Indirect Cooking with Plate Sitter

Unknown

I would like the advice of the forum. I am experiencing a "flashback" event when I am using a plate sitter for indirect cooking and temps of 350 degrees. This happens when I am getting the egg up to temp. before putting a whole chicken(s), or turkey breast on the grate. As my dome temp reaches 350 I open the egg and womp, a fireball erupts from the open spaces around the plate sitter. Is this truly a flashback? Any ideas on what is causing this shocker?

Car Wash Mike

SMOKIN' MIKE,[p]Just because you are using a place setter doesn't mean you can't get a flashback. It is the fast infusion of air that causes flashbacks.[p]I cook ABT's indirect at 400 and it is common for me to get a flashback if I don't open lid slowly and even wait a couple seconds.[p]More wings today for The Chefs.[p]CWM

yaB

SMOKIN' MIKE,[p]Flashbacks are a fact of life with the Egg. It's not so much as question of "if" they'll happen as it is "when" they'll happen. Most users learn to burp the Egg (open the lid slightly) a couple of times before opening it fully. This helps to vent the volatile gasses and mix them with air a little more gradually, so you get less of an explosive effect. I usually also open the daisy wheel top before opening or burping the lid to improve air flow and give the volatile gas a way to escape.[p]My theory is that volatile gasses will tend to collect under the plate setter. When you open the lid, colder air gets into the Egg, flows downward and give the gasses the oxygen needed to burn, and Poof! Flashback.[p]Some Egg users say that Cowboy lump in it's various brand name guises produces more flashback than other brands. I haven't used that much Cowboy to confirm that, but I have noticed that all the brands of mesquite lump that I've tried seem to be flashback prone, and generally smokier than other hardwood lump varieties. [p]Good luck,
Bob

Marine Cook

[img]http://www.collforsignsandgrafix.com/images/surviving flash back.JPG[/img]

<p />SMOKIN' MIKE,[p]Here's how I avoid gitting burned as I dont know if you can always avoid the dreaded flash back. I've heard some people say they use an elbow length welding glove. Good Luck.[p]Semper Fi,[p]MC

Bob V

Another thing you can do is to open up the bottom and top vents for a bit and let the air start to draw through. That vents the volatile gasses out the top and into the atmosphere instead of having them inside the Egg, where additional oxygen causes them to ignite. The additional heat caused by opening it up at this point isn't hard to control, and - to my mind at least - it is easier than "burping" the dome.[p]Bob V