Spatchcock Brick Chicken

When I learned about spatchcocking, I was fascinated.  It's a very odd word for basically cutting out the backbone of a bird and butterflying it (there are many YouTube videos describing this process).  It's surprisingly easy and it allows the chicken to be laid flat during cooking.  If you've ever cooked a whole bird, you know the challenge is constantly making sure the drum/thigh is fully cooked without over cooking the breasts (everyone always over cooks the breasts).  This method helps tremendously with this problem.

This cook is inspired by a special from Jim's Place Grill in Collierville, TN.  Much of my method is derived from asking their waiter how their brick chicken is prepared.  The purpose of the brick is two fold, it makes the skin crisper and it allows for a faster cooking time.  Jim's Place does a boneless presentation.  I'm not sure how in the hell they do that, but I can see how it would be possible because the meat is falling off the bone when using this method.

I've done this two ways, both at about 400 degrees

1)  In oven in cast iron skillet
2)  In Big Green Egg over direct heat

I will describe my BGE method.

• Clean and remove the insides.
• Spatchcock and brine the bird.  Brining consists of letting the meat "marinate" in a salt/sugar/water mix for a period of time.  This period of time can be from a couple of hours to overnight. (3/4 cup salt per gallon of water, same for sugar...even brown sugar can be used)
• After brinning, add olive oil/rub and let the bird set out at room temperature for an hour, go easy on the salt if you brined it, otherwise it may be too salty.
• Get your BGE going and stabilize at 400, clean off cooking grid and spray with oil/pam so the skin doesn't stick
• Wrap a regular ol brick in tin foil (I let the brick heat up with the grill so it cooks from both sides)
• Put bird on the grill, skin side down and place brick on top in the meatiest part and make sure it will stay put (approx 15 min)
• Let it cook this way for 15 minutes to brown up the skin and remove brick (with heat glove) and place it on a heat resistant surface momentarily
• Flip the chicken over (skin side up), replace the brick using the other side of the brick to avoid potential contamination (not sure this is required, just something I do)
• Insert a meat thermometer and cook the rest of the way like this reaching internal temp of 160, which usually takes about another 30-40 minutes (I try to time it just right where I can shut down the BGE and cook it the rest of the way, like shutting it down at about 150.  It will keep that temp another 10 minutes easy to finish out the cook and save fuel)

NOTE:  The pic below shows one that was left on for 20 minutes on first side.  It was slightly charred so that's why I backed it down to 15 minutes on first side.  You can see on the second pic as I try to pull the leg off, the drumstick just comes right out because it's so tender.

Here is one that is flipped after 15 minutes on the first side.  The skin is perfect.