"Cooking in the dome," or "How I almost screwed up the last prime rib I did"

TRex · July 2003

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<p />My largest Egg is a Medium, so in it I do all my indirects, low 'n slows, etc. The last prime rib I did I used an indirect setup using firebox then firering, then grill grid on fire ring then firebricks on grill grid in the |__| position, with the cooking grid resting on the vertical firebricks, and finally the prime rib standing on the cooking grid. [p]If you can imagine, this setup puts the prime rib high into the dome area of the Egg on the Medium. My Polder probe then stuck in the top of the prime rib, vertically penetrating the meat to its center, as shown in the picture above.[p]After about only 1 hour at 250 dome (this was 4.5 lb roast), my thermometer already read like 150. What I finally discovered (thank God) was that when I closed the dome, it had actually come into contact with the Polder probe and pushed it further into the roast, closer to the bottom edge of the meat, thus the higher temperature. Luckily I was able to correct the problem by lining up the probe exactly with the chimney hole, such that it just cleared the inner surface of the dome when it was closed. The prime rib turnerd out great, but I almost served it up super rare (it was only 90 degrees in the center when I pulled it off just before discovering what was going on).[p]So, I thought to myself, next time I'll just remove the firering from the stacked setup, thus lowering the final height of the prime rib. But then I thought, the roast would not be cooking as high in the dome.[p]I seem to remember some talk about the benefits of "cooking in the dome." Is there some research on this - i.e., low 'n slows do better when the meat is up in the dome, or does it matter?[p]If you had the patience to read down this far, thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments![p]TRex

Chubby · July 2003

TRex,[p]Goooood looking PR there Mr. T.!![p]It's awfull early in the AM for you to be doing that to a guy!!
Sort of takes the wind out of my bowl of Cheerios!![p]WooDoggies is also a big believer in the "In the Dome " benefits!! Sounds like you're in the "Dome" yourself!![p]Check your email.....[p]Chubby

UnConundrum · July 2003

TRex,
Work "outside the circle"... Insert the probe from a different direction. You can insert it parallel to the ribs and avoid any conflicts with height, just make sure you insert it far enough to reach the center.[p]

TRex · July 2003

UnConundrum,[p]Everything I've read says not to insert the probe horizontally. I'm not sure if it's b/c juice may run out or what, but that's why I had not taken that approach.[p]TRex

hounddog · July 2003

The answer to the dome question in your post from my perspective is what i think was a john mellencamp album title.[p]"Nothing matters.
And what if it did?"[p]Glad your rib turned out pretty. Your story is an affirmation of doublechecking everything with a thermapen. I have gotten to where i don't trust anything a polder type probe tells me. [p]

stike · July 2003

TRex,
whenever i'm doing something with a specific cook-temp (like a roast at 350, or a lo and slo at 225, etc.) I always cook up in the dome because I've heard on the forum that the dome temp thermometer is different than at grill level. I.e. if the dome says 220, it could realyy be as low as 200 at grill level.[p]but for searing, I do it close to the lump and toss it on anywhere between 550 and 800 (depending on the amount of desired sear).[p]"Up in the dome" to me means that the BGE thermometer reflects the true temp at the level of the food.

djm5x9 · July 2003

TRex:[p]Some thoughts:[p]Leave the upper dome cooks for "low and slow" butts, ribs, duck, and chicken. [p]Cook bone-in rib roasts direct. Sear on all sides then rest on the bones for the cook.[p]With polders, treat them like instant reads. Let the meat cook about half of its estimated cooking time. Then open the dome, insert the polder sensor and let the temperature stabilize. This takes about thirty seconds to get a reading. Use a paper towel or pot holder to remove the hot probe. Use the same hole to make additional checks. This precludes having the polder in and possibly damaging the probe cable. An instant read makes this a piece of cake. If you are perceptive, cooking times and temperatures become second nature.[p]

"Cooking in the dome," or "How I almost screwed up the last prime rib I did"

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