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Grill Temp....

jmikol0208
jmikol0208 Posts: 12
edited June 2020 in EggHead Forum
Ok I am somewhat new with my Egg and still learning... I want to describe my grilling experience and pose a question after. I wanted to grill a ribeye steak.  The steps I follow has been pretty solid for me - get the grill up to 600 degrees and grill the steak 4-6 minutes (3 min per side). Close the vents and grill until the steak reaches the desired temp.

I started my grill and of course, the weather Gods frowned on me and it started raining. I closed my vents and waited the storm out.

I went to restart my grill - it was pretty much recovering on its own once I re-opened the vents- say, the temp quickly start rising to around 500 degrees. I'm thinking cool, I had my vents wide open and I should get my grill up to temp soon. The temp rising slowed down considerably and it took me several more minutes to get the grill up to 600 degrees. once it finally reached that temp, I waited about 5 minutes to make sure the temp was stable before I introduced the steak.

The first three minutes went by and it was time to flip the steak. I was happy to see me Egg maintaining the 600 degree temp. I flipped the steak and reset my timer for another 3 minutes.

Within that three minutes my Egg went from 600 degrees to over 900 degrees. I was not expecting that...

It all turned out great but I was concerned how quickly the grill heated up. I am sure that more of the charcoal igniting over that time was the reason.

My question is, at what point from lighting the Egg do you say, "it's ready" and start grilling?

Thank you all in advance for your comments!

Jim


Comments

  • jdMyers
    jdMyers Posts: 1,336
    What type and how much charcoal was in the fire bowl?  Heaping, kinda full?  How long did it heat up before cooking.  Sounds like it was very full and you started cooking fairly quick.  Past initial heating of partial coals the un heated coals finally got flamed and spiked a new batch of coals if you will.  Ive learned it doesnt take much in coals for steaks. 

    Also with lump let the coals burn until the smoke turns clear before cooking.  Burn off the white smoke will remove the bitter taste and allow most of the coals to light up and flare before cooking.  Helps alot.  
    Columbus, Ohio
  • Matt86m
    Matt86m Posts: 471
    Once you get to 600 you don't have to leave the vents wide open. If you do it will continue to rise. 
    Depending what size BGE you have, how much charcoal you put in and if there is ash under the grate will determine how fast and consistent your temps will be.
    XL aka Senior, Mini Max aka Junior, Weber Q's, Blackstone 22, Lion built in, RecTec Mini 300, Lodge Hibachi, Uuni, wife says I have too many grills,,,,how many shoes do you have?
     
    IG -->  matt_86m
  • If it blasted off from 600 to 900, my guess is that fat dripping from the steaks was catching fire and flames were rolling up the inside of the dome and licking the thermometer.

    if you clamp down the vents, the flare ups will be controlled. However, dripping fat will quickly produce a lot of acrid smoke, and it will quickly reignite when the dome opens and air rushes in.
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    How long was the grill temp stabilized?  You need to get stable temps not just hit a temp.  It takes time for the ceramics to soak up heat to reach a steady state.  The is no set time, but 20 minutes is not a bad ball park number to use. If your temp holds steady for 20 minutes it will probably hold steady until the fuel runs low.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • jmikol0208
    jmikol0208 Posts: 12
    Thanks y'all. I have been adjusting the vents starting at 500 degrees and have been waiting about 10 minutes at temp before introducing the meat. I've also experienced the temp drop somewhat extreme when I open the grill to do that and it would take longer than I'd like to get it to temp. When grilling meat for a few minutes and most of that time being eaten up getting back to temp is frustrating. Makes me do things like grill longer and open vents back up during that time. I've certainly gotten better as I use it quite frequently (3-4 times a week weather permitting). I've seen it use in temp quick often and expect it after I clean out ash and such. Just every now and then I get surprised by such a spike in temp on these occasions. Overall, I have had real good experiences with it. It's a large size egg.
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    When grilling meat for a few minutes and most of that time being eaten up getting back to temp is frustrating. 

    You need to read up on convective, radiant, and conductive heat. They all play a part in cooking with an egg.  Dome temps don’t always give you a good idea of the energy hitting a steak when directly grilling. 
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
    edited June 2020
    Thanks y'all. I have been adjusting the vents starting at 500 degrees and have been waiting about 10 minutes at temp before introducing the meat. I've also experienced the temp drop somewhat extreme when I open the grill to do that and it would take longer than I'd like to get it to temp. When grilling meat for a few minutes and most of that time being eaten up getting back to temp is frustrating. Makes me do things like grill longer and open vents back up during that time. I've certainly gotten better as I use it quite frequently (3-4 times a week weather permitting). I've seen it use in temp quick often and expect it after I clean out ash and such. Just every now and then I get surprised by such a spike in temp on these occasions. Overall, I have had real good experiences with it. It's a large size egg.

    If you are grilling direct and you have a good fire, stop looking at the temp.  It doesn't really matter at that point.

    Especially direct, whenever you open the grill, you are moving the therm away from the radiant heat and introducing cooler air, so of course it will drop.  Your fire is actually getting hotter, though, because you are introducing more oxygen.  Once you have your vent setting for the direct temp you want, stop playing with it.
    NOLA