Majestik

That sounds kinda good...

uh... except for the liver part.

But otherwise... yeah.

Indirect...

... for the birds... and direct for the chops. I was cooking around 400F for both... Fast and hot... they came out perfect. Birds were about 75 minutes and the chops were fast... 15 minutes tops, I really didn't time it.

I must say ceramic cooking is the only way to go!

Well, I finally got around to some brining experimentation. Results? Mixed. The first set of chops I brined in Brown Sugar, Salt, and Old Bay.... then applied a dry rub and grilled. They were delicious... juicy, tender, and kind of "ham-like"

then I brined some chickens with a similar formula... grilled 'em spatchcock style:

And it was juicy and delicious, like all kamado'd birds... but probably not any better than a non-brined bird... not really sure it was worth doing. (And these were "unadulterated" chickens - no broth or anything like that... still... didn't feel the brine helped).

After that I did brined chops again using the same procedure... this time they were too salty, despite the fact that I used less salt and a shorter brine time... so I don't know what that's about.

Overall? I personally don't feel the need to brine. I rather prefer the "natural" taste of meat, with just a good rub applied.

But I do thank Porkchop for his guidance on this.... I'll probably try it again someday, but for now I'm sticking with the tried and true.

Maybe I'll try spatchcocking a turkey today or something.

Welcome, Bugs.

Hey!

like a bunch a girls picken out curtains

Watchoo talkin' bout, Willis?

Me too - the PAD-135 really caught my eye...

Poll has been reset...

Okay... there's an animated color-changing version at the top of the page.... kinda cool, and portrays the whole "choose your color" idea... I even included a pink...er.. TAN one for Firemonkey.

Also, the ninja-kanji-komodo gets a little airplay as well....

Hmmm?

Not very nice...

You know, that poor soul you mock is someone's daughter, sister, mother, or wife...

...or all of the above at once.

(okay I couldn't resist).

With some tips from PC, I'll be brining some whole chix and some thick chops... Something to do while it rains all weekend. That is, I hope it rains or I'll have to water my dirt... er.. lawn.

A huge sugar coated doughnut kinda thing.

Like a funnel cake?

Dude, have you never been to the fair? Pull yourself away from that computer and go to the fair.

Of course I've been to the damn fair.

Humph!

Gimme an elephant ear

Please... enlighten me.

You're absolutely right... those of us who have been using ceramics for years can sometimes take it for granted... those are excellent suggestions.

Drunk_J... get on that, will you? Or kick Dennis if you can flag him down.

Re: Old Bay

We would get along just fine. Definitely one of the treasures of the spice cabinet. Some potato fries covered with Old Bay and splashed with cider vinegar would go great with those chickens!

Now you're talking... just discovered the stuff and it is now a staple item in our house. And the fries idea... dang, is it dinner time yet?

I'm partial to the "ninja" version myself. Everyone, don't forget that you cast your vote at the top of the post, and then you will see the current results.

Of course, it's ultimately Dennis' call...

I would agree with Tony there... it looks just a little too big. What kind of "legs" does it have. How far above the main grill does it sit? Kinda hard to tell from the photo... I'm thinking in terms of stacking foods... head deflector, meat on main grill, meat on upper grill...

I do use my upper grill alot... almost exclusively, usually with a drip pan/heat deflector under it. It's tall enough to do the pork roasts over brisket... barely.

1 - Big Dragon in center of Komodo Kamado

2 - Cooker with japanese kanji in middle of Komodo Kamado (kanji means "kamado")

3 - Our Tiled Cooker in middle of Komodo Kamado

4 - color changing komodo in the middle

Alright, I took the plunge. Grabbed a couple of chix at BJs on the way home. Removed their spines, flattened 'em breast up and rubbed down with a quick mix of brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, old bay, black pepper, chili powder and paprika.

That's right, chickens, you've been spatchcocked!

Let these guys bake with mesquite chips for smoke and a drip pan full of chopped onions and white wine (not that that would do any good, but it was time to throw out both the wine and the onions anyway, so why not?).

Thar she blows!

The trusty K blowing smoke there. Kept these at about 350F for an hour or so...

Yeah baby... looking goooooood.

Mopped them down with apple cider vinegar solution containing brown sugar, black pepper and old bay. And then bumped up the temp to 450F for the last half-hour til the breast read 180F.

Man, these were some tasty birds. As juicy as any beer-butt I've done. The rub/mop combination made for a delectible sweet spicy crust and the meat was literally falling off the bone. Yeah, I'd do this again, definitely. One of the things I really liked was how easy it was to "carve" afterwards... the pieces just came apart and were easily divied up.

Thanks everyone for your help!

--Mike

Everybody's a critic!

That sounds great... but I don't buy injected chickens...? But the mop sounds excellent.

Oh man,

I think my arteries just constricted involuntarily...

Ah well... a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...

Alright, back to the subject...

Okay, so I've read all the kindly referenced links and have determined that spatchcocking is basically de-spining a bird Predator style. Based on my experience with whole-chicken-halves... this will work beautifully. Next question is... what about brining and THEN spatchcocking?

Eh?

Re: natural chicken

Boil it.

Eh, you're such a naysayer, Gerard, and after all I've done for you, too.

Porkchop, I am going to try brining soon... will have to grab your brine proportions of your site one of these days soon.

Re: natural chicken

Gawd, not another beer-butt chicken fan.

You tell me how to produce a superior chicken, and I will follow. Until then, keep your hands off my beer butt.

Re: natural chicken

If you have a BJs' date=' their entire chicken selection is the purdue naturally fresh stuff. Minimally processed no additions, and under 3% retained water. $.79/lb for the whole birds.[/quote']

I picked up a couple of those this weekend... BJs produce has been hit and miss (a lot of spoilage) but their butchery has been very good to me.

I did one of those birds as a beer-butt on sunday... It has been almost 2 years since I've done one of those... it was amazing. I forgot how sweet and succulent they are. Sigh.