Return to Temp

Gandolf

Someone's response to an earlier message brought a question to mind. After I have the Egg stabalized at the proper dome temp, then open to place the hardware and guest of honor on for the cook, I open the vents to get the temperature to return to the cooking temperature and then shut the vents down to the appropriate setting again. Is that necessary, or can I just leave the vents at the original setting and wait for the temperature to come back up? Does that affect cooking times? Thanks

mollyshark

Gandolf,[p]I've done just as you describe here and I've found it comes back to haunt me more often than not. I overcompensate like mad. Leveled off at 375 and when I put in meat-du-jour, it drops to 200 so I crank em open. Within minutes I'm hitting 550 with no end in sight, so I close them up. It is like hitting 350 by successive approximation. Or like my mother's driving style. You average 45 mph by going 55 now 35 now 55 now 35. I'm trying to learn to leave the vents alone for 15 minutes and THEN see if it really needs adjusting. Most of the time it seems to get back where it belongs pretty quick.[p]mShark

Unknown

Gandolf,
First make certain that the BGE is really at temperature. Even though the thermo has stabilized, the actual ceramic takes a while to reach a soaked through heat. So, let the BGE soak at temp for about 30 minutes before adding the "guest" to the grate. Have an assistant nearby so that the transfer time to the BGE is minimized and the heat loss is low. In the winter, it is especially wise to give the Egg additional time to stabilize. Good luck. I'm doing a standing rib tonight.

sdbelt

Gandolf,[p]I've found that if the Egg is stabilized, it means that the vents are starving the fuel of air. When you open up the Egg, then you provide a fresh rush of air in, and the fire actually flares up. Sure the food will give the impression of a lower dome temp, but the real thing here is what's that fire doing.[p]If you open the lid, add the food, and then open the vents further, you are going to create a much bigger fire, which will be harder to control and get back down to what you want to maintain the dome temp you want. [p]I would suggest doing nothing with the vents, or even closing them a bit, after loading with the food, rather than the opposite. Watch it closely the first 30 minutes, and then judge from there. The smoke coming out should tell you whether the fire's burning the same now as before.[p]FYI, I find this affect most problematic with ribs, that I'm turning over every 30-60 minutes. The rush of air and flare up of the fire is a real hassle, particularly during a hot Phoenix summer afternoon.[p]--sdb