OT Casseroles - cooking lid off in BGE

Aussie_Hugh

Casseroles and stews are some of my favourites. Now I have read some recipes saying that when cooking in the egg one can leave the lid off the pot. I can understand that if you want to get a smoke infusion into the liquid then the lid is going to be a barrier. However what I do not understand is how moisture can be retained with the lid off if a recipe calls for the lid if cooked on in an oven.[p]With a slow cook there is still evaporation, whether it be in an egg or a convection oven. With the lid on the vapour either escapes from the seals and vents or condenses against the lid and returns to the pot. With the lid off though it is going to be lost regardless of whether the pot is in the egg or in the oven.[p]Please enlighten me as to the solution to this mystery?[p]Thanks,
Hugh.

WessB

Aussie_Hugh,
The Egg will retain moisture extremely better than an oven with it`s dry gas heat.[p]Wess

Nessmuk

Aussie_Hugh,
We enjoy soups & stews. I have a 5.5 quart, Lodge, cast iron kettle. [p]I set the dutch over on a aluminum, pizza pan.[p]At first, I cooked with the lid on...OK. Saturday, I made "Chuck Wagon Chili" with the lid off. I cooked it for 4 hours at 300. From now I will leave the lid off. There was not much loss of liquid.[p]

mad max beyond eggdome

Aussie_Hugh,
Lid off. . . i cook beans/chili for 3 -4 hours with lid off with no problem. . .if i ever did think there was too much moisture loss, i'd just add some liquid, but i haven't had to yet. . .the ceramics really keep the moisture in. . .

Fireball

Aussie_Hugh,
I expect and want some loss of moisture when smoking my Baked Beans in the egg. I want to end up with a finished dish that has a thick stew like consistancy. THis is easy to do in the egg. I start with a temperature of about 220 to 250 degrees and let it go for around 3 hours. I stir it about every half an hour or so.
gary

Tom Harmon

Aussie_Hugh,[p]I do the middle ground - offset the lid a little bit to allow the smoke to get in but minimizes the amount of moisture lost w/the lid covering 90%. You get the smokey flavor, some evaporation and a little more wiggle room so you don't over cook in the pot.