Spatchcock chicken is a cooking technique that involves cutting out the backbone and flattening the bird. It’s also sometimes called butterflied, bone-in or whole roast chicken. The spatchcocked method has been around for centuries in some form or another as evidenced by recipes dating back to medieval times calling for a flat roasted roasting frame with legs on either side of an unroasted fowl so it could be turned over and basted while being cooked.,
The “how long to cook a spatchcock chicken” is a method of cooking chicken in which the backbone and breast meat are removed from the carcass, leaving only the thigh meat. The process involves removing the backbone and breast bones with poultry shears or by using your hands.
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While a beer can chicken cooked on the Big Green Egg usually comes out moist and tasty, it isn’t the only method to cook a nice chicken. I also suggest attempting to smoke a spatchcock chicken that has been thoroughly rubbed.
Cooking a chicken or bird used to begin with killing it, or dispatching the cock as it was known back then. It was merged into a single word, spatchcock.
This has progressed to separating the chicken (or bird) and opening one side up and laying it flat. For many people, like myself, the favorite cooking technique is grilling.
How Do I Prepare Spatchcock Chicken on the Big Green Egg?
The spatchcock chicken may be cooked over direct or indirect heat and yet turn out deliciously. I like the indirect approach because it cooks it more evenly without requiring you to turn it as often as you would with a direct cook.
So, whether you’re using direct or indirect heat to cook your spatchcock chicken, set the Big Green Egg to 350–400 degrees.
To get 350 degrees, use the Big Green Egg Daisy Wheel settings.
Draft of the Big Green Egg To attain 350–400 degrees, adjust the door settings.
Feet pointing upward, insert the plate setter (Conv”egg”tor).
If you wish to add water for moisture, place it in the drip pan. This is something I only do in the dead of winter to keep the interior of the egg wet.
I do, however, generally toss it in while I’m using the plate setter with the feet up, to just catch any drippings.
For the spatchcock chicken, add the Big Green Egg grill grate and set the temperature to about 350 degrees.
The probe in the poultry chamber is set to about 350-400 degrees and ready for the spatchcock chicken.
How Do You Cook Spatchcock Chicken on a Big Green Egg?
When compared to other Big Green Egg cookers, such as brisket, preparing spatchcock chicken is really simple and yields superb results.
Place the chicken breast side down, feet away from you, to begin. Cut one side of the backbone using a decent pair of culinary kitchen scissors.
To free up the whole backbone, cut from the neck bone all the way down to the tail.
Proceed to the opposite side of the backbone and cut it down. Cut all the way down through the bird’s tail, just like you did on the other side.
Your backbone should now be completely free. It’s as simple as picking it up and throwing it away.
If you have dogs, take it directly outside to the garbage can since you don’t want them to get at it while you sleep in a local trash can.
It’s time to turn the chicken over so the breast side is up now that it’s been spatchcocked. Spread it out as far as possible before pressing down on the chest bone, where you should hear a tiny pop.
This will enable you to open up the kitchen a bit more for better seasoning and for the Big Green Egg to cook it flatter.
Return the spatchcocked chicken to its original position. Now is the time to apply your preferred rub, which I suggest Dizzy Pig’s Raging River.
Season it well with salt and pepper.
Turn the spatchcocked chicken over and coat the breast side with the same seasoning. Pull those wings and legs out as well to get the Raging River rub into all the cracks.
When you’re done, you should have a well-seasoned and rubbed spatchcock chicken that’s ready to smoke on the Big Green Egg.
On the Big Green Egg, how do you cook satchcock chicken?
You should now have the Big Green Egg adjusted to 350-400 degrees for an indirect cook (with the plate setter / conve”egg”tor feet facing up) and ready to begin cooking the spatchcock chicken.
Place the spatchcocked chicken breast side up on the grill grate in the middle. Spread the back out as much as possible to flatten it out. After that, add your probes to keep an eye on the temperature.
As these are the slowest cooking locations on the bird, make sure you get one in the middle of the breast and another up high on the inner thigh.
Cook the spatchcock chicken until it reaches a temperature of 170 degrees on the inside. Pull the probes and then the bird gently once everything is finished.
You may now choose a leg, breast, or wing to enjoy this deliciously juicy spatchcock chicken!
Spatchcock chicken that is incredibly moist and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 1 Dizzy Pig’s Raging River Spice (or your favorite rub)
- 1 chicken, whole
Instructions
- The chicken’s backbone should be removed (spatchcock it). On both sides of the back bone, cut from the collar bone to the tail.
- Place the chicken breast side up on a cutting board and push down in the middle to pop the breast bone (allows it to lay more flat).
- Place the chicken breast side down and thoroughly season with Dizzy Pig’s Raging River rub (Or other preferred rub).
- Turn the spatchcock chicken breast side down. Raging River should be used extensively. Make certain to get underneath the wings and thighs (in the crevices).
- Preheat the Big Green Egg (or Kamado Joe) to 350°F/400°F and prepare for an indirect cook (plate setter / conve”egg”tor feet up).
- Add the spatchcocked chicken to the grate after it has reached temperature and insert two probes. The spatchcocked chicken has two probes, one in the middle of the breast and the other in the thigh.
- Cook until an internal temperature of 170 degrees is reached.
- Pull the chicken and eat it!
Spatchcock chicken is a cooking method that involves cutting out the backbone of a whole chicken and flattening it. The meat is then marinated in an oven before being cooked on the grill or in a skillet. Reference: marinated spatchcock chicken in oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the point of a spatchcock chicken?
A: The spatchcock chicken is a traditional British method of cooking that involves splitting, or spatching, the backbone out and flattening the breastbone. This allows for quicker cooking times because it creates more surface area in contact with heat.
How do you spatchcock a chicken?
A: Its a technique in which you use your hands to flatten the breastbone of a chicken and then slide it off one side, like opening up an oyster shell.
What is the difference between chicken and spatchcock?
A: The spatchcock is a chicken that has had its backbone removed. This process greatly affects the texture of the meat, which some people find enjoyable while others do not enjoy it as much.
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