Too much smoke, not enough fire

SouthernMan

As a newbie with the egg, I'll try [almost] anything once. Last night I did a spatchcocked chicken and a cornish game hen and used the cherry/oak chip mix my dealer gave me when I bought the egg. Problems are this ... was at the bottom of a bag of lump and had lots of small pieces and "dust". Could not get temp over 375 even with both dampers wide open. Also, used too much chip and got too much smoke. What are good woods for chicken smoking? How about lump size and fire temp? Any ideas on either problem will be helpful.

TRex

SouthernMan,[p]In my opinion, I usually don't use wood with chicken, especially if I'm doing a spatchcock chicken that will be on the Egg for an hour or so. The natural flavor that comes from the lump charcoal itself is enough for me. Chicken just seems to absorb smoke really, really well - hence, it's easy to "oversmoke." If you want smoke, though, I've seen people use hickory, cherry, and alder for chicken - just make sure it's a "lighter" smoking wood (e.g., not mesquite).[p]As far as lump size, when I get to the bottom of the bag and have just very small pieces and dust, I usually don't use that stuff - time for a fresh bag of lump. What happens is that the smaller pieces and dust pack into the firebox more densely and you don't get the good airflow you would otherwise get with larger pieces.[p]TRex

OmegaBlue

SouthernMan,
When I had similar problems, I found that the dust had gone through the holes in the firebox and clogged the airflow. When Egg is completely cold, remove the remaining charcoal, and then take out the ring and firebox. I believe you will find that dust has jammed between the firebox and Egg walls.
I use my shopvac to clean all out (my buddy uses a leaf-blower, but I have to note that he is divorced; not sure if there's any connection). Then simply reassemble the Egg.
I find that cleaning out at least once a season keeps everything working well.
In the future, discard the "dregs" of charcoal.
Enjoy your new toy!
Cheers,
Gary[p]

nikkig

SouthernMan,
My favorite wood for chicken is pecan, followed second by hickory. You don't need alot of wood for poultry because it absorbs smoke real good. [p]~nikki