Todays Recipe: Spatchcock Chicken The first references to spatchcocking appear in 18th-century Irish cookbooks. Its been said that spatchcock is an abbreviation of dispatch the cock. In other words, to kill the chicken. However, spatchcocking actually refers to a specific way of preparing the chicken so it can be flattened to cook quickly by grilling, roasting, or broiling, or over an open fire. To spatchcock a chicken, you need a sturdy pair of kitchen shears. Place the chicken, breast-side-down, on a cutting board. Using the shears, cut away the backbone and discard it. Then, flip over the bird and press down to flatten it. You can spatchcock any type of poultry, though this method is usually reserved for chickens, quails, and other small birds whose bones arent too difficult to cut through. You can ask your local butcher to spatchcock your poultry. The main advantage to spatchcocking is the fast cooking time, whether grilling or oven-roasting. To keep spatchcocked birds from drying out too quickly over a grill or under a broiler, marinate or brine them first. Brining is like a marinade, as it keeps food moist and tender. Brining or salting is a way of increasing the moisture holding capacity of meat resulting in a moister product when it is cooked. Salt changes the structure of the muscle tissue in the meat which allows it to swell and absorb water and flavorings which results in a tender turkey or chicken once cooked. Here is the Big Guys method and recipe. INGREDIENTS: 1 whole chicken 3/4 cup coarse kosher salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup boiling water 1 gallon cold water 1 tablespoon black pepper 2 cloves of garlic 1 onion cut in quarters 1 tablespoon of Big Guy BBQ Original seasoning or your favorite BBQ Rub 2 teaspoons of Olive oil 2 cups of chicken broth NOTE: You will need a food safe pot or vessel large enough to submerge a whole chicken in a gallon of water. I have a five gallon bucket with a lid that I only use for brining and marinating. First dissolve the sugar in the cup of boiling water. Pour into your bucket and add the rest of the brine ingredients. Submerge the chicken in the brine and let it sit for at least four hours. I like to let mine brine overnight. The longer the better. When you are ready to cook, pat the chicken dry and remove giblets. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut the backbone out of the chicken (or ask the butcher to do it). Discard backbone. Place the chicken, breast side up, on work surface. Flatten the chicken using the heel of your hand until you hear a cracking noise. Loosen the chicken skin as best you can; rub with a teaspoon of oil and season with BBQ rub with under the skin. Smooth skin back over the chicken. Rub remaining oil and BBQ rub on skin. When ready to cook, prepare and preheat grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the drip pan. Place the chicken on the grill over the drip pan skin side up. Grill with the lid closed for and grill for 30-35 minutes or longer until chicken registers 165 degrees F in thigh. Remove chicken from grill, cover with foil, and let stand 8 minutes. Cut into pieces to serve. Like this recipe? Let me know. Share it with your friends and tell them to check out Big Guy BBQ Chicago.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 18:25:26 +0000
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