Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
I've had a Vortex for a while now, but never actually used it. Today I did some chicken thighs, and while the meat was cooked nicely the skin was blacker than the inside of a bag of charcoal (and tasted like it, too!)
Used a chimney of Cowboy briquettes, and put the Vortex on the grate in the bottom position. The thighs were arranged on the very outside of the cooking grate. Bottom air was in the grill position, and the top was wide open (i.e., flipped up.) Dome thermometer read 650+ deg.
Thighs were dry rubbed only, no sauce. Cooking time to 165 degF was about 10 minutes.
What should I do differently to get a nice, crispy, edible skin? Should I have the charcoal grate in the upper position, with the Vortex poking through the center hole? Hold temps down to, say, 600 deg by adjusting the air control? Both? Neither?
Used a chimney of Cowboy briquettes, and put the Vortex on the grate in the bottom position. The thighs were arranged on the very outside of the cooking grate. Bottom air was in the grill position, and the top was wide open (i.e., flipped up.) Dome thermometer read 650+ deg.
Thighs were dry rubbed only, no sauce. Cooking time to 165 degF was about 10 minutes.
What should I do differently to get a nice, crispy, edible skin? Should I have the charcoal grate in the upper position, with the Vortex poking through the center hole? Hold temps down to, say, 600 deg by adjusting the air control? Both? Neither?