My gasser can only hit 225 on one burner (of three). I need 2 burners on to get the temp to cook some spatchcocked birds. That only leaves me with one burner width of indirect which isn't enough room.
Only solution I can see is a water tray over the second burner.
Do you think that extra moisture is going to ruin a chicken cook? I'm worried about not having a crispy skin.
I’ve used a temp of 325 degrees for poultry. I’ve stopped using a water pan with poultry to keep from steaming it as you mention. I’ve had good success on my Weber gasser and on my Smoke Vault at 325 and no water.
Larry Grover - thanks, that is helpful. I couldn't see the downside of flipping it till you pointed out that the skin coloring is the issue. I've actually got a PBC, but the smoked flavor is not a hit for us in chicken. Love it for ribs, pulled pork and brisket though. I had thought it was going to me my go to for chicken, but I'm still looking. Ordered a Fox Run vertical holder for a whole $5. I will be giving this a try and thanks for making me aware of this option.
Hugh Good luck with that vertical. Also, all this talk about chicken reminds me of a recipe I really want to try but forgot about. Chris Lilly's Loaf Pan Chicken, looks delicious...
Also, I liked the link you provided with the legs up chicken. They use Spice House "Backyard" rub which I happen to have but haven't used on chicken. Great company, highly recommend. Their 'Lake Shore' rub is great on fish.
Its funny you guys mention this method. Spatchcock isn't really working for me. Not only do I have a real estate problem because I typically do two small birds and that eliminates my 22" kettle and my gasser, but I really don't like butchering the birds in my kitchen and getting germs everywhere.
I've been looking at adding a rotisserie to my kettle but its an expensive option.
Larry Grover - can you get two of these on a 22" kettle running a SnS? Videos I've been looking at show one bird in the center. Saw one discussion where they said to put the bird upside down with the legs on top so the breast doesn't dry out.
Hugh I dont have a kettle but I'd think it would fit 2 small birds, if not then in the center with fire on each side.
These are designed for legs down and make carving easy. I think you'd be better off covering the breast (pre-cook) with foil and giving the legs a 15 min head start or so, or tent the top half during the cook.
Last edited by Larry Grover; May 5, 2019, 03:28 PM.
Attjack - If you were starting over, which would you buy a rotti for, the gasser or the kettle? I wonder if the kettle is too small? I need to be able to do two birds (3-4 lbs each).
Well my gas grill is a little 2 burner Weber so I couldn't fit 2 chickens in it. But I like having a rotisserie for it because it makes me use the grill more often. But charcoal is better in general so if I were you I might just get one for your kettle.
A few simple fixes. I cut the bird into quarters and low and behold I can fit two birds on the kettle when I fit them in like puzzle pieces. Then I paid more attention to the temps while cooking and moved things around so that I got my desired temps in the breast and the thigh. More like cooking steaks than the way I traditionally cook chicken.
I added a rub to the bird for the first time (mostly brown sugar).
The results...sorry no pics but I was very happy. The juice that pooled on the plate was like a dipping sauce. Gawd. Best chicken I have ever had.
Forgot to mention. Sanitation is big for me when prepping birds. I came up with the following system and it works for me.
- spread paper on counter (I actually used tinfoil this time)
- disposable plastic gloves
- good tools - I have a garden shear I use to take out the back bone. A sharp knife to cut skin and quarter the bird.
- pot of boiling water on the stove
- when I have got the bird cut up, the tools go into the boiling water and never touch anything in my kitchen
- paper folds up with leftover pieces and germs inside and goes into garbage
- gloves go in garbage
- wash my hands
- take sanitized tools out of boiling water after 5 minutes
- spray counter with a mixture of bleach and water and wipe
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