how to achieve a lower temp after a high heat cook

smokesniffer · February 2012

Trying to get the theory of cooling the egg down to a lower temperature after it has been used at high temps. Cooking pizza at 550* and then wanting to bake something for a desert or say some more appys where a temperature of 375 is required. Do you close the draft door just about tight so that very little air will enter, and then open the DW so that hot air can escape, OR, take the DW right off, Or close the DW completely.I realize that the ceramic will retain heat for a longer period of time. Just wanting to understand how to best cool the egg down and continue a cook.

Mickey · February 2012

This is one time I do use the DT. I close it to less than credit card size open and same with the vent on bottom. It drops real soon.

smokesniffer · February 2012

So you don't use the DW much at all?? We are going to be doing pizza for friends and were thinking about baking a desert that requires about 45 min of cooking time @375 to finish. So right after the pizza's are cooked we could do this and hopefully would see the egg settle down after say a half an hour or so, or would it take longer??

bge30plus · February 2012

Now I think that if your egg has been 550 for a period of time that the egg its self is hot it takes some time to geet it back to 350 375. Sounds like you need 2 eggs?

smokesniffer · February 2012

Ha Ha I love your rational. We are working on it, we have talked about getting another, either small or mini. Jury is still out.,,,,,,,in the mean time what method should I use.

stike · February 2012

your only real viable option is to shut vents.
if you are using a platesetter, you could also take that out and let it cool while the egg is cooling too. when you put it back in to bake with, it will act as a heat sink and help cool the egg too.

opening the top while shutting the lower vent doesn't really let out any more than comes in. doesn't work to cool the egg or to let out smoke, really.

i would close the bottom to a sliver, and toss on the daisy, also closed to a sliver.

though i won't lie, i once just hit the thing with a stream of water from the hose. and even poured water THROUGH it (getting ready to pack it for travel). in answer to the obvious follow-up question, 'no'

bge30plus · February 2012

You still have a great amount of mass to get back down to 375. Physics 301

smokesniffer · February 2012

@ stike. That last method I think I will just let you perfect that a bit more and get back to us.

The part about the PS is great, hadn't thought about that, removing it hot, letting to cool and absorb some of the heat after. Right On.

If I shut the vents right off, would I be harbouring a nasty smoke or flavouring in the egg while it is cooling.

Mickey · February 2012

So you don't use the DW much at all?? We are going to be doing pizza for friends and were thinking about baking a desert that requires about 45 min of cooking time @375 to finish. So right after the pizza's are cooked we could do this and hopefully would see the egg settle down after say a half an hour or so, or would it take longer??

No, never over 300. I am better at opperating one thing and not two. And don't cook very much under 300 anyway.

stike · February 2012

thermodynamics, actually.
bwa ha ha

Mickey · February 2012

Boys and Girls please remember that stike is a professional. Don't hit you egg with water to cool it off at home.

stike · February 2012

shutting the vents will cause the fire to smolder, but you won't open it and suddenly put the new food back on.

when you've choked it so that it has cooled close to your temp (or below, if you can), you're going to reopen the vents to hold that new temp. any smoke will then clear itself out.

stike · February 2012

@mickey:
here's the small at a football game. in action, and then the cool-down

...had a conversation with someone once who did some R&D on the egg. they won't advocate this, of course. but when testing fire ring configurations and formulas, the things would get roaring hot with leaf blowers and fans and all, and then shocked with water. he said he could never get them to crack that way.

don't take my word for it. but any cold shock will cause it to contract, not expand . and the egg is circular in section. hard to get compressible materials to fracture from compression.

bge30plus · February 2012

My egg will not and has not ever cooled very fast no matter what. that's what makes the egg so great is the long term temp control. Well I never tried water and I never will. Back to Physics 101.

smokesniffer · February 2012

If you use stike's last method, it would seem to me that you could transport the egg easier, more pieces, rather than just one big heavy chunk of ceramic

smokesniffer · February 2012

You have pictures, therefore it happened. I just had a good laugh , that is awesome 8)

bge30plus · February 2012

That sounds solid to me. I have just never thought of cooloing the egg off. I have a Viking grill I use as a supplent to my BGE. I have thought long and hard over the years to have 2. But I have not used my egg in 2 weeks. Been busy doing things on the road with the wife.

bge30plus · February 2012

High Heat, Me and the wife are off to Fogo de Chao. She keeps me going but what the hell we are retired and spending the money our kids think they are going to get. Talk to yall later.

stike · February 2012

smokesniffer: if you are doing steaks, you can throw them on as soon as you hit searing temps. then sear, pull them off, and drop temps right away. it'll cool down fairly quickly because you weren't at temp for very long.

pizzas will be more difficult. as bge30plus said, the ceramics will hold it a loooong time

the small is my egg, and i've already voided my warranty by trying to expand the lower vent opening. so i wouldn't recommend hosing the BGE down just because i did. i'm a know idiot.

the large BGE i cooled down was done at an eggfest. i did it in order to cool an egg i was picking up for my buddy. hahaahah

smokesniffer · February 2012

U R not an idiot, you R just testing the waters

BigGreenJon · February 2012

I'm actually running into this problem right this moment. Cooked two pizzas at 600
and need to get it down to 400 for an apple pie. I closed the vents and opened the egg to cool off. After about 5 minutes I closed the lid and barely opened the vents. About an hour later I was at 425. Not sure if there was a more efficient way to get to 400 but it's a good thing I started cooking early this evening.

gerhardk · February 2012

It seems intuitive to cool the egg by opening the lid but you are actually allowing the fire to spread throughout the coals. Best to close the vents and lid and wait, or if you have the nerve there is a post higher on this page were a fellow let water flow in through the top vent opening. I have more time and would choose to let nature take it's course.

Gerhard

Ragtop99 · February 2012

Have you tried putting a large roasting pan of cold tap water in your egg when you shut it down? Wait 15 minutes and remove it and dump the water. It should absorb some of the heat. I've done that in summer when my wife has baked something in the oven and the A/C is crying for mercy.

smokesniffer · February 2012

@ragtop99, another great idea, thanks, I am going to remove the PS and then put a pan of cold water, this will be a good experiment. Thanks for the suggestion it makes sense.

@biggreenjon, if you are still trying give the pan of water a try and let us know how it worked for you.

looking at the time of the posts, I guess not.

Thanks again and if there are other ideas, keep them coming. I am loving it.

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how to achieve a lower temp after a high heat cook

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