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Love Your Gasket

Vitaman
Vitaman Posts: 46
edited July 2012 in EggHead Forum

Hi all-

I had some questions about my gasket on my new BGE so I e-mailed the mothership and Duane was great and answered my questions and he also e-mailed me a document called "Love your gasket".  Maybe you've seen it, but I'm attaching it to this post and copying and pasting it below.  I thought I'd share this since I had never seen some of this info even though I've been lurking here for a couple of months.

Managing your Big Green Egg gasket

On a new grill, you should have several (3-4) low temperature (350 degree) cooks before cooking at higher temperatures.  This gentle heating helps to set the adhesive on the new gasket.  It is best to avoid cooking steak or pizza right out of the box.  After you’ve had a few cooks, you can move on to steaks, but be mindful that the gasket is going to be affected by too much heat.  It is OK to get the grill up to 600-650 degrees but shut the grill down when you remove your food.  There is no need to leave a new grill burning at high heat after you have removed your food.  Doing so can result in burned gaskets or gaskets that become fused together.  Cook your food and shut the grill down so it can begin cooling.  Over time the gasket is going to flatten and turn black.  It is much less susceptible to heat damage when it reaches this point, but a new fluffy gasket must be treated with kid gloves for a while.  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

The number one thing that causes gasket burning on a new grill is using the plate setter with feet pointing down in conjunction with high heat.  In this orientation, the heat hits the bottom of the plate setter and is pushed out through the gaskets.  For this reason, the only way I recommend using the plate setter is with feet pointing up.  To cook a pizza, install the plate setter with feet pointing up, cooking grid on plate setter feet, and pizza stone on the cooking grid.  This moves the bottom of the plate setter away from the gaskets and down inside the body of the Egg.  Making this change and cooking your pizzas at 500-550 degrees will help prevent the problem in the future.  If you do a great deal of steak or pizza, you will be better served by a high heat (nomex) gasket.

 

The way the Egg is made, all the heat travels up the back wall of the grill, so the area between the rear hinges will always be hardest hit and prone to burning.  One thing you can do to protect that area is the install one of the plate setter legs between that rear hinge area.  This will help deflect some of that heat away from the hinge area. 

 

If your gasket is being pulled off the base of the Egg, between the rear hinges, this is an adjustment problem.  The bottom band is too far down and the dome is pulling the gasket off the base.  To correct the problem you need to move the bottom band up toward the gasket.  Make sure the dome is closed, loosen the bottom carriage bolt, then using a wooden block and hammer, tap the bottom of the bottom band to move the band up toward the gasket.  After you re-tighten the bottom carriage bolt, it may be necessary to loosen the top carriage bolt, push the dome down onto the base, and re-tighten the top carriage bolt.  It is easier to do this step with an extra set of hands. 

 

Recommended cooking temperatures are:  steaks at 600 degrees, pizzas at 500 degrees, and chicken, burgers, and dogs at 400 degrees. Make sure to always use the plate setter with the feet pointing up.  The thing most people don't realize is that a dome temperature of 750 degrees can easily be a cooking grid temperature of 1000 degrees or more.  Understand that your cooking habits dictate how long your gasket will last  Keeping these things in mind will help extend the life of your gaskets. 

Jeff

Comments

  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    That is stupid. I wish my egg came with no gasket. It's such a mess to clean up after it burns to a crisp during ur third cook.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    edited July 2012
    I've always used a rig and until I received it, I never did a steak or pizza. Not because I wanted to take it easy, it just worked out that way as I couldn't get over how awesome the chicken came out.

    None the less, my gasket is perfect after numerous 700+ cooks. Same goes for my small which is my searing station.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Thanks man. Good read.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • ccpoulin1
    ccpoulin1 Posts: 390
    +1.  good info to know, but everone (me included ) kove to push the limits and try new things

    "You are who you are when nobody is looking"

  • Squeezy
    Squeezy Posts: 1,102

    Just another mothership denial of crummy gaskets supplied ... I do pizza at 550° to 620° with PS legs down and I still have the original gasket since last September.

