Help with high heat cooks

Peggy · May 2002

I have owned my BGE (large) since November. I have done mostly low and slow cooks which I have down pretty good. I cannot get this high heat cooking process right on the BGE and I'm frustrated. Please walk me through a high heat cooking event. Below is what happens to me![p]1. Fill fire box to top of fire box (very full) with fresh lump.
2. Used 2 starter cubes in the middle and started the fire.
3. With the daisy top off and the bottom wide open, I shut the lid and let the fire begin.
4. Within 15 minutes, I have a raging fire inside and temps are close to 650.
5. Within 30 minutes, I still have raging flames inside with temps close to 750 - 800.
6. Within 40 minutes, No indication flames are dying down to red hot embers for searing steaks.
7. Within 45 mintues, fire flames still raging so I decide to tame it by topping with daisy cap and closing vent
8. Fire dies down in 5 minutes and it looks like I have coals at about 500 degrees and not 750
9. Put on several soaked mesquite chips, shut lid, and leave top and bottom open to get back up to 750.
10. Begins smoking and fire flames begin all over again shooting out of the top!
11. Try to contain the fire by putting on daisy, closing vent. Helped a bit, but all my smoke is escaping with no steaks on the grill. Temp goes down to 500.
12. I could not see that the fire was ever going to look like coals unless I topped with daisy and closed vent. At this point (55 mintues) I choose to put on the steaks and top with daisy and close vents. Temp is at 500. I wanted a 750 sear temperature!!!
14. 5 minutes later, I turn steaks and flames begin again flaring up to touch the steaks! It looks like I'm cooking right in the fire! My guests are aghast! I shut down with daisy wheel and close vents and dwelled for 7 minutes at 500. The steaks were medium versus medium rare. I know I left them on too long. I can fix that next time if there is a next time.
15. How do I get the BGE to a high searing heat without feeling like I'm battling the fire and temperature fluxuations. I cannot get it under control or a constant heat of 650 - 750.
17. Please help me understand the high heat cooking process and when is the key to put the steaks on in order to sear?. There must be some sign instead of me having to battle flames? [p]Questions
1. When do I know the fire is ready?
2. How long does it take to get the fire ready to sear steaks?
4. Do the flames ever go to hot coals?
[p]I know these may be silly questions, but I need help. Otherwise, I'm never doing a high heat cook again. Thanks for reading this long post.
Help me, Peggy

Sundown · May 2002

Peggy,
Not really sure what you are asking. When I light up Mr. Egg for a steak I start the fire the same way you do and inside 15 - 20 minutes I'm at or above 750º at that point I toss on my steaks/chops sear for the requisite time 2-3 minutes each side then close the top and bottom vents and dwell for 3 - 4 minutes depending on the thinckness of the meat...we like rare headed to med. rare. Are you talking about putting the smoke to them?
At turbo speeds flames sometimes do jump through the top but they aren't very 'strong' if that can be called a description of flames..the fire is HOT

JJ · May 2002

Peggy,
Let the flame kiss the steak. Wont hurt a thing. I throw mine on when it gets to about 600º. Forget what the guests think while your cooking and let enjoy the finished product.

Spin · May 2002

Peggy,[p]Rest easy as you can control high temp fires AND use them to make great high temp meals.[p]1. Your Egg is ready to cook when you need to agressively limit the dome temperature by adding/then closing down the top vent. Leave the bottom vent wide open for the cook.[p]2. 30-40 minutes should be more than sufficient time.[p]3. You have very hot coals. A well heated and regulated Egg will produce blue flames when cooking at 750°F (dome) temperature.[p]Your Egg is designed to cook with the dome closed. Any opening of the dome will allow oxygen in to feed the fire, producing a nice flare. With the dome closed there is some fire, but mostly very active coals.[p]Adding a smoke flavor to a meal during a searing cook is not possible as the smoking wood is quickly used up and little smoke flavor is applied to the meal. Consider smoking the meal (frozen to slightly stiff) as your Egg warms up for the cook, removing and wrapping to the freezer again to cool it down for the searing cook (remove before the dome reaches 200°F to avoid cooking the meal).[p]Spin

Shelby · May 2002

Peggy,
Funny you should post a question about the somewhat of the same problem I had last night.
Getting high temp is not a problem. Throw the thick rib-eye on the grill and I know it's going to flare when I close the grill. But due to the thickness, I went with a 3 min sear and it was almost totally charred. Then there was a delayed flashback when I opened the dome.
Guess my concern is when should we put the steaks on for a good sear rather than burning them?

sdbelt · May 2002

Peggy,[p]At step 5 (30 minutes, raging flames, dome temp above 750), I would have put my steaks on the grill...if not slightly earlier. I haven't found any drawback to the flame comeup and touching the meat. The blast of heat coming up from the coals is more significant than the slight reach of the flame that you can.[p]Also, I've never soaked any smoking woods before putting them in my Egg. When I do use a smoking wood, I introduce it into the lump as I bring the Egg up to temp. I do it this way, no matter what temp I'm trying for. FYI, for steaks, I do like mesquite.[p]Also, I don't bother with the daisy during a high temp cook, aside from pizza. For steaks, I just blast away, possibly throttling the Egg with a lower vent adjustment. I want to be able to look down into the Egg (when the flames aren't coming out the top).[p]Better luck next time...[p]--sdb

Grumpa · June 2002

Spin,
What's the secret to a "well-heated and regulated Egg". I have a large BGE and I have never been able to regulate the heat well. And, I cannot get the high temperatures I've seen posted on the forum. I use what I believe to be high quality lump charcoal and an electric starter. I can let the lunmp burn for 30-45 minutes and I still can't get the temperature much over 500 degrees. I have the top off and the bottom wide open. On a great day, I can get it up to 600. Any idea what I may be doing wrong?

Help with high heat cooks

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