Vert. Roaster Chic recipe?

ThunderBunny · February 2010

Good morning all,
I'm looking for a BGE roast chicken recipe that includes use of the vertical roaster.
Given this will be my second cook, simplicity is the key. There's plenty of time to learn the fancy stuff down the road. All I desire is a juicy, perfectly cooked bird with that yummy, golden-toasty, artery-clogging skin.
Beggars can't be choosers, but please don't skimp on details; ideal grill temp, plate setter position (legs up I'm assuming?) and final meat temperatures would be most appreciated - my Thermapen is on the local Fed-Ex truck and out for delivery today...WOO :P Would love to break it in ASAP!
As always, thanks much in advance.

Doug in Eggmonton · February 2010

Could I convince you to try Spatchcocking rather than vertical? It makes an unbelieveably good roast chicken. Just take the backbone out of the bird, add rub, get your egg stable at 400. Cook raised direct if you have a way to do it on a raised grid otherwise cook it indirect, with the platesetterlegs up and the chicken on the grid above that.

Doug

ThunderBunny · February 2010

Doug!
I keep hearing about the spatchcocked method. How does one go about removing the backbone?
I don't have a way to do raised direct yet, but am thinking hard about springing for the Adjustable Rig. Is that what you mean? How far raised? and how long should the bird be cooked?
Apologies for all the annoying questions...

Richard Fl · February 2010

Drink the beer and spatchcock the bird. You will never go back.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm

Doug in Eggmonton · February 2010

No problem. To remove the backbone just use a set of sheers or a knife and cut down either side of the backbone. then flip it over and push down on the breast a little bit.

The Adjustable rig is a great way to raise the grid, but some people use bolts and washers, some use fire bricks. Raised to about the felt line or a little higher.

I did mine with the platesetter for a long time and it worked fine, but for crisp skin you might want to take everything (chicken, grid and platesetter) out at the end and put the grid back in and cook skin side down for just a minute or two to crisp it up.

Ibn any case look at about 1 hour cooking time, but we cook to temperature. The breast should be 160 and the thigh should be at least that, but higher is fine.
Resty the chcicken for 10 mintues or so and the breast will come up to 165 which is perfect.

In the odd case that the breast is 160 and the legs are not, you can separate them easily and cook the legs by themsleves a little longer.

Hope this helps

Doug

ThunderBunny · February 2010

Doug, you da bomb. Thanks a bunch.
I'm starting to see a consensus building here. I may have to try my hand at spatchcocking...
I'm actually a tad intimidated. Not sure why though :P

Leggo My Eggo · February 2010

Spatchcocking is awesome. Do a search on You Tube because there are a couple of video's that will show you exactly how its done. I can tell you from my experience that a good set of poultry shears are much easier then a knife.

Bacchus · February 2010

However, if you prefer to cook your chicken whole, just stuff a beer can in it then stand it upright on the cooking grid. OR, just lay it down on the grid if going indirect.
High temps help with crispy skin.
Good Luck no matter how you do it.

Avocados · February 2010

Here is a link to Thirdeye's web site where he used an 'interesting' method to dress up the bird....

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1997/05/lemon-breasted-beer-can-chicken.html

Good info on time and temp. options for a vertical cook there as well. While the spatchcock chicken is very good and very popular it does work best direct with an elevated grid. You might as well try out your roaster since you have one as it will also make a good chicken. Just set it in a drip pan or aluminum pie pan.

Type beer can chicken in the box here on the forum and you will get lots of hits and examples, photos, and details. (Search is your friend)

reelgem · February 2010

Thunderbunny, I agree with you on the K.I.S.S.
I make chicken on the vertical roaster alot, it's simple and very tasty. Here is the way I do it.

2 whole chickens

Season inside the cavity and neck with Paul Prudhommes Poultry Magic

Put chicken on stands and refrigerate overnight uncovered

Cook at 350 degrees indirect (platesetter, legs up) with a foil pan underneath

I put the chickens with breast facing each other

Check temp after 1 hour. Should be 160 breast, 180 thigh

You can incresase temp to 400 the last 15 min. or so to crisp up the skin.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!!

Bacchus · February 2010

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

ThunderBunny · February 2010

Ahh Anne,
If I didn't think you slug me, I'd give you a quick K.I.S.S on the cheek.
That's just the sort of info I was initially looking for. Much appreciated.
This place is awesome; a guy asks for one thing and get all sorts of interesting options & recipes in return.
Thanks everyone!

Cactus Doug · February 2010

I have cooked chickens both ways. Both come out great. I rub the chicken inside and out and try to get some under the skin whithout tearing it. Put the chicken on a stand. If you have time leave in the fridge uncovered for several hrs. this will dry the skin making it crispy when cooked. Platesetter legs up with drip pan 400 to 450 deg. dome temp. start checking internal temp. after 1 hr. Let the chicken rest 15 min. before cutting. If I have to cook multiple chickens at one time vertical roasters are the way to go. I can get 3-4 birds on a large. The spatch. birds come out good but take up much more gill space.

Grandpas Grub · February 2010

As with cooking most things on the egg, a screw up comes from not cooking the food to the correct temperature.

Chicken is probably one of the easiest foods to cook on the egg. Vertical, spatchcock pieces or whold doesn't matter much... as long at you cook the chicken to temperature.

If you want simple then don't go vertical, you have to clean the stand, don't spatchcock, you have to cut the bone out of the chicken. Go with parts from the market or cook it whole.

Cook chicken from 200° to 500°, direct or indirect it really doesn't matter much other that time or getting the bird or bird parts too close to the lump at too high a temperature.

It is pretty hard not to have all chicken cooks this moist if the meat is cooked to 165° internal (breast and thigh).

Rinse and dry the bird, put some seasoning on the bird.

Tossed my vertical stands away a long time ago, for me, they just not needed. Took up space, had to clean and no better cook results.

GG

Grandpas Grub · February 2010

ThunderBunny, one accessory I always recommend for people with large eggs is the Adjustable Rig and Spider. I know I said "one". Well you shouldn't get one without the other.

What is the purpose of a raised grid... to get the food further away from the lump and or to cook higher in the egg.

To accomplish getting the food further away from the lump and not having the convenience of an adjustable rig simply use less lump. Load to the top of the air holes in the fire box. Stabilize the egg at 300° to 350°. Put the bird on the grate. The cook will take about 1 hr to 1:25 hrs cook until the breast is 165°.

If you have a plate setter, put a bit more lump in, cook at 350° to 450° it will take from 45 minutes to an hour to get the bird to 165° internal.

I prefer cooking chicken direct.

Direct at 225°

or direct at 500°

or direct at 400°

It all comes out good.

GG

ThunderBunny · February 2010

Those pictures....Oh. My God.

Vert. Roaster Chic recipe?

Comments

Categories