Safely Dwelling?

Satch_Q · July 2016

Okay, so what's your method of opening after cooking in the dwell for 3-4 minutes? After grilling burgers over some serious heat, like 5-600 degrees and then letting them finish in the dwell I always have a hard time getting her back open. Even after several burps she usually barks and scares the bejezus out of me and leaves my knuckles hairless. Anybody have any tricks?

DMW · July 2016

Don't dwell. Closing the vents and snuffing the fire while food in there isn't the best. That snuffed fire will smolder and can create unpleasant smoke that imparts a nasty taste.

If you really want to dwell, open the vents before you open the dome.

Hi54putty · July 2016

I would suggest not leaving food on with the vents all the way closed.

Shiff · July 2016

+1 for not leaving food when the vents are closed. But I also always wear my gloves when opening the egg. You never know when it might decide to bite you.

GregW · July 2016

DMW said:

Don't dwell. Closing the vents and snuffing the fire while food in there isn't the best. That snuffed fire will smolder and can create unpleasant smoke that imparts a nasty taste.

If you really want to dwell, open the vents before you open the dome.

That's interesting. I always finish my steaks with the vents closed. Usually a couple of minutes per side with the vents open, and then close vents for 2-3 more minutes.
I've always used this method. I don't recall a bad taste from the vents being closed. I've been doing it this way for so long that I probably can't taste the bad flavor.

The next time I cook a steak with this method I will pay more attention to see if anything is off with the taste.

Satch_Q · July 2016

Sorry, but I'm in the camp that likes a little smoke flavor on my burgers. I've always had great results with this method and will continue to use it. No offense to those who don't like the method but I see nothing wrong with it as long as the bed of coals is burning cleanly. I might try opening the vents prior to burping. That is the one thing I have not done before.

CtTOPGUN · July 2016

I think the dwell method is a poor choice for the smoldering that occurs and the dangers of radically changing the oxygen available as you are experiencing. I favor the reverse sear method. Just need a way to safely remove the platesetter(or whatever you use for indirect) and it will use a bit more lump as you shut it down from 600* to 700* .

Jim

DMW · July 2016

Satch_Q said:

Sorry, but I'm in the camp that likes a little smoke flavor on my burgers. I've always had great results with this method and will continue to use it. No offense to those who don't like the method but I see nothing wrong with it as long as the bed of coals is burning cleanly. I might try opening the vents prior to burping. That is the one thing I have not done before.

If you like it, keep doing it. But next time, open the bottom vent wide open and take the daisy wheel off about 30 seconds before opening. That way you won't have a starved fire when you open the dome and allow a rush of oxygen to create a fireball.

AmericanFlannel · July 2016

I didn't know the term... weird.
I do this on skirt steaks @ 500... 3-4 min a side, then close it off for four minutes. I do this on a large and a brand new minimax. I haven't had a flare up yet. Wonder if I am that leaky?

nolaegghead · July 2016

The so-called "dwell" is a short term generation and inundation of what people with a good sense of smell will recognize as "bad" smoke. A few minutes of it and it doesn't make the food inedible, you may not even notice the flavor from the volatile organic hydrocarbons (constituents of "bad" smoke).

If you like the clean smoke from a good charcoal (Rockwood is trumpeted as clean smelling), you are doing the very opposite, although just for a few minutes. So you may like that flavor - of hydrocarbons. There's no right or wrong, but it's not a competition bbq technique that anyone uses, and the chemicals from bad smoke are the worst of the worst when we talk about the combustion products from a wood bbq.

nolaegghead · July 2016

I figure there are two goals with the dwell. Add the flavor of a snuffed fire and/or cook longer.

If you just want to cook longer, just cook it longer. If you like the strong combustion product smell and taste, you're wasting your time waiting for good smoke and a stabilized fire when you start cooking.

SloppyJoe · July 2016

Dwell = stupid.

Darby_Crenshaw · July 2016

The dwell is the single worst recipe/method proffered to date in BGE lore

let's consider The Candle. Burns cleanly. Smells wonderful. Now, blow it out and smell the smoldering wick

Horrible

incomplete combustion. Never desirable (w/r/t food especially)

you will notice this more with ribeyes, which drip fat and which said fat combusts poorly

less a problem with strips and tenderloin

but never a good idea

Satch_Q · July 2016

Well, based on the responses here I went with a dual zone method instead. I got the back half good and hot and did a quick sear there before moving the burgers to the front half for an indirect finish. I didn't shut off the flow entirely but I did knock it back a bit. Turned out the same without scary moments.

Safely Dwelling?

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