Whew! Saved again

I nearly had a meltdown last evening trying to get the heat level up where I wanted it on my Big Green Egg.  Admittedly, I am a little rusty, and I had to email for reinforcements to the gal who first taught me how she smokes her chicken.  God, I love the age of the Internet.  I no sooner hit send than she was right back to me.  She gave me a few suggestions and today I may head over to Jackson's Lemmon Avenue Pottery and ask a few more questions.  I didn't have trout and neither did any of the close Tom Thumb's, so I threw on salmon which would have been lots better if I'd seasoned it more but whatever.  Next time I will.  Now, on to the Chicken.

While I was just sure I had a disaster on my hands, and could not get my heat up to the 300 degree mark, I finally just got mad and threw the seasoned chicken on anyway and just shut the damn lid.  It  had hit 300 degrees for the salmon just fine and then decided to get all attitudey on me, for the chicken.  I opened vents, I closed vents.  You name it, I tried it.  Fred wanted to squirt the fire with fire starter and since that is a definite NO-NO, he was immediately relieved of his position as co-cook.  Ideas like that will get you fired around here, quick.  Anyway, I cooked and I cooked and I smoked and I smoked...all at a whopping 250-265 degrees.  I obsessed, I twitched, I puttered, I re-read the directions, as Fred Googled the heat problem, and finally, I just raised the lid, and voila'!!  Most of the pieces were gorgeous but not q-u-i-t-e done, so I rearranged, shut the lid, and went inside.  After another 15 minutes or so, and out I went.

When I started pulling the chicken off, my neighbor, Buzzy stated hollering "what in the world are you cooking because we can be right over--say the word"!  He usually stands up on the edge of the fence, after several beers, so he can see over.  Finally, the fire had gotten itself really going, smoke was really puffing everywhere and it must have smelled like I had some clue what I was doing.  I swanny....that was the most tender, perfectly crisped skin, and juicy meat, I have EVER seen or tasted..... in..... my..... life.  Oh, ye of little faith....I was snatched back from the jaws of Hell by my BGE.  Thank you, God.  And thank you for that BGE.  I luvvvvvvv her.