"Dwelling"

Unknown

Somebody talk to me about "dwelling".....after searing steaks at 700 (or whatever), do you let the temperature come down for the "dwell" (by briefly opening the lid for the flip, and then shutting dampers)? How quickly will the temperature come down after shutting the dampers? It seems like if you let them "dwell" at anything close to 700, you'll have some crispy steaks. Thanks for any insight.

The Naked Whiz

Silly Billy,
If I hit 750 degrees for the sear and then shut down the air for a 5-6 minute dwell, the temp will be down to 450-500 by the time I open the lid. (Watch that flashback!) Just try it and you will be richly rewarded![p]TNW

Unknown

The Naked Whiz, so tell me how long you sear and then dwell....it you have a 5-6 minute dwell at those temperatures, you must have a well-done steak (or something that was 2" to start with). Or am I missing something? Thanks.[p]

Aron

Silly Billy,
I picked up a technique on this forum offered by TRex, in which after a quick sear at 700 or so (about a 1 to 1.5 minutes a side), you actually take the meat off the grill completely for about 20 minutes. When that waiting period is up, put the steaks back on the grill at around 400 degrees (if you closed the vents, it should have been able to get back down to 400 by that time), and finish the steaks off (time at 400 will depend on the thickness of your steak).
Apparently, the time between the sear and the finishing allows the meat to rest and somehow produces a more tender steak. I honestly haven't researched the science too much (gotta conserve brain power somewhere), but I have tried the technique and find it to work very well. I can now get the texture that I always wanted--like at the high-end steak restaurants, with minimal extra effort, although a little more time.[p]Aron

The Naked Whiz

Silly Billy,
I usually sear 2 minutes per side and with 1.5 incher or so, dwell at least 5-6 minutes.[p]TNW

Spring Chicken

Aron,
I like ribeyes but I hear tell that other cuts are better for the Egg type cooking. What cut do you use? Wonder what everyone else likes.[p]Spring Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Aron

Spring Chicken,
When I'm trying to be a little healthy, I use flank steak. It's not the best taste/texture, but is still very good and has less fat than some of the other cuts. When I'm just going for my favorite, I'll cook up a porterhouse (T-bone).
Aron

TRex

Silly Billy,[p]As Aron stated below, I use a slightly different method than the more traditional "dwell." I had some fun one day and wrote up a longwinded narrative on how to cook the perfect steak. I've been very pleased with the results--let me know if you'd like the narrative, and I'll email it to you.

Unknown

TRex,
I would love to have your narrative on how to cook the perfect steak on my BGE. I have tried but could not figure on how to do the "dwell". Your help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks, Bob