Spatchcock

A few weeks ago I was reading Michael Ruhlmann's blog and he'd posted a photo of a spatchcock chicken that he'd made. I didn't know what a spatchcock chicken was (and apparently neither did he but that's not the point) but once I saw it I wanted to make it.

I went to Whole Foods and picked one of their organic fryers. I had the butcher make the proper cut because I was worried I'd screw it up at home (really, it looks easy but I figure why not have the pros do it). I lit up my charcoal grill and tied up my chicken. Here's how it turned out:

It was fun to make but as you can see, mine didn't turn out as pretty as Michael's. It kinda looks like something that would be in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But it was good and tender with that bit of charred flavoring. The skin was superb.

p.s. I also used his emulsified butter baste which I'll skip next time (a whole stick of butter!!!) and marinate the chicken in a lemon herb sauce instead.

Now, do you think I can get Zoe to quit nagging me to take her to KFC? First of all, she's supposed to be a vegetarian. Second of all, I've boycotted chain fast food joints for the most part (with so many other healthy options I just don't see the point). No. I cannot get her to stop. And when she saw Mr. Spatchcock she stuck her nose up at it (him?). Does she not realize how much better this is than KFC?