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Grate Gripes (Attn BGE)

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Comments

  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Wondering what Pez thinks about tire wear.
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    The High-Que grate really doesn't waste enough lump to worry about.  Small pieces may fall through, but a lot of them burn down below the grate.  I agree with Gezr, whatever size you make the holes, that's the size of the piece of charcoal that's going to get stuck and block your airflow.  This really isn't about "workarounds".   You have to stir the coals and clear the airflow between fires.  BGE has been telling us this since the beginning. 
    The Naked Whiz
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,659
    been poking fires my whole life, even made my 4 year old godson a poker stick to poke the fire with last year
    :)) mans been doing this along time, if there were a better way it would have been invented.... and i would still have my stick.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • pezking7p
    pezking7p Posts: 132
    Please let this thread die, it's clear everyone would rather be condescending and call me lazy, instead of actually admitting that the design is poor and could use improvement. 

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,659
    Please let this thread die, it's clear everyone would rather be condescending and call me lazy, instead of actually admitting that the design is poor and could use improvement. 

    it could be that the design is done on purpose so that other problems dont surface like cracked bases. the current design does block direct heat from the bottom of the base that the hi q wont. there are a certain percent of bases that do crack now, ive had one and a few others have had the lower base break. i dont know if this has been addressed, but the beveled side of the grate holes  goes down, if its up it catches even more, which way are you putting yours in the egg
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    You can bend a wire hanger into a "wiggle rod" suitable for insertion through the bottom vent, and poking the ash out of the grate holes.  The grate thing is a compromise.  The OEM grate tends to clog.  The hi-que grate lets so much fall though, you'll end up with a mountain of mixed ash / small unburned lump bits clogging the bottom of the egg (below the grate).
    I did something similar, but I used an old skewer I had laying around. works perfectly.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    The rods that support the grid on the adjustable rig makes perfect wiggle rods...
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    @pezking7p

    Im sorry I came accross as a jerk didn't mean you were lazy

    Aftermarket parts usually work better than stock, kinda the point in the market for them.

    I just cooked a pizza on some old lump I stirred and added a slight new layer, lit t and could not keep it under 500• it was almost chocked down to inch on bottom vent with grate closed too.

    Grate def has some issues that ppl talk about all the time on here and aftermarket part works better... But I don't see all the fuss.... The grill is gonna need attention


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    always thought this would be a good idea for raising lump and increasing airflow (in the small) . a collander or drilled out metal bowl, inverted. never did it.  after the lamp at the top/center burns it may create a ring of fire at the perimeter only (though a shallower bowl would help that).  and believe it or not, if any metal were to off-gas in the BGE, stainless would be the most dangerous.  so a stainless thin bowl in direct contact with the lump, just sub-welding temps?  not sure if it would technically pose a problem.

    anyway, post this only for shitzengigglez, which is german for 'the heck of it'
    imageimage


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • hogsfan
    hogsfan Posts: 128
    edited May 2012
    Wondering what Pez thinks about tire wear.
    If the tire didn't come off on the road as it wore down but instead gummed up so that you could no longer drive your car because they were stuck to the road, I could see your point. 

    I stir my coals before every cook. I ALWAYS get this problem about 6-8 hours into a low and slow regardless. Since most of my cooking is low and slow, I totally agree with the OP that this is an issue that needs to be addressed...just like they did with the fire grate on my xl and it works fine.

    I really don't get why everyone is attacking the messenger. He's absolutely right. This is the only charcoal grill I ever used that had this issue and it's purely related to the design of the fire grate and like I said, BGE addressed this issue with the XL. There is no reason not to fix the mediums too (which is the only other egg I have and can personally testify to the issue.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i never get this problem.  so in my evidence, there's no issue with the grate. which isn't saying that i'm right, or that you're wrong, but just that the problem isn't universal.

    i stir, dump new lump (any lump, any size, including crappy small stuff if i have too), and then stir again.  maybe.

    had one overnight fire go out in ten years.

    every grate is going to clog, it's just the size of the lump we're talking about which will clog it.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • hogsfan
    hogsfan Posts: 128
    stike, 
    What size egg do you usually use for low and slow? I had this problem primarily with my medium. I'm wondering if this is why it isn't as universal.
  • Egg Juju
    Egg Juju Posts: 658
    i don't know if this has been addressed, but the beveled side of the grate holes  goes down, if its up it catches even more, which way are you putting yours in the egg




    No kidding... Never knew that or saw that anywhere before.  Both of mine came assembled with the bevel up as well.  I will flip them over tonight.... and apparently get a wiggle rod.  :)

    And yet... here it is in the video from the website. 

