Technique
Spatchcock
Removing a chicken's backbone and flattening the bird so it cooks faster and more evenly on the grill.
To spatchcock a chicken (or turkey), you cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears, remove it, then flip the bird and press down hard to crack the breastbone flat. The flattened bird cooks 30-40% faster than a whole bird and the breast and thighs finish at the same time — solving the eternal problem of dry breast meat by the time the dark meat is done.
Why it matters
It's the single best technique for grilled or smoked whole chicken.