Smoked whole chicken vs spatchcock on Pit Barrel Cooker | Which one cooks faster?

[@v9237]

The PBC is very forgiving to first time smokers which is why I love it. My wife was able to smoke a chicken and rack of ribs by herself having never smoked or bbq before. The PBC is very simplistic and awesome

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Little Wolf yes sir that’s what I love about it. Thanks for checking it out.

[@rush8289]

I'm a huge fan of the spatchcock method. I always dry brine before any other seasoning though. To each their own. Really loved your Alabama comment RTR!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Rush82 thanks a lot I really appreciate it. What did I say about Alabama? I don’t remember.

[@theancients7163]

Good comparison. Not too surprising that the temps stayed pretty much the same because the whole chicken was hanging which allowed the gasses to flow around and through the open cavity like it does the spatchcocked bird. This will not be the same if you do a beer-can method or if you simply set a whole chicken down on the grate ending up in done and over-done sections. I almost always spatchcock and indirect. Thanks.

[@jona5517]

Great vid! I usually just cook whole birds for the family just to save some time. I make my rub and add oil to make a paste to spread all over the chicken for an even coat. If I'm cooking for a party, I cut them in half to fit more meat on the pit and just dust with the rub. I always dry brine. Both ways turn out great with little effort. I also always hang them.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks a lot. Making your own rub is the best way.

[@GrillingwithGrove]

The reason they are the same is because of the science of the pit barrel cooker. It’s already designed to cook everything even on top bottom and sides. However this is not the case in a traditional oven or smoker.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Austin Grove that’s what I thought about later. Still interesting to actually see the science in action. Thanks for watching.

[@mikeg6069]

The hung whole chicken is much closer to the coals than the spatchcocked chicken on the grill. Therefore, the whole chicken is being cooked at a higher temperature. That's why they finished at roughly the same time. If you hung the spatchcocked chicken or cooked the whole chicken on the grate along side the spatchcoccked chicken then there would be a greater difference in the cook times between the 2.

[@beersn0b]

I wonder if splitting the spatchcock and hanging each side would have made a difference. That's usually how I do chickens in the PBC.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Maybe I will have to try it, thanks for checking it out.

[@Gquebbqco]

Big fan of Chicken on the PBS and any drum for that matter - Both looked good to me - nice job!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks brother, have a good weekend.

[@billdickhaus]

Love my PBC. I usually split the chicken and hang it. But right now I am going to try it spatchcocked and on the grill grate. Hanging a split chicken usually takes two linked hooks per half, and if I want to cook something else, like corn on the cob, I have to use a basket. I am always looking for ways to simplify.

[@rhod.m7857]

I did the video you made and turned out great. Got a question though.. what is the name of the song in the background? My wife and I think we heard it on an old John Hughes move from the 80s

[@williamriley2528]

The advantage of spatchcocking a chicken is it's easier to season, and it smokes & cooks more evenly... You're still cooking it in a hot oven so from a time perspective It's relatively the same...

[@progers5019]

Hey Kevin. Nice cook comparison. Love the way the rack works to hang and hook. I see you showing off the new cutlery. Nice

[@TheHollarBBQ]

That racks really cool. You can hang some ribs and smoke a butt at the same time. Thanks for stopping by.

[@janegriffith4034]

Good job. Looks delicious. My preference would be Spatchcock simply because of ease of serving.

[@stevenfrantz7106]

I did first spatchcock turkey on weber with cajinbutter inj. NOTHIN butt good

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Yeah one of my favorite ways to cook one. Thanks for watching.

[@thaddeusskinner2412]

Why didn't you hang the spatchcocked chicken as well? To me, it just does not make sense to place it on the grill. Two hooks through the cavity and under the wings works geat.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Yeah I might try that next time. But I think they way Pit barrel works the heat is circling they birds anyway, might not make a difference. But a good reason to experiment and find out. Thanks for checking it out.

[@paulterry9616]

That PBC did a fine job. Nice comparison!!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks a lot and thanks for checking it out.

[@bowulf]

Interesting video... I would prefer the Spatchcock method, and it is definitely faster in the oven roasting method. Perhaps having it vertical in the smoker solves the problem of cooking whole chicken.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Maybe it is the barrel. I was actually shocked, I thought the spatchcock would be a lot faster.

