Blue Highway* Chicken—Pics

[pmillen]

When I was a kid (a long time ago, before the Interstate highway network) we often packed a lunch for road trips.  We'd pull into a roadside picnic area and eat what mom had prepared.  Sometimes, though, we'd buy grilled chicken from roadside stands.  The chicken stands were, I think, staffed by farm families and were the same structures that sold produce when it was in season.  I suspect that they were farmyard chicken and the wood for the coals was cut from shelter belts and fencerows on the property.

This is my mother's version of the marinade and sauce recipe.  She basted the chicken by pouring the sauce out of a pop bottle capped with what looked like a salt shaker stopper.  It may have been the same bottle and stopper she used to sprinkle clothes as she ironed.

The chicken is not spatchcocked.  It's cut through the ribs, along the sides.  Doing so isolates the white and dark meat and allows the cook to remove them from the grill at different internal temperatures.  (Thanks to Barry “CB” Martin for this tip.) 


I brined the bird for a few hours before marinating it.  I'm not certain if one interferes with the other but I wanted it moist (brine) and flavored (marinade).  I welcome your thoughts on this issue. 

The brine recipe was provided by an online acquaintance.  It's good brine for pork shoulders, butts and poultry.

Mr. Jig's Basic Brine
1 gallon water.
¾ cup kosher salt
½ cup sugar of choice, brown, white or turbinado.
Palm full of garlic powder
-OR- couple three Tblsp of minced garlic. (from a jar is fine)

Marinade Ingredients
1 cup vinegar (I used balsamic)
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp salt (I used sea salt)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp celery salt

Here's What I Did
I started brining the chicken at 8:30 AM before church.  It was 2:15 PM before I returned home to take it out.

I then marinated the bird for two hours.

I made a new batch of marinade and added ½ cup of vegetable oil.  This was the basting sauce.

I set my Cookshack PG-500 to 375° with LHT at 10 and HHT at 100.  I put the brined and marinated chicken on zone four. 


I turned the chicken and basted it every time the temperature bottomed out; about every five to seven minutes.

After more than an hour we grew impatient so rather than raising the temperature I moved the chicken to zone two.

The skin was a nice brown until I moved the pieces to zone two.  Then it quickly turned black (the sugar in the sauce?) but it didn't taste bad.  The internal temperature rapidly climbed to 165° for the white meat and 175° for the dark.




This was an okay first effort.  It had slightly more vinegar taste than I remember.  I think that the next time I'll cook at a higher temperature, maybe zone 3, which will automatically cut back on the amount of basting and reduce the vinegar taste.

*Two-lane highways are blue on maps (read Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon).

Edit:  The photos are 800 X 600 but they're still way too large.  I'll make them smaller as soon as I figure it out.

[muebe]

Looks like they took on some great color!

[Pappymn]

Do we have any technique on this carving method. I spatchcock all my birds, learned it from an Alton Brown video. Would love to see something on this. Nice color on the bird.

[pmillen]

Do we have any technique on this carving method. I spatchcock all my birds, learned it from an Alton Brown video. Would love to see something on this. Nice color on the bird.

Barry "CB" Martin is most qualified to speak to this technique.  But I'll take a run at it.

Based on his advice, I laid the bird on its back and peered up into the breast cavity to locate the joint in the ribs where it looks like some go with the breast and some go with the back.  I cut along that "seam" with sheers and when I got to the front I just turned 90° and cut through the spine.

That removed the back from the breast, leaving only the breast and wings with the body cavity open because the back was gone.

I didn't have to do any cutting on the other piece.  It's the complete back and the two thighs and legs.

I was reluctant to try 'cause it didn't seem as though I had complete instructions—but I actually had all I needed.  It's just that there's not much to it.

What the heck.  Give it a try.  So what if it doesn't turn out exactly the way you wanted.  It'll still cook up.

[mikecorn.1]

Looks great! Never seen a bird cut like that.


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[Pam Gould]

Looks good to me..an interesting idea. I usually spatchcock and take the backbone out for soups. Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[smokeasaurus]

Great cook and an interesting cut...that's for sure..............

[squirtthecat]

Cool looking chicken.   I like it!

[deestafford]

Paul,  I really like that cutting technique.  I have yet to try it but it makes so much sense.  As the white meat and the dark meat get done at different temps you can control the IT of the meat better rather than over cooking the white meat as you wait for the dark meat to get done.  How many times have we pulled a whole chicken off thinking it was done and then finding blood aroung the leg joints?  I know I have.
You are right on on the brining and then the marinading.  I posted an article, Brining 101, on the SOTG forum that I got out of Cooks Illustrated or Cook's Country,  can't remember which, that went into the science of why brining works followed by marinading.  It has to do with the salt molecules reacting and not blocking the marinade molecules if you do the brining separately.  Dee

[seajay]

Paul, That was the cut I was looking for. Mistaken it as to splitting a bird. I am slow so hope someone can show actual cuts.

[pmillen]

If I had Jackson's video skills I'd try to make one for you.  Or if you lived near Omaha, NE I'd do it in person for you.

It really isn't difficult.  Even if something goes seriously wrong on your first attempt you aren't going to waste any food.  You'll just have an oddly disjointed chicken.  Kinda' like KFC.

Edit:  Seajay's post above was generated by his question in this post Spatchcocking a chicken.

[Savannahsmoker]

Sure sounds and looks tasty.

[HighOnSmoke]

Tasty looking chicken and I will be trying this cut out on the next whole chicken I do.

[hikerman]

Beautiful chicken Paul! I really like that idea of separating light and dark meat....makes sense! Trouble is our dog is on a raw chicken diet, 70-75 % raw backs so when I use this carving method I will get a dirty look!

[Smokin Don]

Gene and all if you spatchcock a chicken then seperate it you get about the same thing only minus any back. You still have the light and dark meat separated. Don