Lime Performer Inaugural Cook - Applewood Smoked Spatchcock Chicken

This was to be my dinner on July 4th. I got no further than lighting the chimney of coals when I received an email from a woman on CL telling me to come on over to purchase her Weber Performer for $45. I was literally out of the house within minutes and dinner just had to get bumped! I put the Performer back together last night in the living room while watching True Grit and was biting on the bit to get at it this evening!

First, photos of the prize. This color is a Crate and Barrel exclusive. It is close to a lime green.
Darn near MINT condition.





Chicken was spatchcocked and put in a brine for 12 hours. I use a basic salt and brown sugar, & mix in a couple Tbs's of my chicken rub. I also added 2 orange peels microplaned, and a couple Tbs's of the spice sumac. If you never had before, it is quite tangy, citrusy in fact. Not to be confused with North American sumac trees which are quite poisonous. Which are NOT good eats.:tsk: These went on the weber indirect, along with a large sweet onion and 2 taters.



I used applewood chips for the smoke and brushed the chicken with a compounded butter including salt, more orange peel, and some of my rub. I never flip my birds, as I like the look of the skin when it comes off better this way. Last year I did a thread here polling those who flip and those who do not. The results were pretty much 50% on both sides.



Little bit more than 90 minutes and we had ourselves a meal! Also had corn, but no photo, as it was eating time! I love smoking/grilling brined chickens. It is hard for me to cook chicken anymore without a brine. The flavors just do not compare.. NOR does the juiciness of a brined bird. When you cut or pierce the skin, the juices just flow. PRICE is right too.



Thanks for taking a look and a read!
And keep hitting the CL ads. You just NEVER can tell what TREASURES will be posted!:thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:


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MG_NorCal said:

Nice!
Beautiful looking skin.
Did you baste the skin with butter, oil, or something?

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Thank you.:-D For the skin I take it out of the brine, place it on cooling rack over a sheet pan, pat dry all moisture off, then back in the fridge for a minimal of 4 hours to dry more thorough. Then right before the cook, I smear the compounded butter on the chicken, and do brush on more of the mixture a few times during the cook. Also I do not flip, so that adds to the skin looking like it does.

Churrasqueiro Bob said:

Are you sure you don't want to sell the Performer to me for $145 and turn a quick profit? :mrgreen:

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Heh.. Not sure you really want it, as it got a little dirty tonight cooking.:becky:

mobilekatz said:

Looks great- I am sure thats one happy chicken!

Just wondering with the potatoes, have you just cut them most of the way through- had you par boiled them before putting them on?

Many thanks!

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Actually I just saw a photo of this method the other day here on the forum for the first time. I sliced them about 3/4 of the way through. As they were cooking I brushed them with the compound butter and kosher salt. They were still a little hard towards the end of the chicken cooking, so I then rolled em in foil and threw on the coals for a few more minutes to finish up. They tasted like a campfire potato. A bit smoky and good.

I bet that chicken tasted even better being cooked on such a fantastic deal of a grill. Nicely done!!

Cajunator said:

I bet that chicken tasted even better being cooked on such a fantastic deal of a grill. Nicely done!!

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You know.. I actually think it did!:becky: