Sounds good. I haven't done a whole chicken for a long time. Cheaper to get a rotissere chicken from Sams. Of course you don't get that smoked flavor.
The commercial rotisserie version is likely going to be much saltier, which really muddles up the comparison.
That looks good! I also gravitate toward chicken thighs (more flavor) and just grilled about 4 pounds today then cut some up to make teriyaki for lunch (used Bachan's Original sauce that we got on sale at Costco a month or two ago). It actually is pretty decent.
Yeah, there is a whole world of difference between a whole roasted chicken and a whole smoked chicken. I always brine my chicken overnight before smoking. It comes out so delicious, juicy, and with a lovely smoked flavor and to us beats a roasted chicken any day. I’d occasionally tried smoked chicken at a TX BBQ joint and they’d often be dry and overcooked. Brining and not overcooking is key.
Great looking bird! Good idea about crisping up the skin.It’s been a few months, as I tend to gravitate towards chicken thighs, but a whole chicken is a fun cook. I spatchcock it to help it cook evenly, cook around 300° until breast meat hits around 150°, and open up the vents to get temp to 400-450° for the final 20-30 minutes so that the skin can crisp up. Way better than anything from the store - even if only in the fun factor.
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I must say, the rotissere cut in 1/2 or quartered and slathered with items of choice and reheated within the grill (wow to the crispy skin) is one of my fav's and so much easier than starting from raw (and cheaper). I do it frequently. Wings and legs are even better than from the rotissere alone, especially if chick cooled down since buying it. Throw it on the grill!!
They definitely have a different texture and flavor. Babyback are more meat, less fatty. What I like about spare ribs is that they don’t require wrapping, slathering with anything before wrapping, etc. I just use a dry rub, maybe occasionally spritz with apple cider vinegar late in the cook.
Main thing I don't like about a whole slab or spareribs is all the little cartilage pieces you have to deal with. I pretty much stick to babybacks anymore.
Me neither. My fix is usually buy St. Louis cut ribs or, occasionally, to trim spares to St. Louis style. (https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-trim-pork-spare-ribs-st-louis-style) This is an easily fixable problem.
It’s funny - I actually like the cartilage bits.
Okay, so I did butcher my spare ribs into St. Louis ribs without knowing it. I saw those flaps of loose meat and cut them off, I figured they'd cook differently and burn.
I haven’t had trouble with even thin pieces burning. The little skirt flap along the main ribs cooks nicely and a thin edge or two can be folded over and secured with a toothpick. On a whole spareribs the large section with cartilage (aka rib tips) stays flat and comes out very good as well as the breast bone area. I haven’t experienced that the section with cartilage become chewy and hard. The only thing I really do otherwise is remove the tough membrane over the main ribs.
