u/cambomusic

Cooked skin on bone-out chicken thighs for about 20 guests using a vortex. I BBQ a few times a week but usually for just a handful of friends. This was a larger group of folks so I had to make do with the space I had. My other 22 was packed full with sweet potatoes and corn and onions. Long week of work, didn’t want to be stuck over the stove, and didn’t want the oven on heating up my house. Charcoal and the Weber was the only way I was going to spend the evening. Anyway here’s my takeaway:

-The vortex is amazing at circulating heat and distributing it evenly around the grill. The skin was crisp and the chicken was perfectly cooked, juicy and delicious, minus a few pieces.

-I over-crowded the grill (but only because I had about 7 thighs too many for the 22inch), which required me rotate the thighs around so each thigh could breathe and crisp up the skin. This also meant some pieces made contact with the wall of the Weber and the radiant heat charred them a bit more than I prefer. This also meant I had to open the lid more than I wanted to which increased the airflow and heat… But they were delicious nonetheless.

-I could have used a bit less charcoal, as the vortex was more efficient than I anticipated, which would have allowed me to control the temperature a bit better. The metal of the vortex radiates quite a bit of heat, so there’s a sweet spot where the meat should sit between where the vortex is and the walls of the Weber. Again, I over crowded. (Also maybe I should look into a 26”???)

- 100% will be trying this again (and buying a second vortex for my other Weber). But using less meat and spacing it properly.

Open to any suggestions as far as this type of cook goes. Please feel free to comment advice or whatever. I know there are tons of applications for the vortex, which I will be trying, so let me know how you use it! I’m humble and want to learn more.

Chicken Marinade:
Skin on bone out thighs marinated over night in Shio Kogi (about 2 tblsp/pound of chicken), soy sauce, minced garlic and minced ginger

Wash marinade off and pat dry (as the shio koji is essentially fermented rice so the starch and sugars can cause excessive charring, as you can see lol)

Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and salt for the dry rub.

Towards the end of the cook I used a Japanese style Miso BBQ sauce mixed with honey and basted the thighs several times which added a sticky sweetness to the skin.