A cooled exhaust gas recirculation system includes one or more cylinders, each with several valves, an intake manifold, an exhaust manifold and a cooled exhaust gas recirculation chamber. The cooled exhaust gas recirculation chamber removes a portion of the exhaust that exits the cylinders, cools the removed portion of the exhaust, and recirculates the cooled removed portion of the exhaust for reintroduction into the cylinders. The cooled recirculated exhaust is reintroduced directly to the cylinders using a dedicated valve controlled by an electronic control unit.