Ideal Steel running too hot?

One thing to keep in mind too, with those IR thermometers, you are not just taking a reading where your laser dot is...those dots just give you a rough idea where you are aiming...the further away from a surface you get, the larger the sample area is...as in 6" away might give you a 3" diameter sample area...12" away equals a 6" diameter area. Your meter should show on the side of it what your actual distance to area ratio numbers look like...if not, it will be in the owners manual.
Also...they are most accurate on a smooth, flat black surface...anything else will screw up the IR reflection to some degree...it is usually still close, but if you get a reading that seems unbelievable, just beware that the surface you are reading maybe the reason.

That said, on any stove I've ever run (and I've never had one of these) anything under 750* was no big deal.

 

I'm new to the IS this year, but 550 STT is a great cruising range on a chilly day in our experience. With a full load of dry wood, we can happily live at that temperature when set to the first small notch before the first big notch. sometimes a little lower, sometimes a little higher.

Dialed down further it likes to live at 350-400 and can do that for eight or ten hours without any further adjustment as long as I've done my part with dry wood. Questionable wood seems to run a little cooler, logically.

Setup is rear vent through the wall with double wall, up the exterior of the house with a 30 degree bend to clear the overhang, total height about 20'. STT thermometer is the one that came with the stove, placed on the center of the top vent blockoff plate.

 

700F above the door is no big deal. I bet your STT is right around 500-525 in that scenario. I've seen 850F on the front, with about 650 STT, and nothing happened (except for lots of heat!).

Recently, I've been running my stove with the air more open (keeping secondaries active nearly constantly until coaling). Cat temps hover right around 1100-1200, the glass stays clean, and the coals don't pile up. Sure, I may not be getting the absolute most out of each burn, but the burn times are almost as long as a full shut-down (low 'n slow). Plus, I get to see more flames! This doesn't seem to work all the time (sometimes stove temps climb too far), but for now I'm sticking with it.