Spatchcocking

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ssorllih
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Spatchcocking

Post by ssorllih » Thu Nov 14, 2013 21:48

About 20 years ago I started splitting poultry down the back and removing the spine, the sternum and the ribs and other small bones so that I could lay the bird flat for seasoning and cooking. Today I learned from my sister in New York that it is a highfaluting way to prepare and cook a turkey and it has an ancient name. So now when you are going to remove the small bones from the turkey you can just tell folks that you are going to spatchcock the turkey.
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sawhorseray
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Post by sawhorseray » Sat Nov 16, 2013 01:03

I'm going to spatchcock a 5.5lb chicken in just a little bit now that I've watched a few videos on the subject. I've always split them in half with a razor-sharp meat cleaver and my 16oz finish hammer, takes me about ten seconds. Spatchcocking will leave the bird whole while taking maybe 2-3 minutes, the dog will benefit from having the backbone meat boil up with the guts for her dinner, and it seems a far more civilized fashion of butchering. Who knows, this could someday lead to a turducken! RAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGKLtbiUflk
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Post by ssorllih » Sat Nov 16, 2013 02:44

If you can find the cartilage at the ends of the bones you can do this with a sharp knife in one hand. If I had ever picked up a cleaver to cut a chicken Herbie would have skinned me alive. (Herbie was my boss behind the meat counter at the A&P> German immigrant and German trained and very particular about the way things were done.)
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Post by Thewitt » Sat Nov 16, 2013 04:02

I debone poultry all the time using the Jacques Pepin method. http://youtu.be/kAekQ5fzfGM

Though not exactly the same, this is very easy and fast in removing the bones from a whole chicken.

Turducken is easy with this method. I do them every year.
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Post by sawhorseray » Sat Nov 16, 2013 18:30

Thanks for posting that, Jacques was always my favorite of all the TV chefs. RAY
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Post by ssorllih » Sat Nov 16, 2013 20:00

Very nice method. Thank you.
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Post by sawhorseray » Sun Nov 17, 2013 06:49

After being all spatchcocked up I made a brine of:
1/2 cup canning salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
few shakes of worchestershire
1 quart water

Image

Let the entire mess marinate in a 2-gallon Ziploc in the fridge for about six hours. Rinsed the bird off and sprinkled on a bit of paprika and garlic salt, threw it on the weber for a hour and twenty minutes, indirect.

Image

I was pretty happy with what came off the grill, I'll do it again. Oh, that clever will shave the hair off of your arm. RAY
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.”
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Post by ssorllih » Sun Nov 17, 2013 18:58

The chicken looks mighty fine.
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