Spatchcock BBQ chicken for Blogger's CLUE Society

This month our challenge for Blogger's CLUE Society is BBQ.  What is Blogger's CLUE?   Well, I am going to talk to you all about that but first I want to talk to you about BBQ.

BBQ means different things to different people.  Down south, BBQ means slow smoking meat and serving it up with sauce on the side.  Here in Michigan, when we invite people over for a BBQ, it means we are throwing something on the grill.  It doesn't matter what that something is.  It doesn't matter if you use gas, charcoal or wood.  It doesn't matter if it has sauce.  All that matters is it is cooked on a grill...outside...inside grills are called grilled food but if it is cooked outside on a grill it is a BBQ.

Now, I personally love southern BBQ and there are several restaurants in the area that carry great southern BBQ.  But the local one, the one owned by my neighbor, which is delicious by the way, is called Danz Smoked Meats.  It is not even called BBQ because that is not what we call it here. The few times we have been to a BBQ restaurant both my husband and my brother complained that "this is not BBQ, this is....pulled pork, smoked beef brisket, smoked chicken....or whatever it is that they ordered believing they were going to get meat that was grilled and then slathered in BBQ sauce.

When this month's challenge from Blogger's CLUE Society assigned us BBQ as a challenge it created a quandary to me.  This wonderful club assigns each member a theme (BBQ this month) and another blogger.  The idea is to check out your assigned person's blog and find a recipe fitting the theme that you wish to recreate for yourself and those you love.

This month I was assigned Alice of A Mama, Baby & Sharpei in the Kitchen.  Now, as the title would suggest, Alice is a Wife and a Mom of 3 children as well as Mom to her Sharpei, Patella. Alice enjoys cooking for and with her family and it shows in all the wonderful recipes that she has to share. 

I went into Alice's Recipe Box which is huge!!  Thankfully, it is very well organized so I started looking for those things that would be considered BBQ, by either southern or northern standards. The first thing I noticed was a section called French Fridays....I am definitely going back and trying out some of the wonderful French recipes that Alice had listed but alas...my assignment this month was BBQ.  

The next recipe that caught my eye was Orange Fluff Jello Salad because here north country the sides are just as important as the meat at a BBQ.  This dish was at every BBQ or Picnic we had when I was growing up and it appears that it was also a childhood treat for Alice.  This immediately got put on my list of possibilities for this challenge.

The next recipe to catch my eye was a Pulled Pork Sandwich and Alice had not only a wonderful sounding Pulled Pork but also recipes included for the sides.  My mouth was watering like crazy and I am going to go back and give those recipes another look before the summer is over.

But the recipe that called to me and said "Hey you, yeah you....Make me...I am exactly what you are looking for!" was Alice's recipe for Spatchcocked Chicken on the Barbie.  I recreated Alice's recipe almost exactly as she had written it even though she gave permission to add other herbs and spices according to taste.  I normally would have done so but the photos of Alice's chicken were so luscious looking that I decided to stick with her tried and true recipe. The only change I made was that I used 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) of butter for 2 chickens.

Once you place the chicken on the grill bone side down, shut the lid and let it go. No need to flip it or turn it.  We did have a flare up so you can see a little char but the inside meat was tender, juicy and perfectly cooked.

This is what I commonly refer to as the perfect recipe....Easy Peasy and Delicious.  Thanks Alice.  I had fun getting to know you a little bit this month.

I will be using this method in the future and I think I will take Alice's suggestion and add some herbs and spices to the butter before placing it under skin.

Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
adapted from A Mama, Baby and Sharpei in the Kitchen

2 whole broiler chickens, backbones removed but still connected at the breast
1/4 c. butter, softened
Juice of 1 large lemon
1-2 T. of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place chickens flesh side down on a cutting board and press down on the breastbone breaking the bones so the chicken lies flat.  Loosen the skin around the neck, using a small sharp knife if necessary, and run your fingers underneath to make a pocket between the skin and flesh of the chicken.  Spread half of the butter under between the skin and the flesh of each chicken.  Pat the chicken dry and then rub it all over with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat grill to high.  Place the chicken bone side down onto the grill, reduce heat to medium, close the lid and let chicken cook for 30 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165* is reached.  Let set for a few minutes before cutting each chicken into quarters and serving.  Print Recipe

Let's see what everyone else brought to the table this month

• Artichoke and Green Chile Stuffed Mushrooms by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Arugula Salad with Figs, Prosciutto, Walnuts, and Parmesan by Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
• Bourbon Baked Beans by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Classic Southern Potato Salad by Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Cornish Game Hens with Citrus, Herb and Whiskey Glaze by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• Crinkle Sugar Cookies by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Crockpot Chili Dog Sauce by Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen
• Grilled Asian-Style Chicken by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Grilled Chicken Shish Tawookby Sue from A Palatable Pastime
• Grilled Salmon with Mojo de Ajo by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Grilled Southwestern Chicken Salad by Aly from Cooking in Stilettos
• Grilled Zucchini with Sea Salt and Lemon Zest by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Lemintini by Anna from annaDishes
• Marinated Grilled Flank Steak by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Oklahoma Spicy Baked Beans by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Spatchcock BBQ Chicken by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Steak Kabobs by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sweet Potato Turkey Burgers by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• White Bean Tomato and Basil Salad by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Zesty Grilled Ham Steaks by Heather from girlichef