500* Chicken WOW!

Well it looks fabulous, was it tender?

That's similar to Cook Illustrated's "High-Roast" chicken technique.

CI's High-roast chicken (pt 1)
CI's High-roast chicken (pt 2)

I'm recently new to the BGE (wife recently got me a L as a birthday gift... ain't she great?!?) Anyway, as I was saying, I'm new to BGE, so I haven't done the CI method in that yet, but I have done it in the oven plenty of times with remarkable results. I intend to give it a go in the Egg soon.

For sake of time, I generally skip the brining step (but do yourself a favor and look for fresh, not frozen or previously frozen chicken if possible... I think it makes a difference). Also, in stead of sliced potatoes under the rack, I find that halved fingerling potatoes work great.

Butterflying the chicken lets it cook quickly and evenly at 500 degrees. I use a probe in the breast and pull it when it reads 161 or so.

Mmmm... can't wait to try this in the egg... maybe some night this week...

__Jason

500 degree chicken is great. Make sure you start with a relatively clean egg though. If not you will have thick, black, foul smelling smoke stinking up the meat. If you like crisp skin this is the way to go.

I have had good luck cooking whole chickens 500 degrees with cooling down the breast first with a bag of ice for thirty minutes or so and then cooking it breast up. The breast is VERY juicy this way.

I like cooking them hotter, north of 400. I use a combo of direct and indirect, depending on how the bird and skin are progressing. Takes about 60 to 75 minutes.

I need to try a tater to two.

T

I've done this three times now and my wife and kids love it! Very tasty chicken. The last one I made was marinaded in Italian salad dressing and then sprinkled with dry Good Seasons Italian dressing powder. This was the best yet!