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"Grilling"

MCRyan
MCRyan Posts: 167
in EggHead Forum
Probably discussed 1,000 times.  However, it seems as if I could use some pointers when it comes to "grilling" on the Egg.  Leave the lid open too long and it turns into an inferno.  I usually do brats in a foil pan with h beer, onions and low and slow in the bath, then finishing off over a flame to finish for a little char.   Last night I did them sans the bath, directly on the grate.   This resulted in grease flare ups, Egg getting too hot, I was kind of in a rush.  Not my best effort.  

Anyone else have have an issue like this?  Is it all about, timing, temp, closing the lid until your readily to finish up?  Just occurred to me you can't really leave the lid open w/o having the temp run away.  Pretty simple.  Probably over thinking this one... 
XLBGE, SS table
McKinney, TX.
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Comments

  • etherdome
    etherdome Posts: 471
    I gave up trying to grill anything with the lid up on the egg. 
    Upstate SC
    Large BGE,  Blackstone, Weber genesis , Weber charcoal classic
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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    A raised grid will help, or use a little less charcoal to create some distance between the food and the fire.  However I don't cook with the lid open unless I am searing steaks and in that case I don't mind some flare ups because they won't be there long.  For something like brats or burgers I open the lid only long enough to flip them.  

    All that being said I still struggled with things like chicken breast so I got a set of Grill Grates for the large and those have really helped. 

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • tikigriller
    tikigriller Posts: 1,389
    Kind of a Hi-Jack, but it is also directly related to the OP topic...these Grill Grates.....what exactly does everyone use them for?  Does it really make a difference in flavor as the site claims, or is it  more about the char marks it puts on the food when you use them?   Does it change your temps you used to cook at for searing?

    Just bought an Egg?  Here is what you get to look forward to now:

    Plate Setter, FlameBoss 200, Spider, PSWOO-CI, Additional Rig Shelf for dome cooking, Thermapen, iGrill2, Cast Iron, Blackstone, Cooking Accessories for the Blackstone, Cover for the Egg and the Blackstone, shopping for Rub like a fine wine or IPA, and a new fascination with lump and what brand is the best-all to be debated every Friday Night.  Next desires-Joetisceriie, Adjustable Rig, Grillmates, table and more eggs

    Livermore, California
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  • Dobie
    Dobie Posts: 3,458
    Grilling does not mean with the lid open. Grilling is basically cooking more tender cuts of meat at high temps for short periods of time. Barbecue is cooking tougher cuts of meat at lower temps over more time. Shut the lid. 
    Jacksonville FL
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Closing the lower vent will help when you need/want your dome open for longer periods of time. Just remember to open it back up after you close your dome.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    MCRyan said:
    Is it all about, timing, temp, closing the lid until your readily to finish up?  ... 
    Yup, pretty much. Cook direct, dome closed. Open when you expect the down side to be brown, flip quick, close. Maybe 1 more flip to add cheese to a burger.
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  • johnnyp
    johnnyp Posts: 3,932
    edited November 2016

    OK, I think I can help because I recently figured out this technique myself.  Be warned, this is my first time attempting to explain it, so bear with me if I get a little wordy.

    I found that the key is to first visualize your cook, then build your fire accordingly.  For example, if you're cooking steak or burgers, a uniform hot zone across the entire cooking surface is ideal.  But, if you're grilling something uneven, like chicken breast, you may prefer to have a hot spot and cooking area that is more indirect.

    But how do you achieve this?  You have to think about the way the fire moves throughout the firebox.  It will follow the oxygen via the path of least resistance.  Meaning that if you light the egg and leave the lid open, your fire will spread horizontally and create a (relatively) even surface fire.  If you light your egg and close the lid, the fire will burrow downward and stay (mostly) centralized. 

    Regardless, cook with the lid closed.  If your fire is centered, the outer perimeter will be analogous to a more indirect cooking area allowing you to move food away from the hottest spots on the cooking surface. 


    Hope this helps.

    XL & MM BGE, 36" Blackstone - Newport News, VA
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  • MCRyan
    MCRyan Posts: 167
    Appreciate all the comments!!!   Thank you all for your help and logic.  
    XLBGE, SS table
    McKinney, TX.
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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited November 2016
    tikigriller said:
    Kind of a Hi-Jack, but it is also directly related to the OP topic...these Grill Grates.....what exactly does everyone use them for?  Does it really make a difference in flavor as the site claims, or is it  more about the char marks it puts on the food when you use them?   Does it change your temps you used to cook at for searing?






    These are CI Mangrates, but similar to the Grill Grates.  SV chicken, burgers, steaks, sausages are a few preferred uses.  

    Have always struggled with the eggs uneven heat, tending to burn hotter towards the hinge.  To compensate, you have to move things around constantly.  Briqs in a Weber kettle always produce an even burn.  This style of grate evens the heat by absorbing it. 

    They also reduce flareups, and the drippings roll down into the trenches, away from the meat to burn off and give up that grilled flavor.  Always found that flavor lacking when using a Griswold CI griddle or skillet, where the juices pooled around the meat.  

    It is all personal preference in regards to pan sear vs grill.  The smokey, slightly charred, burnt fat grilled flavor a steak pics up, trumps a pan sear IMO.  Both methods have their place, one indoors, one outdoors.
      
    I'm not big on grill marks, but they do present well, and give a nice contrast.

