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This was one of the best yardbirds I've cooked in quite a while; it was juicy, well-seasoned, and had a crispy skin.
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| Spatchcocked chicken roasting "raised-direct" on a large Big Green Egg. |
This isn't a recipe post, rather just a quick report about what I did, which wasn't a lot: no dry brining, no injections, no fiddling around with it.
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| Chick Magnet Chicken with a drizzle of Harold's Hog Wash mustard-based BBQ sauce. |
The Chicken Prep
I started with an all-natural 3.5 whole chicken and spatchcocked it using poultry shears to remove the backbone. Since I was using Denny Mike's Chick Magnet to season the bird, I followed his mantra of "Spray - Sprinkle - Spray." I patted the bird dry, spritzed it with canola oil, gave it a heavy sprinkling of Chick Magnet, and then hit it again to lock the seasoning down.
Funny story about Denny. I first met Denny Mike at the Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest. Robyn "GrillGirl" Lindars introduced me to him as we were cutting across the park, but it was loud, and we were in a hurry. I misunderstood the introduction, and for a couple of years, I referred to him as Mike Denny. It wasn't until I saw his rubs a few years later that I realized my error.
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| If you haven't tried Denny Mike's, I highly suggest giving them a try. Cow Bell Hell and Chick Magnet are two of my favorites. |
The Grill Set-Up
I used a large Big Green Egg kamado grill for this cook. It wasn't a strategic choice. I just wanted to use it because I had just replaced the bands on the grill.
I loaded a Kick Ash Basket full of Tennessee hardwood lump charcoal and fired it up with my JJ George grill torch, my usual MO. I went with a raised-direct set-up at 300°f. This means the chicken was raised higher away from the coals and closer to the heat reflecting off the ceramic dome lid. The beauty of that is you don't have to flip it at all, and it cooks through, nice and evenly.
The Cook
There really isn't much to say. I was out front working in the yard while this cooked for about 90 minutes. The Egg, Chick Magnet, and the bird took care of the rest.
The Results
Maybe it was because we were hungry from toiling in the flower beds all day, but this was the best dang chicken I've made in a while. The raised-direct method is time-tested and consistently produces crispy, smoky, and tasty chicken. Chick Magnet brought mouthwatering flavor to the party.
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| Resting on a rack after coming off the Egg. That stupid broken wing on the right had me humming the 80's song "Broken Wing" by Mister Mister all afternoon. |
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| Quartered chicken ready for dinner. |
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| The chicken was marvelous on its own. But I love putting mustard sauce on chicken, whether it's my own on a good commercially made one. Lately, I've been enjoying Harold's Hog Wash. It has the "vinegary-mustard tangy with only a hint of sweet and a bit of heat" flavor that I love about this sauce type. Plus, it's made here in Tennessee. |