    No biggy ....

    Never eat anything passed through a window unless you're a seagull ... BGE Lg.
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    It's funny that they tell you to do legs up with the platesetter. The BGE cookbook says the opposite.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    Sooner they accept it is a big fail rate item, whether you baby it or not, better Big Green Egg will look. Personally, I dint get why they're so quick to give away nomex gaskets, but unwilling to send them out of factory with nomex.
  • OMG Eggs
    OMG Eggs Posts: 118
    what will we complain about if they switch to Nomex as OEM?  I'm stumped. 
  • goducks
    goducks Posts: 2
    Thanks for posting.
  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    Next month, when I have a little money, I'll be replacing the gasket and fire grate.  Those are the two weak points of the BGE.  Otherwise it is superbe and the after-market has filled the gaps.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • Newville
    Newville Posts: 84
    On second fire grate and it is toast (cracked outside to center with. Number of holes elongated) - amazingly enough still first gasket. 6 year old large. For me the fire grate is weak point but acceptable price to pay for the expieriance.
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    Firegrate is under warranty, right? Unless used.
  • Firegrate is under warranty, right? Unless used.



    yes
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    Not sure, but many relatively high tech (perhaps Nomex) items and processes cannot be shipped outside of USA without Dept of State approval.  My wife sells aircraft parts to the Far East/Pacific Rim airlines and some things you would never believe fall under these ITAR restrictions.  Getting permissions can be very time consuming and expensive, but flaunting these rules is a lot worse when, not if, you get caught.  Lots of regulations that none of us ever see in CONUS. 
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
  • Not sure, but many relatively high tech (perhaps Nomex) items and processes cannot be shipped outside of USA without Dept of State approval.  My wife sells aircraft parts to the Far East/Pacific Rim airlines and some things you would never believe fall under these ITAR restrictions.  Getting permissions can be very time consuming and expensive, but flaunting these rules is a lot worse when, not if, you get caught.  Lots of regulations that none of us ever see in CONUS. 
    Nomex is widely available outside the US. Shouldn't be an issue.




    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • gtk10583
    gtk10583 Posts: 77
    I don't use a gasket any more.  Burned off months ago.  Just did a low and slow pork shoulder this past w/e.  Held temp at 250F for 10 hours.  Afterwards, I snuffed it out by closing the bottom vent and replacing the daisy wheel with the snuff top.  Still had lots of unused lump in the bottom the next day.  Gaskets are overrated in my opinion.
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    I have a dim recollection of this "gasket" thing you speak of, but my memory going back that far is hazy....

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

  • mrjwhit
    mrjwhit Posts: 83
    Not sure, but many relatively high tech (perhaps Nomex) items and processes cannot be shipped outside of USA without Dept of State approval.  My wife sells aircraft parts to the Far East/Pacific Rim airlines and some things you would never believe fall under these ITAR restrictions.  Getting permissions can be very time consuming and expensive, but flaunting these rules is a lot worse when, not if, you get caught.  Lots of regulations that none of us ever see in CONUS. 
    I'm so glad the bad guys can't cook on their BGE. Seriously, a good Eggfest in some of these areas might bring about peace and tranquility. Look what it does at dinner time with my kids.  :))
    Large BGE as of Father's day '12 http://www.jwhit.com
  • phishfindr
    phishfindr Posts: 12
    Thanks for the tip. My BGE is being delivered tomorrow. After reading so many great pointers since Sunday on this forum, I'm like a kid waiting for Santa!!!
  • JayHawkEye
    JayHawkEye Posts: 196

    Are there any other XL owners out there running without a gasket now? If so, do you have any allignment/gap issues?

    "Take yourself lightly, but what you do seriously." - M. Martin XL BGE - Johnston, IA