splitting chickens but preserving the oysters

[ptehan]

I'm torn between splitting the chickens the standard way and hanging the whole bird with the turkey hanger.

The standard way is delicious all around, especially the skin. The turkey hanger way is quicker to prep and I get those two little morsels in the middle of the back that I'm not good at preserving when I bust out the shears but the downside is that the skin is not as uniformly amazing.

Does anyone else care about the "oysters" and is anyone dexterous enough with the shears to preserve them?

By the way, whoever mentioned the trick of sliding the rebar through the hole of the turkey hanger is my hero.

[Thunder77]

Love those oysters!!

[RobertC]

It's possible to spatchcock through the breast rather than down the backbone.

[PappyBBQ]

You're welcome! I definitely mentioned that little trick some time ago. And +1 to RobertC 's idea to spatchcock and then hang from two hooks! I love those little oysters so spatchcocking is my preferred method of splitting a chicken.

[Ozzie]

I Love those things!

I only spatchcocked a bird once and I massacred the oysters, sooo disappointing. That time I held the shears straight up and down as I cut next to the spine. Next time I am going to try to hold the shears at an angle, leaning the exposed blade on the outside of the bird toward the center of the spine. I hope to take as little of the outside of the bird as possible. If it works as I imagine it will, the strip of skin that comes off with the backbone will be very narrow. Of course it will be wider on the inside of the backbone, but it should get me the oysters mostly in tact. No idea if it will work, but that's my theory and I'm stickin' with it...for now.

[Ozzie]

PappyBBQ I am curious about your definition. I am going off of this-

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/spatchcocking_and_butterflying_poultry.html

I think Meathead might beg to differ???

[PappyBBQ]

You are, of course, correct Ozzie ! Don't know what I was smokin' when I wrote that.

[Ozzie]

Well PappyBBQ whatever it was, it must of had a little fire power! Good thing though, I don't know how I would have split a breast bone with scissors!

[JeffJ]

The last whole chicken I cooked was not spatchcocked. It was cooked on the top rack of the 14.5 WSM with the bowl removed - same concept as the PBC - no heat shield with the meat dripping directly onto the coals. It came out great! I recommend just using the turkey hanger. If you need a pic I can edit this post and add one (I don't have it saved to this device) later.

[clkq4]

I've cooked chicken that way on my 18" WSM. Comes out great!

[rototiller78]

A little tidbit of disgusting info here (but should be taken w/ a grain of salt since the article I read came from the internet)...A couple of years ago I read an article about a guy (who wrote the article himself) who went to Thailand to do this "colon cleansing" diet thingamajig. This place he went to basically did like full anenemas (sp?) where you basically shove a hose up your anus and fill your colon/large intestine up w/ fluid til you basically almost burst and you rush to a toilet right nearby to expunge it. He found out that that basically your body doesn't digest the chicken skin and your large intestine doesn't do too well expelling it either as evidence he saw in the toilet. This "diet" was performed like for 2 or so weeks and he wasn't allowed to eat normally, just like certain veggies and fruits and no meat. I don't eat the skin on the whole chickens I cook on the PBC and they are still amazing.

[Skelly]

I suppose that's where my extra 20 lbs are hiding.

[ptehan]

OK then!

[PappyBBQ]

Groan.. Too much info...

[Jimmie Rhoden]

Rofl@rototiller78

[rototiller78]

Perhaps if we have a member of this absolutely amazing pit forum that is a M.D. or some kind of specialist w/ digestive health like a Nutritionist background they can debunk or conform this info. I don't want to be a "Debbie Downer" or what not for "false information" that I received.

[PBCDad]

I would think if that were the case, chicken skins would be showing up any time anyone had a colonoscopy. Sounds pretty fake to me.

[ptehan]

Doc, I swear, they're there because I eat so much PBC chicken!

[rototiller78]

Have you ever had a colonoscopy yourself or know someone who has and shared full results? Just asking, want to know full truth. And what do they test for in a colonoscopy? Do they test the whole large intestine or parts of it, etc...?