# Dirty Chicken



## red robbo 69 (Aug 14, 2015)

Sometime it just ain't gonna happen for you is it?

I'd been looking at a recipe on Let there be Meat for Dirty Planked Spatchcock Chicken. I was a little dubious; a whole 2kg chicken cooked in 22 minutes? Anyway I thought I'd give it a go. I thought I'd err on the side of caution and use a chicken closer to 1kg than 2. Apart from a few tweaks here and there I stuck fairly much to the recipe in the book..

First off, I spatchcocked and brined the chicken before i went to work this morning:

2l water

200ml whisky (the recipe specified bourbon, but I had a bottle of 'interesting' Japanese whisky that i will never drink, so...)

300g salt

300g dark brown sugar

4 cloves crushed garlic

2 bay leaves













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






I took the chicken out, dried it off, made some slashes in the thighs and rubbed with:

6 dried bay leaves

1tbsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cayenne

1tbsp celery salt

1/2 tbsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1st 3 ingredients dry roasted and ground, then mixed with the rest













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






Mate a baste from:

100ml olive oil

50ml lemon juice

75g butter

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 tsp onion granules

Filled my wee 47cm Weber compact with lit Big K lumpwood and stuck the chicken on:













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






Basted the chicken and turned every 2 minutes for 12 minutes, basting as I turned. After 12 minutes I took the chicken off and rested for 10 minutes. I put it on a soaked cedar plank, basted again, placed the plank directly on the coals and stuck the lid on. The rain started.













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






The recipe specified 10 minutes smoking. I pulled it when the internal temp was 74C.













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






Um













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






LoL. Eat your heart out Gordon Ramsey. Carbonised skin. Felt as tough as old boots. However..













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






Still moist inside and tasted really good (once i'd got rid of the carbonised skin.) This is the photograph from from the recipe book













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__ red robbo 69
__ Aug 14, 2015






Not radically different. It was nice, pleasantly primal and I'm looking forward to the sarnies tomorrow. However it wasn't especially smoky (no big surprise as it was only 10 mins) and I wonder if it would have been better to cook it indirect with with a couple of wood chunks for an hour or so. Anyway, you live and learn.

Cheers

Robin


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## kiska95 (Aug 15, 2015)

Great experiment! Did something similar when I was in the Boy Sprouts many years ago but they had us wrap in Tin Foil before it went on the bonfire but same results. Yeah I think your indirect idea would be better


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## kc5tpy (Aug 15, 2015)

kiska.  Boy scouts?  I am surprised you remember back that far you old git!  Take no prisoners!  You are now part of the family!!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Yes Rob.  Your idea is correct.  The difference will surprise you.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## smokin monkey (Aug 15, 2015)

Hi Robin, not pleasing to the eye, but if it was cooked and moist that's a bonus. Lacking flavour, with no real smoke and removing the charred skin,the flavours gone. But 10 minutes cook time, some nice meat for Sandwiches?


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## red robbo 69 (Aug 16, 2015)

Thanks for the comments guys, you can't win 'em all. As I said, I was dubious about the recipe, but I thought I'd give it a go. Guess I should have gone with my instincts. I had the edible bits in a sandwich for lunch the next day and it tasted ok. This was probably down to the brine; I'd never brined a chicken before and was surprised just how much flavour it gave the meat. I'll certainly do it again.

Robin


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## kiska95 (Aug 16, 2015)

There you go a Texan older than the Lucas OIL gusher calling me an Old Git! Didn't you used to go dancing to the "The Only Ones" before Elvis knew what hair dye was ! now that  IS Old!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bet you even knew Billie Sol Estes!!!!

Give them Yanks their due they certainly know how to take food to the next level and have been doing it for donkeys years. I only just got into brining after my last stint working in the US but what a hell of a difference it makes.


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## kc5tpy (Aug 16, 2015)

Elvis?  Elvis??  All that hip swinging?  Just a FAD!  He will never catch on!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## kiska95 (Aug 17, 2015)

Try Marinating chicken wings etc. in Buttermilk. The acid breaks down the proteins tenderising the meat


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## kc5tpy (Aug 18, 2015)

FINE tip kiska!  So you are not just a pretty face!  That buttermilk will will surprise you!  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## kiska95 (Aug 19, 2015)

Our Indian friends use yoghurt for the same thing. Yep the pretty face just keeps on giving. Everyday an education[emoji]128512[/emoji]


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