Chicken on the MES

[terry adams]

We're newbies on the site and newbies with our MES! Thanks to all the great posts we're feeling empowered. Used tips gleaned to

try our hand with a couple of chickens, brined and smoked. I still need to work on getting the rub to stick....did use the mustard trick but missed something, still tasty.

chickens bathed powdered and ready to go.jpg

• terry adams
• Mar 11, 2013

chickens done now.jpg

• terry adams
• Mar 11, 2013

 

[jrod62]

Yardbirds looks great ! :drool

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Terry , first -Hello and welcome to the forum.

Your bird looks great , have you tried the Beercan Method ? Or Spatchcocked? If you are like the rest of us , you'll be experimenting before you know it...   check out the Fowl recipes , some good ideas there.

Have fun and as always...

 

[kathrynn]

Birds look great!  

I do the Spatchcock method....smoke gets into everything that way!

Kat

 

[pgsmoker64]

Chickens look great to me!

To get the rub on the birds real well, put the rub in a large ziploc bag, rub the bird down with oil, drop it in the bag with the rub then shake it and massage it real well, then leave it in the bag overnight.  Works great!

Bill

 

[terry adams]

Thanks for the suggestions. Funny a while back when buying chickens at the local butcher, I asked him to prepare them spatchcocked to save me some time. He looked at me like I said a dirty word! Didn't have a clue what I meant. I had to say, "just break the back and flatten them for me". Still didn't look happy so I told him never mind, geeze just can't get what I want.

Didn't really take the time with the birds I smoked as it was a last minute decision to smoke that day. Just rubbed them and threw 'em on. Will definately go with spatchocked or can method next time. Bill, thanks for suggesting they handy rub tip, a little planning can go a long way! Speaking of planning, I've got some pork curing in the fridge to try our hand at CB next weekend. Can't wait!

 

[reinhard]

i was a meat cutter for over 35 years and never heard the phrase spatchcock method LOL.  being new here and not researched the phrase i'm thinking the bird is butterflyed which is something i heard and done many times. i like it butterflyed myself.  maby it's what part of the country you live regarding terms used in meat..for example on the east coast a top round is london broil i believe and here in Minnesota its called top round.  pop is what we call a pepsi and in the east coast it's called soda.  Reinhard

 

[chef jimmyj]

The word Spatchcock is a term going back to the 18th Century in Europe which accounts for it's very common use in Restaurant Kitchens and is the term used when training Culinary Students how to remove the Backbone and frequently the Breastbone including cartilage to flatten the Bird for faster cooking. Being raised in a family of Butchers, I too never heard the word until I went to Culinary School...JJ

 

[reinhard]

thanks Chef!!. when i "flatten" out the chicken i lay the bird on it's back and split the breast all the way to the neck and backbone leaving all the bones in. but i can see the other method as well. thanks again. Reinhard

 

[terry adams]

That's what I love about this forum, everyone shares their knowledge! I didn't even to think to say butterfly, now i know. I really want to make friends with my butcher!

 

[chef jimmyj]

thanks Chef!!. when i "flatten" out the chicken i lay the bird on it's back and split the breast all the way to the neck and backbone leaving all the bones in. but i can see the other method as well. thanks again. Reinhard

Reinhard...It is ok to do it that way, leaving in the Bones. But if you cut out the spine and breast bone, you can save them up, with the neck, heart and gizzard, until you have enough to make a Stock or Soup. I save a variety of bones and shrimp shells to make soups and stocks...JJ

 

[reinhard]

that's why your a chef and i'm an retired meat cutter LOL. i think i'll do that next time. i always save the wing tips for soup stock along with necks and gizzerds. thanks for that tip. old fashion in many ways with the bone in preference i guess. however i have seen some boneless chicken breast ideas on other threads i want to try. Reinhard