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High temp cooking

Tripmaker
Tripmaker Posts: 124
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
I'm usually a low and slow guy but last night while cooking a london broil I had questions. Raising the BGE temp to 550 I found I had a raging inferno :evil: inside the egg. Not wanting my meat exposed to direct flames I closed the dampers just enough to extinguish the flames, but as soon as I did that the temp started dropping into the 400 range. Someone please help. What am I doing wrong?
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Comments

  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Shut the dome and the flames go out. Open the dome and the flames return.

    A few minutes exposure to direct flame shouldn't harm the beef.
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  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    and if you are cooking direct, while the temp may drop initially when you close the dome it should rise rapidly back to the higher temp...
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    you won't have any flames when the dome is shut. not after a minute or two anyway.

    if you don't like a heavy char (and I don't), then you can sear at lower temps. 600 or so. keep in mind that dome temp doesn't reflect the actual temp of the side being seared. that side is facing a pile of lump burning at 1000-1200 degrees, or even more.

    you might consider a two-stage cook like Trex, X-ert, hot tubbing or something similar, where you sear at one temp and finish roasting it at another. that way you can control the sear.

    doesn't work well for thin steaks, but you can just do them by searing alone

    my dry-aged steak yesterday went on around 450, truth be told. lot more control
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Any time the dome temp gets above 500, and you open the lid, you will get flames pretty quickly, especially if a little grease drips onto the coals. Most high temp cooks have the dome open for only a short time, just enough to put the meat on, and flip it.

    When you damped the fire, you quickly reduced the amount of oxygen to the point where the lump began to extinguish, and so the temperature dropped. If you had just shut the lid, and put the daisy on full open, you probably would have seen the dome temp drop to 450 - 500, and would not have seen much flame inside the chamber.

    If you take the daisy off, and have the bottom wide open, you will see flames come out the top. This is fine for quick searing. Just wear some long gloves to keep your arm hairs from singeing.
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    yeah.... people seem to think a cool thermometer means the fire is cool too. with the dome open, the thermometer drops, but the fire grows.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    pictures of beef swirling in flame sure are pretty, but you are right, that ain't the way to cook a steak.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    If the lump is lit well and has enough air flow it will flame, dome open or not. Many will say the dome looks like a jet engine.

    If the lump is flaming, dome closed the heat at the tip of the flame will be much higher. That is not a true cooking temperature of the egg - unless you want to cook inside the flame up.

    When the flame goes out the dome thermometer will drop quickly.

    If I am cooking at high temperature and there is flame I will put some leather gloves over the dome just to put out the flames of the lump.

    GG
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