Smoking the Spatchocok Chicken using Big Green Egg
Smoke a whole chicken, by flatten chicken out onto BBQ Grill. This technique requires a little butcher skills cutting whole chicken, removing chicken backbone. By flattening the whole chicken gives more surface area to smoke.
Spatchcock fabercation techniques:
Stand up whole chicken
Using boning knife cut along back bone downwards
Cutting along the other side of backbone downwards
remove backbone
Open chicken lay flat and cut cartilage
Pull the cartilage and keel bone from chicken breast
remove the cartilage
Chicken Spatchcock
How to Spatchcock Chicken
Steps in chicken fabrication
Stand the whole chicken upright, wiping away any excess liquids & blood.
Taking a boning knife cut on one side of neck in quick movement, all away through back bone.
Next taking boning knife cut on the other side of back bone starting on neck going downwards.
Pull the back bone away from chicken, set aside for making good stock.
Open chicken up laying chicken flat onto cutting board.
Using boning knife cut 1/2 inch into cartladge at top of chicken breasts that connects both breasts.
Pulling with fingers the keel bone off chicken breasts.
Next pull the cartladge from chicken that’s connected to keel bone.
Now you have a spatchcock chicken.
BBQ Seasoning Rub Smoking Chicken:
Choosing a perfect BBQ Seasoning Rub for smoking meats is a important. Everyone has there own preferences, but start with with some base spices and herbs. Here is some common spice and herb choices to choose from.
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Sweet Paprika or Smoked Paprika
Chili Powder
Turmeric Powder
Thyme
Basil
Celery Seed or Celery Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Dry Mustard Powder
Cumin, ground
Coriander Seed, ground
Dill Seed, ground
Try Mexican Seasoning for rub on Spatchcock Chicken Mexican flair, great for Chicken Tacos.
BBQ Seasoning for on the Spatchcock Chicken enhancing Smoky flavor profile, wonderful for pulled chicken applications.
Sprinkling BBQ Seasoning all over both sides of Spatchcock Chicken
Generously sprinkle BBQ Seasoning of you choice all over both sides of the whole Spatchcock Chicken. Allowing a good 30 to 60 minutes to penetrate through chicken before starting the smoking process.
Smoking Time:
Smoking Spatchcock Chicken using long slow lower smoker temperature to achieve great flavor profile. Keeping temperature low and slow takes some practice using Big Green Egg but results are wonderful smoky flavor profile. The lump charcoal gives long burn time and good wood fire taste. Then following up with soaked wood chips for smoky flavor. The trick is not getting the coals too hot because when Green Egg gets too hot it takes a long time to cool down. Too hot of smoking temperature gives off too strong of smoky flavor profile. The goal is to have great smoky flavors, not harsh smoke coming from too hot smoking temperatures.
Smoke a whole chicken, by flattening chicken out onto BBQ Grill. By Spatchcocking the whole chicken gives more surface area to smoke. Using BBQ seasoning rubbed over the whole chicken and low slow smoking makes for versatile purposes.
Smoke a whole chicken, by flattening chicken out onto BBQ Grill. By Spatchcocking the whole chicken gives more surface area to smoke. Using BBQ seasoning rubbed over the whole chicken and low slow smoking makes for versatile purposes.
Using a boning knife cutting downwards along both sides of the backbone of the chicken. Start from the top of backbone working downwards in quick swift motion. Be sure to cut all the way down the back bone of the chicken.
Using fingers pull the back bone away from the whole chicken.
Lay the whole chicken down on the cutting board, opened like a butterfly. Using boning knife cut 1/2 inch into cartilage at top of chicken breast area.
Using fingers pull the keel bone from chicken.
Using finger pull the cartilage between the two chicken breasts, removing cartilage from breasts.
Sprinkle generous amount of BBQ Seasoning Rub all over inside cavity of chicken. Rub the BBQ Seasoning into the chicken.
Turn chicken over and sprinkle generously BBQ Seasoning Rub all over out side of chicken. Rub the BBQ Seasoning into the chicken. Allow the seasoned chicken to rest for 60 minutes or more covered in the refrigerator.
Get the smoker set up ready for smoking. Soak wood chips in water, us a gallon ziplock bag or container. Start lump charcoal in firebox. When coals are starting to get white add good hand full of soaked wood chips. With Green Egg use the place setter for indirect heat. Then put a pan filled with can of beer in center of the place setter. Place grill on place setter, then place chicken cavity side up first, half of the smoking time. About 1 1/2 hours.
Regulate the smoking temperature by adjusting top and Botton dampers. Maintain smoking temperature between 185°F to 225°F.
Flip the chicken about half way through smoking process around 1 1/2 hours. Add more wood chips and more beer in the pan if needed. Continue smoking with skin side up through remainder smoking process. The Chicken should read 170°F internal temperature. Check temperatures in breast and thigh areas. Remove chicken from smoker with temperature is reached. Place on platter and cover with foil to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
Cutting Smoked Chicken
After chicken rested place smoked spatchcock chicken onto the cutting board skin side up.
Cut through chicken in half along where breast separate.
Next cut chicken in quarters along where the breasts and thighs separate.
