I Tested The Most Popular Chicken Hack
Spatchcock vs Whole Chicken, Side by Side
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Introduction
Does Spatchcock Chicken Really Cook Faster and More Evenly?
What's up BBQ fans! Today I've got one question on my mind: does a spatchcock chicken cook more evenly and faster than a whole chicken? Spatchcocking has been all the rage for years, and everyone says it's quicker and more even. I wasn't sold on it, so I put two birds side by side on the Komodo Kamado 38 to find out.
The Chickens
Two organic Whole Foods chickens: 4.41 lb and 4.27 lb, as close as I could get.
One spatchcocked, one left whole. Pull the giblets and trim off any big flaps of fat.
To spatchcock: use kitchen shears and cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it, then press down to crack the breastbone so the bird lies flat. You can use a knife, but shears are quicker and won't dull your blades.
Tuck the wings on the whole bird. It keeps them close to the body and protects the breast a little, since the breast always cooks faster.
The Rub
Pitts & Spitts sent me some of their rubs. I didn't even know they made rubs. They have a steak rub, all-purpose, sweet and spicy, hot and spicy (which I gave away immediately), and a rib rub I'm trying next. For this cook I used their BBQ rub.
I seasoned the bottoms and tops but didn't go under the skin. A lot of the time I make chicken for my wife to use in salads during the week, and she pulls the skin off anyway. I let the birds sit for about 20 minutes so the salt could pull out a little moisture and help the rub stick.
The Setup
Just over a quarter basket of lump, lit with the GrillGun (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%).
Vents: top open 3 turns and the bottom left side wide open until it hit about 350°F, then I dialed it back. I ended at the top open three-quarters of a turn.
Target: 350°F to 375°F dome temp.
Both birds indirect, shifted as far from the fire as possible so neither one had an advantage. I preheated the kamado well to take advantage of that 360-degree radiant heat.
Why not hotter? A lot of people crank the heat to crisp the skin. What actually happens is the chicken cooks too fast and the skin never gets a chance to render. Cooking a little slower renders the fat and crisps the skin without overcooking the meat.
Keeping It Fair
I put one Typhur Sync Gold Dual (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%) probe in each breast, with a target of 158°F. Really, I wanted to pull them around 152°F to 153°F.
One side of the kamado was running a little hotter, so I swapped the birds after 20 minutes, swapped them again 20 minutes later, then rotated them 180 degrees for 5 minutes and swapped once more. The ambient readings started 19°F apart and finished within about 5°F. Next time, I'd place the ambient probe away from the wall, where it wasn't getting the same airflow.
The Twist
The Typhur Sync Gold Dual said the whole chicken finished first, about 3 minutes ahead. I got excited, thinking I'd just busted the myth. Then I noticed the angle of the probes.
So I double-checked with the Typhur InstaProbe. The whole bird was done in the top half of the breast, but lower down it was still cold. The spatchcock chicken was actually done about 5 minutes before the whole chicken. Pro tip: always spot-check a whole bird in more than one place.
Taste Test
Both birds were super crunchy and crispy, except where I'd poked them with the thermometer and some juice softened the skin. That's what cooking a little slower gets you.
Both tasted very good, but the spatchcock chicken was noticeably juicier. Because I had to leave the whole bird on longer to bring the bottom of the breast up to temp, the top dried out a little. And the Pitts & Spitts BBQ rub? Phenomenal. I'll be using it again.
Final Thoughts
Verdict: the spatchcock wins this round. It finished about 5 minutes sooner and stayed juicier. It's not a huge time saver indirect, but it cooks more evenly. Next, I'm putting both birds directly over the coals to see if that changes things.
One bit of news: Clean Space Project, the nitrile gloves so many of you bought through my link, has gone out of business. If you know a good brand of nitrile gloves, let me know in the comments.
Thanks For Watching
Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice, these tips will enhance your cooking skills and leave your family and friends raving about your delicious, smoky creations. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more step-by-step videos, and let's together become the barbecue heroes we were meant to be!
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