New to forum, not to 'Q

[Ginger Ale]

Ohai.

 

Longtime backyard cooker (actually The Mister plays with the fire; I do prep and sides) and I just stumbled onto the forum, which seems really nice.

 

We have everything from a hibachi to an ECB (first cook on that was a total disaster, lol) and two gassers and a Weber kettle and a Kamander.  Maybe thinking of a pellet grill.  Yes, I do go overboard.

 

 I am currently obsessed with perfecting my chicken technique.  And with that in mind, I had posted on a 'Spatch versus Vertical' chicken thread but now I can't find it.  

 

 

[K_sqrd]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you are well grounded in the world of BBQ. You're not the only one

with multiple cookers on this forum. Lots of us have more than one cooker. LOL! BTW, your

"Chicken beer can vs spatchcocked"  is the first one page 3 of that thread.

[keeperovdeflame]

Hey Ginger Ale, glad to have you, your mister, and your stable of grills with us. I have three Q's on my deck as well a large Egg, a Weber summit, and a Traeger. I use them all each for different cooks. I went through a time of perfecting my chicken cooks as well. I still use both vertical and spatchcock roasting methods. However, I do not use a beer can or any thing that will restrict heat coming up inside my bird. For vertical I use one of those stainless wire racks that look like a upside down megaphone. I lift the skin and rub a paste of olive oil, Simon and Garfunkel herbs, with some orange zest along with kosher salt and cracked pepper under the skin on the breast, thighs and legs. I sprinkle only  kosher salt on the out side of the skin. I air dry the fully prepped bird in the fridge for 2 hours uncovered to air dry the skin. Optimum cooking temps IMO are any where between 375 and 425. Just things I picked up along my chicken journey, maybe some will help you, as well. 

[Ginger Ale]

45 minutes ago, keeperovdeflame said:

Hey Ginger Ale, glad to have you, your mister, and your stable of grills with us. I have three Q's on my deck as well a large Egg, a Weber summit, and a Traeger. I use them all each for different cooks. I went through a time of perfecting my chicken cooks as well. I still use both vertical and spatchcock roasting methods. However, I do not use a beer can or any thing that will restrict heat coming up inside my bird. For vertical I use one of those stainless wire racks that look like a upside down megaphone. I lift the skin and rub a paste of olive oil, Simon and Garfunkel herbs, with some orange zest along with kosher salt and cracked pepper under the skin on the breast, thighs and legs. I sprinkle only  kosher salt on the out side of the skin. I air dry the fully prepped bird in the fridge for 2 hours uncovered to air dry the skin. Optimum cooking temps IMO are any where between 375 and 425. Just things I picked up along my chicken journey, maybe some will help you, as well. 

 

Thanks!  I've been reading about the no-beer-can thing.  Makes sense.  Now if I could only find chickens that aren't six-pound monsters...

 

Remind me to tell you about our first ECB cook, which resulted in PorkStrami ®️ShoeLeather™️.  

[keeperovdeflame]

1 minute ago, Ginger Ale said:

 

Thanks!  I've been reading about the no-beer-can thing.  Makes sense.  Now if I could only find chickens that aren't six-pound monsters...

Yes, I share your frustration. I have not found chickens smaller than 5 or 6 lbs in a general grocery store. In my little town we do have a speciality shop called Prescott meats. There, I can get what they call a French red farm chicken at about 2 1/2 lbs each. That's the good news, the bad news is because it is a specialty shop the 2 1/2 lb chickens cost $15.00. I splurge every once in a while, and they are very very good. 

[K'man]

On 5/26/2021 at 11:53 AM, keeperovdeflame said:

Yes, I share your frustration. I have not found chickens smaller than 5 or 6 lbs in a general grocery store. In my little town we do have a speciality shop called Prescott meats. There, I can get what they call a French red farm chicken at about 2 1/2 lbs each. That's the good news, the bad news is because it is a specialty shop the 2 1/2 lb chickens cost $15.00. I splurge every once in a while, and they are very very good. 

Interesting ... the average chicken here runs 3.5-4 lb.  Even back on the mainland it was hard to find chickens larger than that.

I'm a spatchcock believer, well almost, I cut mine through the breast and do not remove the backbone.  I love to pick the bones and the part that went under the fence last never sees the platter

[Ginger Ale]

16 minutes ago, K'man said:

Interesting ... the average chicken here runs 3.5-4 lb.  Even back on the mainland it was hard to find chickens larger than that.

I'm a spatchcock believer, well almost, I cut mine through the breast and do not remove the backbone.  I love to pick the bones and the part that went under the fence last never sees the platter

 

Lucky to have reasonable birds!  

 

Today was the 'best' of the weekend, weather-wise.  We did the Memorial Day cook early.  I am now officially in a ribs stupor.