Cooling down the egg after a sear

Unknown

Hello all,[p]I am wondering about venting after a high-heat sear. Can I get away with shutting everything down for 20 min or so to bring down temp and then open up to stabilize and still have a fire? Or is there a minimum amount I have to keep vented to ensure the fire will stay lit. I have not risked it, but I wish I could get down to 300 or so quickly. Maybe there's enough leakage or residual heat so that the fire will not die.[p]Thoughts?[p]Justin

The Naked Whiz

Justin Straus,
If you have a hot fire and the close the egg up and let the temp drop to 400, the fire will NOT be out. If you open the vents a little, you will quickly see the red glowing coals.[p]TNW

mad max beyond eggdome

Justin Straus,
i do high temp sears all the time (we love trex steaks). . .it usually takes about 20 minutes to get from 750+ down to 400 degrees (which is the temp i like to dwell steaks at) . .i usually do it by shutting the bottom vent to within about a credt card width opening, and pretty much shutting the daisy wheel all the way (i typically don't put the cap on). . . i have never snuffed a fire yet. . ..there is still way to much heat going on. . .in fact, you have to watch out for flash back when you open the dome (if you haven't read the naked whiz's stuff on flashback you should). . . before i open the dome, i open the bottom vent all the way, take of the daisy wheel, and wait about 20 - 30 seconds to make sure there is good airflow back through the egg before opening. . .trust me, i have lost all the hair off my right arm on a couple of occasions now cause i didn't pay attention. . .[p]now, having said that, i havent' tried to go all the way down to 300 degrees, but if you just keep the bottom vent open a little, and the daisy wheel on and closed, you will get enough oxygen in there to keep her lit. .. i just don't know how much longer it'l take to get there. . .[p]

Hammer

Justin Straus,
Someone recently posted that you can put fresh lump immediately in the BGE after the sear, and it would bring the temps down quickly? I've never tried it, but it seems workable.
Hammer

Unknown

I'm a little confused by your cooking of steaks. If you sear a steak for a couple of minutes each side then you dwell for 20 minutes aren't your steaks pretty much well done. Or are you taking the steaks off while the egg cools down to 400 degrees.

mad max beyond eggdome

Howard,
you sear at 750 for 90 seconds per side, then remove and let them rest on a plate, uncovered for 20 minutes while you get the egg down to 400 degrees. . .then back in the egg to dwell until done (for 2 inch thick filets, about 5 - 6 minutes per side for medium rare). . .