No, what I've done is steep the additional grains in a small amount of water (less than a quart per pound) for 45 minutes and add the wort to the secondary. For my current barley wine, I actually decocted some caramel to darken the brew and add a little sweetness.
thanks for the response, I'll try that have a porter that is lacking the chocolat note, how much grain did you use per 5 gallons , I 'am brewing 11 gallon batches all grain
For an 11 gallon batch I'd use a pound of chocolate malt total. Try 1/2 lb at this point. As several people have pointed out on other threads, this is more of a cocoa powder flavor than chocolate. A little lactose (about a gram per pint) also helps bring the flavor out.
Thanks for the invite. It's a bit of a trip for me, just getting to Steinbart's for Brew Crew meetings is two hours.