Egg genius

WhoISpepesilvia

Just bought an egg genius. Haven’t used it yet but plan on smoking a whole chicken and want to start out slow and low to smoke chicken then finish at a higher temp. So if i start at 220 for first 45 mins or so and then crank to 400 til it gets to 165. Will the rise in temp cause acrid smoke from more air being pushed into the egg from the genius?

Photo Egg

You probably want to slow cook a little longer, closer to your target temp minus 20 degrees or so. Then crank it up to crisp the skin.
If you give the Egg time to stabilize and burn clean before you start cooking your bird, you should not get any acrid flavor when you crank the heat up.

Money_Hillbilly

@wholspepesilvia I have never had success on low and slow chicken.  I have tried it several times without success.  Rubbery skin is the biggest complaint.  My most successful chicken cook is to spatchcock, dry overnight in the fridge, coat with vegetable oil, add rub of choice, cook in egg raised direct @400-425 (high in the dome).  Don’t touch it, pull when Brest temp reaches 155-157.   Perfect every time.

Photo Egg

WhoISpepesilvia said:

Langner91 said:

WhoISpepesilvia said:

stlcharcoal said:

Don't use the temp controller above 325F.  You don't need it, but you're also risking burning up the probes if it gets hotter a flame gets around the plate setter.  

As far as the chicken goes, I spatchcock it at 400F.  Platesetter with a drip pan.  If you have a raised grill, the higher in the dome the better.

I forgot about that you don’t want to run the genius too high. Thanks. I have a grid with legs to  raise it towards the top. But afraid it might be too close to the dome temp thermometer 

Pull your thermo "back" a little bit.  It doesn't need to stick in there as far as they do.  If I am close, I pull it out, close the dome, and then poke it back in until it misses the meat. 

*this post requires the removal of the little clip on the back, which I never use.

Why do you try to get so high up?

More radiant heat coming off the dome. 

stlcharcoal

Don't use the temp controller above 325F.  You don't need it, but you're also risking burning up the probes if it gets hotter a flame gets around the plate setter.  

As far as the chicken goes, I spatchcock it at 400F.  Platesetter with a drip pan.  If you have a raised grill, the higher in the dome the better.

WhoISpepesilvia

stlcharcoal said:

Don't use the temp controller above 325F.  You don't need it, but you're also risking burning up the probes if it gets hotter a flame gets around the plate setter.  

As far as the chicken goes, I spatchcock it at 400F.  Platesetter with a drip pan.  If you have a raised grill, the higher in the dome the better.

I forgot about that you don’t want to run the genius too high. Thanks. I have a grid with legs to  raise it towards the top. But afraid it might be too close to the dome temp thermometer 

Langner91

WhoISpepesilvia said:

stlcharcoal said:

Don't use the temp controller above 325F.  You don't need it, but you're also risking burning up the probes if it gets hotter a flame gets around the plate setter.  

As far as the chicken goes, I spatchcock it at 400F.  Platesetter with a drip pan.  If you have a raised grill, the higher in the dome the better.

I forgot about that you don’t want to run the genius too high. Thanks. I have a grid with legs to  raise it towards the top. But afraid it might be too close to the dome temp thermometer 

Pull your thermo "back" a little bit.  It doesn't need to stick in there as far as they do.  If I am close, I pull it out, close the dome, and then poke it back in until it misses the meat. 

*this post requires the removal of the little clip on the back, which I never use.

WhoISpepesilvia

Langner91 said:

WhoISpepesilvia said:

stlcharcoal said:

Don't use the temp controller above 325F.  You don't need it, but you're also risking burning up the probes if it gets hotter a flame gets around the plate setter.  

As far as the chicken goes, I spatchcock it at 400F.  Platesetter with a drip pan.  If you have a raised grill, the higher in the dome the better.

I forgot about that you don’t want to run the genius too high. Thanks. I have a grid with legs to  raise it towards the top. But afraid it might be too close to the dome temp thermometer 

Pull your thermo "back" a little bit.  It doesn't need to stick in there as far as they do.  If I am close, I pull it out, close the dome, and then poke it back in until it misses the meat. 

*this post requires the removal of the little clip on the back, which I never use.

Why do you try to get so high up?

Langner91

The dome is like a brick oven and radiates heat back down onto the item being cooked.  It helps brown the top of chickens, pizza, and other things.  It is one of the best reasons for having a BGE.  It is amazing what happens when you raise the food into the dome a bit.

My advice above was due to you saying your thermo was too close to the chicken.  Unless it pokes the chicken, it isn't too close, in my opinion.

Take a look at this photo:



That top pizza will get nice and brown on top, as shown.  However, the bottom pizza was not cooked in that egg*, it would never get that brown being that low (and having another pizza over it) because the heat wouldn't radiate down onto the top.  My point is, if I were cooking pizza or chicken, I would cook it high in the dome.  And, my thermometer would poke that top pizza unless I pulled it back a little.

*I also know neither of those pizzas were cooked on that egg because the zip tie holding the grid extender in place would have melted, but that's another story.