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Finally Got Spatchcocked Chicken Dialed in

dmourati
dmourati Posts: 1,300
in EggHead Forum
I have to admit, I've made over a dozen spatchcocked birds on the Egg and never really came away satisfied until a week ago. The big change for me was drying out the bird for 48 hours in the fridge and keeping a temp around 350F. This combo has finally gotten me the crispy skin I've been after.

Tonight I made my favorite spatchcock chicken yet. I've even got the carving down mostly right. Here's a look.


Plymouth, MN
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Comments

  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,896
    Looks great!
    Stillwater, MN
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  • Sweet100s
    Sweet100s Posts: 553
    Looks gorgeous!   Trader Joe’s sells spatchcock’d chickens that look great - all nice and flattened,  pre-seasoned, and shrink wrapped.  Have you ever tried theirs? 
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  • johnnyp
    johnnyp Posts: 3,932
    looks like you nailed it
    XL & MM BGE, 36" Blackstone - Newport News, VA
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  • dmourati
    dmourati Posts: 1,300
    Haven't tried TJ's pre-spatchcocked bird. I find nice small ones from my butcher who cryovac's them. I throw them in the freezer on purchase and take one out 3 days in advance of cook day.
    Plymouth, MN
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  • JethroBodeen
    JethroBodeen Posts: 526
    Nice work!
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  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,661
    Looks good - Whole Foods sells pre spatchcock Chicks from Bell and Evans.  I’ve always had good luck with those, if you don’t want to spatch it yourself 
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
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  • briwald
    briwald Posts: 103
    I take an odd pleasure in spatchcocking a chicken.  Question for the group: When spatchcocking, in addition to the back bone, do you also remove the breast bone, or nah?
    Maitland, FL
    XL BGE since 2019

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  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,661
    If I have time, I’ll remove the keel bone.  Otherwise, I just put my weight on the whole chicken to flatten it out 
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,789
    I have moved to half-cocked chix-spatchcocked and then split.  If you go down this road here is a link: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/halfc.htm
    I find that taking out the keel bone first is an easier approach than starting with the  backbone.
    Half cocked gives you more ways to season it up during the cook-a great plus.
    FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    If I'm going to bother to cut up a whole bird I've been cutting them in half rather than just spatching - easier to fit and move around the grill and to treat/season them differently if desired.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • briwald
    briwald Posts: 103
    dmourati said:
    I have to admit, I've made over a dozen spatchcocked birds on the Egg and never really came away satisfied until a week ago. The big change for me was drying out the bird for 48 hours in the fridge and keeping a temp around 350F. This combo has finally gotten me the crispy skin I've been after.

    Tonight I made my favorite spatchcock chicken yet. I've even got the carving down mostly right. Here's a look.


    When you dried the chicken for 48 hours, was it covered or uncovered?
    Maitland, FL
    XL BGE since 2019

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  • 4TheGrillOfIt
    4TheGrillOfIt Posts: 741
    mEGG_My_Day said:
    Looks good - Whole Foods sells pre spatchcock Chicks from Bell and Evans.  I’ve always had good luck with those, if you don’t want to spatch it yourself 
    I probably shop at the same WF and have not noticed those.  Thanks.  I love that brand since you can throw them in the fridge and not have to cook them for a week or more.  Also the packaging acts like a tray for marinades and rubs.  
    XL BGE, Large BGE, Small BGE, Weber Summit NG                                                                                               
    Memphis  
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  • rifrench
    rifrench Posts: 469
    edited September 2020
    @Briwald, dry the skin with the chicken uncovered.

     1 LBGE, 1 SBGE, 1 KBQ and a 26" Blackstone near Blackstone, Virginia
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