and it lit really easy (thanks to the MAPP) but took a long time to get to temp (almost an hour to get to 400 dome). Once I had it lit I put the plate setter on legs up, a drippings pan with some water in it, and then the grill. The grill temp was reading 240 and dome was almost 600 which I'm not sure how thats possible…maybe because the probe was over the water pan. I gave it another 15 mins and it all evened out to 300 grill and 400 dome which I figured was ok because the chicken was somewhere in the middle of that but I cheated and used a hair dryer to give it that boost to get to 300 grill… 

I thew on the beer butt and let it do its thing...After one hour I slabbed on the smaller spatched chicken and did not change the temp settings but the grill temp slowly came to 320 at the end of the cook. After an hour the spatch and beer butt were both done around the same time. (Spatch total time-1h Beer but -2h)

I used local chickens from a nearby hutterite colony. I did not brine them at all. All I did was online oil and a rub for each. The beer can I did more of a classic BBQ with a deadly home made mixture of spices that I always use along with a BBQ sauce that is partly made from the rub. The Spatch is a lemon herb mix I made as well. (sorry the beer but got eaten before pics got taken...)

These both turned out AMAZING! Had the boys over for beers and they all said it was the juiciest chicken they had ever had, and I'll agree, it was for me too. And the skin…..WOW soooo crispy! 
image
image
Loving this egg! It takes some playing with to get used to but once you figure things out its an amazing tool! 

Any help on the lighting issues would be appreciated…Maybe I'm doing something wrong. 

Cheers

Squarehook



· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • GalanteNate_OneEa
    GalanteNate_OneEa Posts: 967
    Looks good! Funny I think my first post was spatchcock and beer can too lol. Keep the cooks coming!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    Looking good ... sounds like you've got your temps figured out.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 10,227

    That's great. 

    With regard to lighting, the Hi-Q will probably fix the problem as airflow is probably the issue.  More lump could mean less airflow.  However, I don't think any of us purposefully use less lump for higher temp cooks.  We just have some way to ensure good airflow.  The Hi-Q is one of those options. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Brisket_Fanatic
    Brisket_Fanatic Posts: 2,885

    Wicked Good charcoal does take a little longer to light and get going. When lighting make sure you have the metal top completely off the egg and the bottom draft door open fully. Once lit leave the lid open for five to ten minutes then close the lid and should be ripping and roaring in about 20 minutes.

    Welcome and Chicken looks great!

    NW IA

    2 LBGE, 1 SBGE, 22.5 WSM, 1 Smokey Joe and Black Stone

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Looks great!  Was there a winner between the two?  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    Nice cook. Love chicken on the egg! Any chicken.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • greenenvy
    greenenvy Posts: 87

    Nice cook!

    If you want your pictures to show larger, once you upload them, right click on the thumbnail and choose "insert image" so we can marvel at your birds in life-sized glory.

    “your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

    LBGE in SATX

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    edited January 2015
    greenenvy said:

    Nice cook!

    If you want your pictures to show larger, once you upload them, right click on the thumbnail and choose "insert image" so we can marvel at your birds in life-sized glory.

    Not to nit-pick but there is no need to right click...hover over the image. 

    I also didn't mean that to rhyme.  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • greenenvy
    greenenvy Posts: 87

    @SmokeyPitt I couldn't have said it more poetically myself, or accurately, apparently. I didn't mean that to alliterate.

    “your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

    LBGE in SATX

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • anton
    anton Posts: 1,813
    Welcome, great looking cook, you have just become the go-to house where all your buddies want to come hang.
    :-bd
     Using a MBGE,woo/w stone,livin' in  Hayward California," The Heart Of The Bay "
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Squarehook
    Squarehook Posts: 33
    Ya it's true they are already asking for more !
    The spatch was more MOiST ;) but the bbq flavour/rub/sauce was the favourite .... Crispier skin on the beer butt but it had 2 hours to do that compared to one !

    Thanks for the photo tips

    S H
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    I cooked a spatch this week that had the best skin yet. I didn't even dry in the fridge.

    light dusting of baking powder, then rub then cooked @ 425 indirect and WAY up in the dome. It way close to 4.5-5" above the felt. I was worried if it would fit. Awesome skin! Definitely my go to for single birds. If I'd known how good it was, I woulda documented and posted.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Lose the water in the drip pan. That will hold the temp to the boiling point or just a bit higher.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories