Controlling the temperature on your Saffire can seem like a difficult task when you’re learning, but don’t give up! Let’s take the mystery out of the process.
First of all, it’s important to understand how your Saffire cooks.
- Air enters into the kamado through the bottom air vent (sliding draft door).
- It combusts in the hot charcoal bed, making the air super hot, and expanding it at the same time.
- It moves past your food, heating it.
- Finally the air is pushed out of the grill through the top air vent (slideable daisy wheel).
The key to controlling the fire is the bottom air vent, which controls how much cool air can combust in the fire. The top air vent is not quite as important for temperature control, but it has an important place.
Let your grill get up to temperature.
Getting your grill up to temperature is one of the “magic” steps most beginners miss. Don’t worry too much about where to set the air vents on your grill until your grill is at the right temperature. Start with both vents fully open as your grill warms up. Once you are about 50° Fahrenheit away from your goal, you can start dialing back on those air vents.
Dial it down on the air vents.
Once your grill is just about the right temperature, use the temperature control guide below to close down the bottom and top air vents. This ensures your Saffire doesn’t overshoot the temperature, and gets you into temperature control mode. Step away for 3 minutes to allow the grill temperature to compensate.
Readjust again.
Adjust the bottom damper again. If the grill is too hot, slide it closed a little more. If it’s a little cold, slide it open a bit. Don’t worry about overshooting at this point, as you’ll come back to check and readjust in a few minutes. Step away for 3 minutes to allow the grill temperature to compensate.
At this point you should be safe to put your food on the grill.
... and readjust again.
Keep adjusting the temperature from time to time until you like where it’s staying. At this point you can check back at longer intervals.
Leave it.
Once the temperature is dialed in, it won’t waiver much. Now that you’ve dialed in the temperature, you can relax.
Temperature Control Guide
This is a rough temperature control guide. It’s only meant to give you an idea of where to set the top and bottom vents on your grill once you have the temperature where you want it. You’ll need to come back and check the temperature on your Saffire from time to time, as the amount of charcoal you use, if you use a Heat Deflector, and other outside factors will have an effect on the grill temperature as well. Always check and tweak until your grill is staying steady on the temperature you want.
Starting, and High Temperature Grilling and Searing
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This setup will result in approximately the following temperatures:
500+°F or 260+°C
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This setup will result in approximately the following temperatures:
600+°F or 300+°C
Roasting, Baking and Grilling
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This setup will result in approximately the following temperatures:
450+°F or 230+°C
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This setup will result in approximately the following temperatures:
300+°F or 150+°C
Smoking and Warming
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This setup will result in approximately the following temperatures:
250+°F or 120+°C
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This setup will result in approximately the following temperatures:
175+°F or 80+°C
Allowing temperatures that exceed 900° F pose a safety hazard.
Your Heat Deflector holds the heat down inside the firebox. If your grill is above 500° F, the firebox is easily over 1,000° F with a Heat Deflector in your grill! Try not to cook at temperatures exceeding 500° F when using a Heat Deflector, for the longevity of your firebox and all internal components.
Avoid High Temperatures
When the thermometer at the top of the kamado is near 600° F (300° C) the temperature at the lowest cooking grid position is 1,000° F (540° C)!
When cooking, there shouldn’t be any need to exceed a temperature of 700° F. Be careful not to exceed 750° F (400° C) on your thermometer, or you risk damaging your gasket, internal ceramic firebox and/or internal ceramic fire ring. Your grill should never reach 1,000° F at the dome, as this posses a safety risk.
