Fabricating a Spatchcock Chicken

It’s a well-known fact in the culinary world that things which are cut evenly cook evenly. A chicken in its natural form presents a problem; it’s shaped like a ball with pieces hanging off. Spatchcock refers to a method of fabricating a chicken so that it lies flat and cooks evenly.

The word “spatchcock,” by the way, is Irish for “splitting open a bird.” And it’s fun to say. Spatchcock! Spatchcock! Spatchc…!

While a spatchcock chicken is a fairly simple preparation, handling a chicken held at odd angles can be a little tricky, so above everything else, make sure you’re holding the chicken firmly when cutting.

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Spatchcock chicken needs a low and slow method of cooking. Grilling and smoking are ideal. One of the most common methods is called “under brick”.

Chicken Under Brick

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And, while the pictures show the method on my gas grill, this would work over coals. Don’t put the chicken directly over the coals though; bank them and use indirect heat to cook the spatchcock chicken. And if you’re using a gas grill, turn the heat down all the way.

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