Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Spatchcock Chicken

The sun was out this weekend so I took the opportunity to perfect a spatchcock chicken recipe I’ve been working on. The flavours were insane, I’m really happy to share it with you guys!

It takes a bit of forward planning with the overnight brining, but it’s so worth the effort. The tanginess that the lemon brine adds to the smoky fire roasted chicken is just perfection. This recipe shows what great bedfellows our Heavy Smoker and Golden Syrup sauces are for achieving that mega satisfying sweet and spicy, deep smoky barbecue flavour.

You can grab our Heavy Smoker and Golden Syrup sauces here…

Print Recipe

Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Spatchcock Chicken

Utilising the smoky flavours of our Heavy Smoker hot sauce and the spicy sweetness from our Golden Syrup chilli drizzle, this is the ultimate barbecue chicken. The lemon brine guarantees a seriously juicy bird!

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Brining Time8 hours hrs

Total Time11 hours hrs

Course: barbecue, Main Course

Cuisine: Barbecue

Keyword: Barbecue, Chicken, Golden Syrup, Heavy Smoker, Meat, Roast Chicken, Smoky, Spatchcock, Spatchcock Chicken, Spicy, Sweet, Whole Chicken

Servings: 4 people

Equipment

• 1 Kettle Barbecue

Ingredients

• 1 Large Chicken
• 40 ml Khoo's Golden Syrup

Brine

• 2 litres Water
• 160 grams Sea Salt
• 500 ml Lemon Juice
• 30 grams Molasses
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 tsps Black Pepper

Marinade

• 60 ml Khoo's Heavy Smoker chipotle sauce
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 30 ml Olive Oil
• ½ tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

To Serve

• 2 Peppers Pan Fried
• Loads of Chips Chunky
• Finely chopped chives and jalapeno (for garnish)

Instructions

Brining the chicken

• Add all brine ingredients to a large pan and slowly heat until the molasses and salt have completely dissolved.
• Allow the brine to cool completely. Submerge the chicken in the brine and refrigerate overnight.

Cooking the chicken

• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
• Remove the chicken from the brine. Pat it dry, and place the chicken on a cutting board with its backbone facing you. To remove the spine, use kitchen shears to cut through the ribs right next to the spine along both sides.

  Push down on the breasts to flatten the chicken.
• Light your fire in the kettle barbecue, push the coals to one side ready for offset cooking. I prefer to use cherry or apple wood for this recipe. Put the lid down on your barbecue/smoker and allow it to reach 150℃
• If you're using a conventional oven, preheat it to 150℃
• Cook the chicken for 1hr 45mins, skin side up checking regularly to ensure it doesn't burn. If you're using a kettle barbecue, rotate the chicken every half an hour towards the coals to ensure an even cook.

  If you're using an oven cover the chicken if it starts to brown early. You do want a nice crispy browned skin though, so don't be too precious about it!
• After 1hr 45mins brush the chicken all over with our Golden Syrup. Let it cook for a further 15 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 74℃
• At this point your chicken should be sweet, sticky, smoky and spicy and ready to eat! I served mine on a bed of chunky chips and pan fried peppers and red onions. Garnish with finely chopped jalapeno and chives.