Cleaning ashes

cortguitarman

Shop vac is great and I use it to clean my egg. I clean it maybe every 10 times or so. I just take the grate out, put the used lump in a bin for reuse and vacuum from the top. I never remove my fire box and ring. I always make sure the egg is cleaned before every low and slow.

bicktrav

Don't see any reason why not, but I also don't think it's that necessary.  I just use BGE ash tool that I got with my egg to pull the clumps into a small pan placed beneath the bottom vent.  Seems to work very well and no risk of inadvertently screwing up your shop vac.  That said, the shop vac would be far cleaner, I'm sure.  The area just beneath my bottom vent is pretty mucked up.

alabamatom

I go with the lazy group. I completely cleaned my BGE 3 & 1/2 years ago when we moved & downsized. I just use the BGE ash tool and ash pan after every two or three cooks. In my small world, the BGE does great, hot & short or low & slow.

Ragtop99

bicktrav said:

Don't see any reason why not, but I also don't think it's that necessary.  I just use BGE ash tool that I got with my egg to pull the clumps into a small pan placed beneath the bottom vent.  Seems to work very well and no risk of inadvertently screwing up your shop vac.  That said, the shop vac would be far cleaner, I'm sure.  The area just beneath my bottom vent is pretty mucked up.

That's basically what I do with 2 buckets.  The first bucket I turn upside down.  The second bucket sits on it and that raises it to the level where the bucket just barely will slide under the egg.  Stick the ash tool in and pull the stuff out.  Do it a half dozen times and the egg is cleaned out.  A quick brush of the door track and I'm done.

The XL gets cleaned out about once a bag; maybe a little earlier if a slow cook is planned near the end of the bag.  The medium fills up quicker. sometimes I'll take the ash tool and just move the ash around to make sure it is not high in front of the door or in the middle.