It's Time for Saturday Swap! I'm sharing Grilled Chicken, What's Your Recipe?

Welcome to this week's Saturday Swap!!!  Last week was our best turnout to date.  If you haven't participated yet, this is a great time to join in.  It's a great way to share your blog with others and for you to meet new bloggers yourself.  Last week's recipes blew me away.  As the Swap continues to grow, watch for recap posts to highlight some of the favorites.

The responses to this week's post on BBQ Sandwiches with Cole Claw told me that there are lots of fellow bbq lovers and lots of grill fanatics in our Quit Eating Out community.  So stay tuned as I look forward to sharing some posts with tips and tutorials on grilling from my husband, Tim.  Who knows?  Maybe we can even coax a vlog out of him.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Tim's parents came to visit last weekend and that we enjoyed the fruits of the grill.  Because I wasn't the one cooking, I got to take notes and photos.  So today's recipe is...

Dad and Tim's Grilled Chicken ~ A How-To:

Purchase a whole chicken.  I was at Costco, so I picked up a package that had two chickens.  Depending on the crowd you are feeding, one chicken feeds approximately four people.  We made both chickens and had plenty of leftovers after feeding the six of us.

Start by removing the neck and giblets from inside the cavity of the chickens {we discarded these, however they can be saved and used for broth, etc.}.  Next rinse the chickens with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Place chickens on a rimmed baking sheet.

Because we had two chickens, the Grill Masters decided to make them two different ways.  One they kept whole and the other, they chose to butterfly {which is simply a way to cut meat that results in the "butterfly" appearance & allows for quicker cooking}.  For the chicken, this means first cutting out the backbone with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors {just cut down either side and remove it} and then opening the chicken flat.

The next step is the rub.  The rub is a critical part of ensuring the meat has a good flavor.  I'm not sure there's an exact science to this.  You won't be given any exact measurements from these two grillers.  However, you want to ensure every area of the meat is covered.

For the chicken that they decided to butterfly:  They covered in salt, pepper, and Dad's Seasoning {see recipe below}.

Be sure to rub the seasoning into the meat on both sides...

Next, they rubbed olive oil all over both chickens.  On the first chicken, the oil and the seasonings mixed to make a covering of the chicken.  For the second chicken, the oil provided a nice base to add the seasonings...

On the whole chicken, rub Salt, Pepper, Sage, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning {and anything else that you have on hand that sounds like a great addition}.  Be sure to also rub the oil and seasoning into the cavity of the chicken...

Depending on how much time you have, let the chickens sit in the fridge.  The longer the better.  Anywhere from 1 hour to overnight...

Because Tim loves to grill and because we live in the Frozen Tundra that is currently the Midwest.... We are happy to ignite the patio heater.  It gives the gal taking the photos a place to huddle for warmth while these Grill Guys get to work...

Then it's time to unveil the...

Big Green Egg...

Amazon shows 5,149 five star reviews for The Big Green Egg.  Apparently we aren't the only ones to love it.  Tim and his Dad both also use Weber grills and love them as well.

Stay tuned for the Grilling Tutorial.  For now, let's assume you or someone you love knows how to ignite your grill and get it to the right temperature.  Just please let it be a charcoal grill.  And if it's not PLEASE don't tell Tim or his Dad!

Once the grill's hot, it's time to start the chicken.  BTW, this is the last photo of raw chicken.  You can go back to drinking your coffee now!

They started to whole chicken 20 minutes before the one that they split.

The whole chicken cooked for about 1.5 hours, the split chicken for just over an hour.  We take our chicken off the grill at 165*, cover it with foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

If you have a large cutting board, this is a great time to use it...

And, if you have someone who's willing to do the cutting... even better!

Championship BBQ Rub or as we call it...
 Dad's Seasoning
Adapted from Barbecue Secrets by Ron Shewchuk

1 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Celery Salt
1/4 Cup Garlic Salt
1/4 Cup Onion Salt
1/4 cup Lawrey's Seasoning Salt
1/3 cup Chili Powder
1/3 cup Black Pepper
1/3 cup Paprika

From Tim's Dad:

"To this you can add as much heat as you want using cayenne pepper, etc. I don't like a hot rub so I use 1 teaspoon. You can then also add 2 or 3 signature spices to suit your personal taste. I add 2 teaspoons of oregano, 2 teaspoons of cumin and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.

There are a lot of rub recipes in all the grilling books. I have tried several and like this combination the best. When I make it I usually double or triple the recipe. I buy my spices from Penzey's on-line in bulk. Much cheaper."

{I feel I should say that I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this post.  As always, I like to share the things that I've personally used and would recommend.}

Okay Friends, it's !  What have you been cooking and baking in your kitchens this week?

To participate in Saturday Swap, simply include the button {found in my sidebar} at the top or bottom of your post.  Then, link your post below {link to your post's URL, not your general blog URL}.  And remember to stop by the other participants' blogs and comment!