Spatchcock Smoked Chicken with Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

The only thing more dangerous than me being on Pinterest...is my husband and girls surfing the same website...Exhibit A below.

My husband recently expressed he discovered through a co-worker a new chicken recipe for our Traeger Smoker.  What he failed to mention in our conversation (that I discovered as I read the 3 page recipe)...it takes 8 hours to make.

He said "Don't worry, I will take care of everything and make all of it"....done.  I wasn't about to argue with that offer!

We started it off with my brother-in-law's famous "Mike's Rubbing Mess".  You may remember Mike from my post of his Mike's Marinating Mess which is also one of our go-to dinners!

Eight hours later, this dinner was amazing!  (I should give up cooking more often).  Even if you don't have a smoker, you can still grill/prepare the chicken how you like.  Whatever you do though...you MUST make this Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce!!  Wow was that awesome!

* Served the chicken alongside my Cowboy Baked Beans and Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

Spatchcock Smoked Chicken with Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Courtesy (and adapted) from Hey Grill Hey

Chicken:

1 whole fryer chicken

2 Tbl Olive Oil

2-3 Tbl Homemade (or purchased) BBQ Rub * See below for Mike's Meat Rubbing Mess recipe

1/2 cup Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce *See below for recipe

Place your chicken breast side down on a large cutting board.  Using sharp kitchen shears, cut up both sides of the back bone, from tail to neck.  Remove the backbone completely and turn the chicken over to the breast side.  Carefully spread apart the back and press down gently on the breast until the bird lays nice and flat on your cutting board.  Tuck the wing tips behind the back and adjust the legs until they are fairly symmetrical.

Pat down your chicken with a paper towel and then drizzle with olive oil.  Rub all across the skin. Season your chicken all over with the sub (including the back side).

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F for indirect cooking with a light wood smoke.  Place your chicken on the smoker and cook for 4-5 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F in both the breast and thigh meat.

Brush the chicken with the Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce (or sauce of your choice) and cook for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.  Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Mike's Meat Rubbing Mess

1 cup Paprika

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

3 Tbs granulated sugar

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

molasses

Mix all dry ingredients together. (Tip: Use food processor so brown sugar is evenly broken up.)

Rub meat with molasses.

Add rubbing compound to meat.  (Tip: Use disposable food prep gloves (powder free) to keep hands clean.)

* Excess dry rubbing compound can be stored in an air tight container for future use.

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 cup fresh or frozen sweet cherries (pits removed)

1 chipotle pepper

1 Tbl adobo sauce (taken from the can of chipotle peppers)

1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbl soy sauce

1 Tbl honey

1 Tbl molasses

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

zest and juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan combine all of the ingredients.  Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring often.  Turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool before transferring to a blender.  Blend until the sauce is smooth.

Store the sauce in a tightly sealed jar or container.  Will last for one week in the refrigerator.

One Year Ago: Glamping Potato Packets

Two Years Ago: GGMa's Angel Food Cake

Three Years Ago: Baja Turkey Tostadas

Four Years Ago: Roasted Garlic and Cheese Platter

No photo-shop done to this picture...yes, the Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce was that good!