     

    egg.JPG 33.8K
    Large and Small BGE * www.quelfood.com
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited May 2012
    hey fish, what size lump falls through if it is bevel up and what size falls thru when it's bevel down?  (heh heh heh).

    i think the gut feeling is that the bevel up would somehow funnel lump to the hole, but at the end of the day, the same size lump falls thru either way
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,659
    i don't know if this has been addressed, but the beveled side of the grate holes  goes down, if its up it catches even more, which way are you putting yours in the egg




    No kidding... Never knew that or saw that anywhere before.  Both of mine came assembled with the bevel up as well.  I will flip them over tonight.... and apparently get a wiggle rod.  :)

    And yet... here it is in the video from the website. 

     

    get a long wiggle rod, once you get the ash buildup figured out, the next problem that arrises from time to time is center burn during an over-nigher, the fire burns straight down without igniting the lump on the sides and then goes out. its a good idea to push the lump towards center when your using the wiggle rod to shake the grate late at night..
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Wondering what Pez thinks about tire wear.
    If the tire didn't come off on the road as it wore down but instead gummed up so that you could no longer drive your car because they were stuck to the road, I could see your point. 

    I stir my coals before every cook. I ALWAYS get this problem about 6-8 hours into a low and slow regardless. Since most of my cooking is low and slow, I totally agree with the OP that this is an issue that needs to be addressed...just like they did with the fire grate on my xl and it works fine.

    I really don't get why everyone is attacking the messenger. He's absolutely right. This is the only charcoal grill I ever used that had this issue and it's purely related to the design of the fire grate and like I said, BGE addressed this issue with the XL. There is no reason not to fix the mediums too (which is the only other egg I have and can personally testify to the issue.
    I don't think there's been any "attacks" (maybe a couple folks said some sarcastic things) - but at any rate, what is different about the fire grate in the XL versus the other sizes? 

    Can someone please EGG-splain or post a pic? 
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    it's probably thinner relative to the span.

    notice the crack goes right along in a line, too?  that line of holes is bad voodoo.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • hogsfan
    hogsfan Posts: 128
    Wondering what Pez thinks about tire wear.
    If the tire didn't come off on the road as it wore down but instead gummed up so that you could no longer drive your car because they were stuck to the road, I could see your point. 

    I stir my coals before every cook. I ALWAYS get this problem about 6-8 hours into a low and slow regardless. Since most of my cooking is low and slow, I totally agree with the OP that this is an issue that needs to be addressed...just like they did with the fire grate on my xl and it works fine.

    I really don't get why everyone is attacking the messenger. He's absolutely right. This is the only charcoal grill I ever used that had this issue and it's purely related to the design of the fire grate and like I said, BGE addressed this issue with the XL. There is no reason not to fix the mediums too (which is the only other egg I have and can personally testify to the issue.
    I don't think there's been any "attacks" (maybe a couple folks said some sarcastic things) - but at any rate, what is different about the fire grate in the XL versus the other sizes? 

    Can someone please EGG-splain or post a pic? 

    The holes are a little bigger. That's really the only difference except for the obvious size difference of the grate itself. 
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,659
    hey fish, what size lump falls through if it is bevel up and what size falls thru when it's bevel down?  (heh heh heh).

    i think the gut feeling is that the bevel up would somehow funnel lump to the hole, but at the end of the day, the same size lump falls thru either way
    ahhhhh, i see now, your saying that the lump that falls thruu is the culprit for ash buildup
    :))
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • eggo
    eggo Posts: 492
    I started out with the bevel side up and had just a few problems with air flow after several cooks. I turned the grate to bevel down and had noticeable better results but still got blockage, but to a much lesser degree. I do remove the fire ring and vacuum everything out after 4 - 5 cooks.
    I now have the hi Q grate and no blockage at all resulting in much better air flow. And I don't seem to have any more ash than with the original grate. Only had 4 cooks with the Q so far. Time will tell if the Q is the answer.
    Eggo in N. MS
  • Gadfly
    Gadfly Posts: 121
    edited May 2012
    nvm. looks everybody else already said what I said in my post!