First Spatchcock Chicken

Blassiter · February 2015

Took everyone's advice and decided to take a stab at Spatchcock Chicken. I was shocked at how easy this was and it turned out great. I cooked 2, thankfully, because 1 was gone within 15 minutes after placing it on counter.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/dc/aaikdenvph85.jpg

Eggerty · February 2015

Great job @Blassiter! Looks great! And you are correct it is so easy and creates an amazing meal!

jcaspary · February 2015

Looks great. Easy meal that gets eaten quickly. Bonus in my book.

Jeepster47 · February 2015

Oh man, look at that felt seal ... so, so clean and gray. Wow.

Oh yes, and a good cook. Spatchcocked was one of my first cooks ... lucky 'cuz I lost control of the temp and it took off. The bird survived ... at least until it hit the table.

flexfusion · February 2015

Looks great! How did you cook it (direct or indirect) and at what temp?

Blassiter · February 2015

Direct and I raised the grate to reduce flare ups. Cooked at 375 for just over an hour. I used the Maverick thermometer to keep an eye on the temp. I still do not have confidence in it holding a steady temp. I constantly have to play with the top vent to stay in the sweet spot. It either creeps up or down throughout the entire cook. Not sure I would ever feel comfortable leaving it unattended unless I get one of the devices to regulate temp.

THEBuckeye · February 2015

Rite of Passage!

Next?

Blassiter · February 2015

Next will be probably be steak or pizza. They are calling for 8-12" of snow tonight and tomorrow. Only thing I can think about is shoveling the path to the Egg. I think I have a problem.

Jeepster47 · February 2015

Blassiter said:

... I think I have a problem.

Not that most of us can see!

Tinyfish · February 2015

By the look of those spatchcocks you wouldn't know they were your first.

SmokeyPitt · February 2015

Blassiter said:

Next will be probably be steak or pizza. They are calling for 8-12" of snow tonight and tomorrow. Only thing I can think about is shoveling the path to the Egg. I think I have a problem.

Shoveling a path to the egg...sounds to me like you have a solution!

Nice yardbirds!

epcotisbest · February 2015

Looks great. I was very proud of my first one and to this day it seems it was the best tasting one.

XC242 · February 2015

Nail'd It!!

theyolksonyou · February 2015

Blassiter said:

Direct and I raised the grate to reduce flare ups. Cooked at 375 for just over an hour. I used the Maverick thermometer to keep an eye on the temp. I still do not have confidence in it holding a steady temp. I constantly have to play with the top vent to stay in the sweet spot. It either creeps up or down throughout the entire cook. Not sure I would ever feel comfortable leaving it unattended unless I get one of the devices to regulate temp.

How big a temp variation are you worried about? How long are you letting it be stable before you put the meat on? How long after the meat goes on till you decide you should adjust?

don't sweat +- 25 degrees. Make sure you're stable for 30 min before you put the meat on. Don't touch it for at least 30 after you start the cook. It will come back after it stabilizes.

Without tryong to to sound too smart ass. Relax and enjoy.

orbbq · February 2015

Blassiter said:

I still do not have confidence in it holding a steady temp. I constantly have to play with the top vent to stay in the sweet spot. It either creeps up or down throughout the entire cook. Not sure I would ever feel comfortable leaving it unattended unless I get one of the devices to regulate temp.

It took me awhile to stop fiddling with things. I found that i was playing with it everytime i noticed a 10-15 degree jump instead of just letting it ride which caused even bigger swings. Now i leave it alone and it is way easier to get stable temps. I also found that just setting daisy and leaving her alone and then adjusting bottom vent is the way to go for me. I'm on an XL and i usually am fairly sparse with the lump, so I have a large air volume with little fire which is probably harder than if i used a bunch of lump.

Blassiter · February 2015

Theyolksonyou, I had temp pretty solid at 375-380 for about 20 minutes before putting meat on. I left it alone once the meat went on till temp stabilized which was about 360. I opened the top vent by just a little and temp eventually came up and kept climbing to 390. I reduced top vent a little and it dropped eventually to 360. Kept playing this game throughout the cook. Average temp was about 375 so meat turned out perfect so it wasn't a huge deal. Just a hassle having to watch the temp in fear that it would get too far off. Seems that there are a lot of variables that can make temp fluctuate so I guess I need more practice. Thanks for the help.

theyolksonyou · February 2015

I think most of us do the same thing starting out. It's hard for some of us anal types to not nail the temp dead on. After you decide to let it ride in the "neighborhood" it's a lot easier. Worst thing that happens is you're finished a little sooner or a little later and it's a lot easier to bump up if you need to be finished earlier.

anton · February 2015

Looks like you did just fine for the first time.Next time, try dusting some cornstarch on after your rub, just as you would wings, for super crisp skin. Enjoy.

llrickman · February 2015

I use my AR and use the highest level and go at 400 for an hour and they turn out perfect every time . Last one i shredded and we had chicken tacos with it. was a pretty good dinner

JustGrillinFlorida · February 2015

Looks good

I want to mix spatchcock chicken with brick chicken and see the result. As @anton said you can add cornstarch to the rub and get crispy dry skin, but I personally don't like doing this. So I'm going to heat a Lodge cast iron press and throw it on when I put the bird on. Cook hopefully get moist meat and nice crispy skin.

pgprescott · February 2015

Blassiter said:

Theyolksonyou, I had temp pretty solid at 375-380 for about 20 minutes before putting meat on. I left it alone once the meat went on till temp stabilized which was about 360. I opened the top vent by just a little and temp eventually came up and kept climbing to 390. I reduced top vent a little and it dropped eventually to 360. Kept playing this game throughout the cook. Average temp was about 375 so meat turned out perfect so it wasn't a huge deal. Just a hassle having to watch the temp in fear that it would get too far off. Seems that there are a lot of variables that can make temp fluctuate so I guess I need more practice. Thanks for the help.

As an overall approach, don't sweat the minor temp differences. They are insignificant. If you are a little hot, it will be done a little quicker, the converse is true.

Papzi · February 2015

Looks great.........One of my favorite ways to cook chicken.

PNWFoodie · February 2015

Nice looking cook! I am always amazed at just how good spatchcock turns out. There is still this ingrained part of me that thinks "grilled chicken = dry" from growing up having to eat boneless/skinless cooked on a gasser. Spatchcock has never let me down...moist and delicious. Maybe I should try those boneless/skinless again.

Sundown · February 2015

Blassiter said:

Direct and I raised the grate to reduce flare ups. Cooked at 375 for just over an hour. I used the Maverick thermometer to keep an eye on the temp. I still do not have confidence in it holding a steady temp. I constantly have to play with the top vent to stay in the sweet spot. It either creeps up or down throughout the entire cook. Not sure I would ever feel comfortable leaving it unattended unless I get one of the devices to regulate temp.

You'll get used to temp control in no time at all. When I got my Egg my dealer took some time when we were in the shop to show me about where to set the lower vent for 250° and 375° then suggested I spend an afternoon just playing with temp control and not cooking.

I did as he suggested and it help! These days I can pretty much "set it and forget it" with very little playing. Overnight cooks have gone unattended for the last 7 or 8 years. And, no, I do not own a controller and don't want one.

First Spatchcock Chicken

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