Spatchcock Chicken

This weekend I decided to try a spatchcock chicken, based on everyone's comments and feedback from the beer can chicken. I really liked the way that the beer can chicken turned out, so my family and I were excited to see how this one tasted.

Holy SMOKES! This one was far and beyond better than the beer can chicken. It was moist, tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Part of the reason that it was so delicious is because I decided to brine it for four hours. I would have liked to have brined it longer, but I was short on time. However, I did not brine the first beer can chicken.

I guess I have to buy more beer and more chickens to test out which one is truly better! See below to learn how I prepped, cut and smoked this delicious bird!

BRINE:

• 4 quarts water

• 1 cup kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon rosemary

• 1 tablespoon peppercorn

• 1 orange peel/zest

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a pot and bring to boil. Take off stove, bring to room temp and place chicken in brine. Refrigerate. Typically brines are done overnight, up to 24 hours. I was only able to brine mine for 4 hours, but it still turned out amazing!

How to Spatchcock Chicken:

1. Place chicken, breast side down, on your work surface. I used a wooden cutting board.

2. Remove the backbone. You will need kitchen shears. Starting from the thigh end, cut

along each side of the backbone and discard.

3. Using a knife, slightly cut the sternum of the chicken so it’s easier to flatten.

4. Turn chicken over and press firmly down on breastbone to flatten.

Smoked Chicken:

• 4-5 lbs whole chicken

• Rub of your choice (I used a mix of several I had on hand.)

Directions:

1. Brine and spatchcock your chicken with the instructions above.

2. Set smoker to 225 degrees

3. Apply rub of your choice all over the chicken.

4. Place chicken directly onto smoker grate, breast meat facing up and place probe in thickest part of breast meat.

5. Cook at 225 degrees for about 75-90 minutes, until the internal temp hits 165.

6. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Here is my finished chicken. It was absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try this with different methods and seasonings. Maybe I will try a turkey some time this summer. Thanks for reading!