All this spatchcock talk today and over Thanksgiving has me wanting to try it with my next chicken. What are your recommendations on the best scissors for this? Something super sharp and easy to cut through the bones is my criteria of course. Also, if you have any good grilling ideas for the chicken on my kettle, that’d be great too! Thanks BradNorthGA ​​​​​​
Thought I’d tag you since you mentioned the scissors you used weren’t any good.
Last edited by Panhead John; December 18, 2020, 03:48 PM.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
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> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Any sturdy kitchen shears. Sturdy is the key. Also make sure the grip and finger holes fit your hand and fingers. You need to be able have a good grip and squeeze pretty hard.
I have one of these and will indicate mine did work well for I guess about 4 cooks. Then, somehow, the spring that causes the two sides of the shears to open up after being squeezed somehow came out in the drawer, dishwasher, somewhere.....anyway now I have to pull the two sided apart at the handles in order to get it to open for the next squeeze. If you buy this one watch out for that! I will likely get something else next time.
those are what I have as well, they work really good but I don't use them as often as others. I suspect if you use them a lot that a more high quality brand like listed above my be better.
Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
I have a pair of Wustof shears - Wusthof 8†Come-Apart Kitchen Shears, Red 5558-R
they are pretty good and I’ve cut many a chicken with them. I’d say chicken is about the toughest job they could handle, so you have a reference point. But, I’ve found the key is just cutting deeper into the v for the thicker bones and it works well.
I have 2 pairs of them, the rubber coated handles and the hard plastic ones. I don't like them for spatchcocking chickens, and REALLY don't like them for turkeys/geese/ducks. It takes an excessive amount of pressure, and the handles don't fit my hands well.
I have used a set of Fiskars pruning shears for this for quite awhile now. Does a nice job even on thick turkey bones, and cuts through chicken ribs like construction paper.
If the bird gets much over 15 lbs there aren't really any shears that easily go through the bones but anything smaller than that and these do the job. They don't do a great job cutting the skin though.
Still my fave... A good sturdy knife or cleaver and it’s done quickly & without much fuss. As a bonus, I don’t need to take anything apart to clean up.
Sharp isn’t as important. Think of a cleaver. Not sharp but a lot of weight and sturdy. I’d look for shears that have a wide blade where you can exert a lot of leverage. I have no complaints with my shuns—ATK recommended
I have a Fiskars kitchen shears and they work fine for many jobs, but not for spatchcocking poultry. If I had to use shears for poultry, I'd be looking for something more like my Felco garden pruning shears or Steve R's loppers -- something with shorter blades and a LOT more leverage. Since I don't spatchcock poultry very often, I haven't wanted to dedicate a pruning shears for food-only use.
Instead I make the cut down the backbone with an old chef's knife that I keep around for difficult jobs like this. If it's a big bird like the 15 lb turkeys I did for T'giving I've been known to add some extra encouragement with a rawhide mallet.
Equipment:
'88 Vintage Fire Magic gasser with over 4000 cooks to its credit
Large Big Green Egg
18 Inch Weber Kettle (Rescued from neighbor's trash)
Rotisserie for 18 inch kettle
Dyna Glo propane smoker
Pit Barrel Cooker
Smokey Joe with mini WSM mod
Garcima paella burner
Anova Sous Vide
Slaiya Sous Vide (gift)
LEM grinder, sausage stuffer and meat slicer (all gifts)
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