Spatchcock

~5 lbs chicken

1. Using scissors cut along either side of the backbone and remove
2. Flip the chicken over and press down on the breast (like cpr) to break/detach the breast bone
3. (Optional) Flip the chicken back over and use a small sharp knife to cut out the breast bone

4. Brine Overnight:

   • 1 gallon of cold water (or enough to completely submerge the chicken)
   • 1 cup kosher salt
   • 1 tbs ground black pepper
   • 1 tbs cayenne

5. Let sit in fridge for a few hours after rinsing brine off. Rubbed with olive oil and then the chicken rub

6. Water pan full of beer

7. Smoked on 225° with ~2oz cherry for 3 - 4 hours

Spatchcocking flattens the chicken and allows it to cook much more evenly, but the best part is that it is so much easier to butcher once it is cooked. If you do the optional step of removing the breastbone, you can just cut down the middle and slice off the legs/thighs to easily get four quarter chicken servings rather than trying to carve the breasts from the body