[@herewegofans]

I vote spatchcock. Great video, num num num num.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thank you very much.

[@SmokyRibsBBQ]

Great video Kevin! I enjoyed seeing the comparison. Pit Barrel Chicken is always so good.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks Rus I enjoyed shooting this video. Have a good weekend brother.

[@danielmecum1207]

Do you know what temperature you were cooking on or how the vent was set??

[@TheHollarBBQ]

The vent is set just like the recommended setting and it cooks between 270 to 290.

[@EverydayBBQ]

Loving that PBC man! Great cook and comparison!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks man. I highly recommend PBC.

[@dlt21]

great video..all your videos are entertaining and informative

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thank you very much I appreciate it. Hopefully I will continue to learn and make these videos better. Thanks for stopping by.

[@ChrisMcDowellDIY]

Interesting. I would’ve thought, too, that the spatchcock chicken would have cooked faster. Nice demonstration!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Chris McDowell yup. I think it’s more if how pit barrel cooks. The heat is circling the birds which make them cook the same. Thanks for watching.

[@bigmike5402]

Looks like you enjoyed that Crown Royal as must as the chicken ! Great vid brother ..

[@DavidNelson42]

Are the GrillEye probes waterproof? I've killed a few other probes by washing them. Also what's the range of GrillEye?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Don’t know if I would say water proof. You can wash them with no issues. Just don’t submerge them.

[@jrod9241970]

Hey thanks for giving your time in the experiment I loved it great job and I was surprised also

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks alot Jeffrey for checking it out. I need to do another video same exact way except on my Silverbac and see if I get the same results.

[@kelsjefl]

Great video! Nice knives!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

kelsjefl thanks a lot I really appreciate it.

[@LassesFoodAndBarbecue]

Really nice comparison. Thanks Kevin

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Lasse's Food and Barbecue no problem thanks for checking it out.

[@mike197019]

Great video Kevin

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks Michael.

[@bradfuller2454]

kevin I'm so glad you got good knives!! I had to quit watching you channel as I thought you were going to cut yourself with those "Paint scrapers" you were using

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks man. Only thing with the new knives is they are super sharp so I probably will cut myself. LOL.

[@bradfuller2454]

@@TheHollarBBQ I use dalstrong exclusively. they are great knives

[@MyFocusVaries]

I'm not familiar with this type of smoker. Is the heat source closer to where the whole chicken was in the smoker?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

The charcoal basket sits all the way in the bottom. What happens in the pit barrel is the heat is circling the meat. That's why it did not matter where it was in the cooker. Basically same temp everywhere. Thanks for checking it out.

[@BBQPITDOG]

That's good to know...... Really no difference. I usually cook chicken whole or halved hanging on the PBC. Man that PBC is awesome. Your channel is very cool. Great job!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thank you sir. I'm still learning and trying to improve the channel. Thanks for watching.

[@chrisl1637]

It’s been awhile since you’ve used the Silverbac. Safe to say you enjoy the Pit Barrel more?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Chris, I would not really say that. They both have their place. I was actually going to do this video on the Silverbac but did not have enough pellets. I wont buy just any pellets so I had to use the Pit Barrel. Dont worry you will see the Silverback in upcoming videos. Thanks for watching brother.

[@v9237]

Thank you for this video... excellent idea

[@scottgoswick448]

Love the video! What knife is that!? I need it lol

[@TheHollarBBQ]

scott goswick Dalstrong chef knife.

[@bradfuller2454]

@@TheHollarBBQ shogun series

[@davidmolina316]

Am I the only one who noticed the spatchcock one is a bit undercooked?

[@smokingtarheel3003]

That's amazing. I would have thought the spatchcock chicken would have won hands down. It was way closer. Beautiful chickens, Kevin. Are you still using the Kingsford competition charcoal?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Lee Setzer me too. I thought it was going to beat the whole chicken by an hour. I think the barrel has a unique cooking environment. I just used regular blue this time. What ever is a better deal is what I get. Have a good weekend brother.

[@stevehilliard1495]

I've seen a few spatchcock demonstrations that didn't remove Breast bone, is there much difference?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Do you mean the backbone?