    Carolina Q's recent video post on cooking a steak over fire, highlighted some of these points.  Was a good video, about controlling momentum throughout the cook.  APL talks about this in his book, Charred and Scruffed.   

    Will probably catch some sh!t from the Mangrate haters.  But they do, enhance your grill.  
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    tikigriller said:
    Kind of a Hi-Jack, but it is also directly related to the OP topic...these Grill Grates.....what exactly does everyone use them for?  Does it really make a difference in flavor as the site claims, or is it  more about the char marks it puts on the food when you use them?   Does it change your temps you used to cook at for searing?

    @tikigriller - I don't want to talk you into buying anything else :)...but I think they do have advantages aside from just the grill marks. To be honest on the egg I don't know think there is a difference in flavor since you already get flavor from the lump/wood. There is additional smoke/steam that is created from the juice vaporizing on the grates but I'm not sure I can detect extra flavor from this.  The main advantage is to me is it creates a nice even heating surface and eliminates any flare ups.  They are very efficient at transferring heat so I don't run the egg too hot for a good sear. 

    Downsides:
    They are not cut to fit exactly the shape of an egg so it is reducing the cooking space.   Also they are a little pricey for what they are and I am not crazy about dealing with the 3 interlocking pieces. Also you have to have some other grid supporting them.  This is not a huge deal but it is a little extra work to put on the standard grid, then place these 3 pieces.  If they could make this as one solid piece that would be used instead of the standard grid (and price it reasonably) it would be awesome. 

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • bhedges1987
    bhedges1987 Posts: 3,201
    edited November 2016
    Part of the reason for the design of the egg and ceramic is to help cook more evenly on all sides, and a lot of the juices that evaporate from the meat are retained with the ceramic to keep it a moist environment.

    Close the lid.

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    @Focker my buddy Corey has a set of mangrates and loves them too. He was a cook at our eggfest, just south of your station. The anodized grillgrates work great too. I think the grillbgrates are an essential accessory for the pellet grill folks. They really do amplify the heat. 
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  • tikigriller
    tikigriller Posts: 1,389
    pgprescott said:
    @Focker my buddy Corey has a set of mangrates and loves them too. He was a cook at our eggfest, just south of your station. The anodized grillgrates work great too. I think the grillbgrates are an essential accessory for the pellet grill folks. They really do amplify the heat. 
    I didn't even think about that!  These are an accessory I can use on both of my grills then!

    getting closer to pulling trigger now. 
    Just bought an Egg?  Here is what you get to look forward to now:

    Plate Setter, FlameBoss 200, Spider, PSWOO-CI, Additional Rig Shelf for dome cooking, Thermapen, iGrill2, Cast Iron, Blackstone, Cooking Accessories for the Blackstone, Cover for the Egg and the Blackstone, shopping for Rub like a fine wine or IPA, and a new fascination with lump and what brand is the best-all to be debated every Friday Night.  Next desires-Joetisceriie, Adjustable Rig, Grillmates, table and more eggs

    Livermore, California
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    tikigriller said:
    pgprescott said:
    @Focker my buddy Corey has a set of mangrates and loves them too. He was a cook at our eggfest, just south of your station. The anodized grillgrates work great too. I think the grillbgrates are an essential accessory for the pellet grill folks. They really do amplify the heat. 
    I didn't even think about that!  These are an accessory I can use on both of my grills then!

    getting closer to pulling trigger now. 
    I would not hesitate. They can be turned over and used like a griddle as well. 
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  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited November 2016
    pgprescott said:
    @Focker my buddy Corey has a set of mangrates and loves them too. He was a cook at our eggfest, just south of your station. The anodized grillgrates work great too. I think the grillbgrates are an essential accessory for the pellet grill folks. They really do amplify the heat. 
    Great points Pete, they are transferable to other grills, and will make even a POS cheapo gasser shine. 
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

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  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,173
    pgprescott said:
    tikigriller said:
    pgprescott said:
    @Focker my buddy Corey has a set of mangrates and loves them too. He was a cook at our eggfest, just south of your station. The anodized grillgrates work great too. I think the grillbgrates are an essential accessory for the pellet grill folks. They really do amplify the heat. 
    I didn't even think about that!  These are an accessory I can use on both of my grills then!

    getting closer to pulling trigger now. 
    I would not hesitate. They can be turned over and used like a griddle as well. 
    Pete.....I like it when we spend other folks money. Hope all is well with you and family.
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    northGAcock said:
    pgprescott said:
    tikigriller said:
    pgprescott said:
    @Focker my buddy Corey has a set of mangrates and loves them too. He was a cook at our eggfest, just south of your station. The anodized grillgrates work great too. I think the grillbgrates are an essential accessory for the pellet grill folks. They really do amplify the heat. 
    I didn't even think about that!  These are an accessory I can use on both of my grills then!

    getting closer to pulling trigger now. 
    I would not hesitate. They can be turned over and used like a griddle as well. 
    Pete.....I like it when we spend other folks money. Hope all is well with you and family.
    Easiest money I have ever spent. Others! Thanks for the well wishes and back at you and yours. 
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  • cheeaa
    cheeaa Posts: 364
    Close the lid but let the grill tell you when to look. when you start seeing a ton of smoke start billowing out, its time to check. if its too hot just close the bottom a bit. 
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