[@stevehilliard1495]

TheHollarBBQ didn’t you cut the breastbone? Of course the backbone is removed

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Ha I almost forgot I did that. No the only reason for removing that is for easier serving. Without it once its cooked you can just slice them in half Really easy. Does not really affect the cook. Just easier to get to your guest. For me when I am just cooking for my family I least the breast bone in. Thanks for checking it out sir.

[@mikecha1957]

Very interesting, I usually do halves I guess it dosen't make much difference in the quality guess its more for convenience Nicely done. I'm a dark meat guy though

[@shumardi1]

Which size skewer did you use?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

shumardi1 it was the smaller one. I think 10 inch. Maybe 12. Whichever is the smaller one from pit barrel.

[@mts982]

theres that music again, and chickens looked good.

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Yeah its my go to music. Its in most of my videos except for my older ones.

[@mts982]

whos the band?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

No idea, its free music within iMovie. Does not give me a name.

[@ladybugger02]

Thanks, Kevin. Great video and appreciate the scientific method and useful results. Last year I hanged and smoked two turkeys sequentially on my PBC for Thanksgiving. While we were serving and eating the first, the second was smoking so people could take leftovers home. It all came out perfect, and on a single charge of briquettes! Here's my question for this year: Do you think I could spatchcock two turkeys, hang them through the breastbones (one hook per breastbone, two hooks per turkey) and smoke them both at the same time? My concern is the weight - do you think two hooks will hold the weight of the birds (20 lbs each) until they are done? Thanks again, Doug

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks for watching Katie. I don't have a good answer for your question. I have never done it that way. Sounds like it would work. my only concern is the weight that will be on the legs when spatchcocked. They Wil just be hanging. The skin could rip and a thigh quarter fall into the coals. Iv usually only laid birds down when cooking that way. it could work though. Let me know if it works.

[@ladybugger02]

Thanks for the quick reply. The birds are ready and I'm going for it tomorrow. I'll check them often and if one fails I'll use the grill grate for the other. And I'll let you know how it comes out. 18 people tomorrow, no stress at all!

[@ladybugger02]

Well, it worked great. Took a little longer than I anticipated - 6 hours instead of 5 - but it was about 45 pounds of turkey. No apparent issues with too much weakening of the meat and no disastrous falls into the coals below. And it was very good to eat!

[@easybackyardbbq]

With the spatchcock chicken, can you remove the breastbone rib bones to make it basically a boneless breast as well. If so how would you do it. Great video

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Everyday Superman I have never removed the ribs. I’m sure you can. Just experiment. Jus cut close to the bones.

[@jamesmartin2782]

I think you should have used two separate grills... you have to remember that you they shared the same heat source... that makes a difference.

[@tr-gl6kh]

Great vid, just try not to chew in the microphone 👍🏻

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Sorry about that. Thanks for checking it out.

[@georgecantu8040]

What size is this pbc?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

This is the 18.5 version. Thanks for checking it out.

[@tonycorby4094]

Shouldnt u have let them rest about 10 mins before cutting them?!

[@TheHollarBBQ]

I usually only let things rest for around 5 or so minutes. Longer if I have other things cooking. No harm in letting it rest for 10.

[@papalovesmia]

As always, I enjoyed the video. As a suggestion, would you consider ideas/recipes geared to upcoming superbowl parties?

[@TheHollarBBQ]

Thanks for watching brother. I have started to think about the super bowl and am trying to figure something out. I will have something.

[@richblake6593]

Anyone who thought the spatchcock looked better must be blind, the whole chicken was twice as juicy and still had the same crispy skin

[@ramellin]

Rich Blake Totally Agee 👍🏻

[@hchshunters]

Hotty toddy thanks for the video

[@TheHollarBBQ]

jeff estes no problem.

[@commonconservative7551]

looks like a prop for alien

[@arrogant5150]

Clear some of those emails on your iPad. Geez

[@TheHollarBBQ]

arrogant5150 ha ha. Noticed that huh.

[@AndrewHoukamau]

Temperature - Spot on

[@frankrivers3797]

Poor experiment. Both chickens should have been hung or placed on the rack. The hung chicken was closer to the heat source which sped up its cook time.

[@lolagray7040]

Your Spatchcocked chicken looks a litter under cooked on the thighs. you should have taken the temps. from the thighs since they have to reach 175 degrees before they are done.