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How do YOU clean your Egg?
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Mole351
Posts: 110
I've seen a few threads before on this, and now that I'm actually cooking on my Egg I wanted to broach the subject again. SO...
How often do YOU clean your Egg and what is your method? Clean the innards, or just keep the grates and ashes cleaned up/out?
I haven't done a "big" clean yet - debating if I need to or not...
How often do YOU clean your Egg and what is your method? Clean the innards, or just keep the grates and ashes cleaned up/out?
I haven't done a "big" clean yet - debating if I need to or not...
Comments
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No real cleaning needed, I do vacuum the ashes out every 3-4 cooks.
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Judging from the XL I saw that is used every day, they never need to be cleaned LOL. It was 'well seasoned" to say the least. I have had one of my Webers for 12 years and have never cleaned it. WHen it needs cleaning, it flames up a bit and cleans on it's own. I saw let it ride!XL BGE - Small BGE - A few Komodo Kamado Serious Big Bad 42sFollow me on Instagram: @SSgt93
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Obviously we clean the ash every 3 or 4 cooks. About once a month we need to pull the fire box and clean thoroughly. The fire box has air holes around it and ash builds below those holes and will inhibit air flow. Some of the guys have high suction shop vacs and say they get that extra ash that way.
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Cook some pizza and fire up a wok every now and then. I have yet to burn lump just to clean my egg.Geaux Tigers!!!
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Take the ashes out fairly often and when the plate setter gets a bunch of crud on it it put it on legs down and get the temp up as far as it will go (700+) for a while - that seems to be all the cleaning it needs
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With the XL and Wicked Good, I'd clean it out once a bag. Occasionally I'll clean out before a long low and slow. I have spread the ashes around w/o emptying just because they tend to pile up more in the center. I haven't felt the need to do a high temp burn yet, but if you have grease build up, that's the way to clean it out.
Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD. -
I never clean. I scrape out most of the ash when necessary, and never use a vacuum.
The Naked Whiz -
I'm in the "all effort into the preps", once on the BGE-no worries. So, I don't do a scheduled or planned clean/burn from a carbon build-up perspective. But am fairly meticulous about the ash and air-flow needs so if that's a clean then I fall into the too frequent camp.Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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I just clean the ashes out and wipe down the outside.
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I use a shop vac on the ashes every 3-4 cooks. Otherwise, no cleaning has been necessary. I do wipe down the outside with a little hot water when a bird decides that the egg is a good place to use as a crapper.
Mark Annville, PA -
I take the charcoal grate out and shovel out the ash on the bottom maybe once or twice a year. Thats all I've ever done since I've owned the egg.Packerland, Wisconsin
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If I'm doing a long cook I take it apart and shop vac the ash out. The other night I decided to do a clean burn since I was getting ready to do a low and slow. I've heard if you get it hot enough everything turns white. Well I had enough ash build up and very little lump so only got to about 600 degrees but I have to say the firebox, ring, and plate setter are white again. I've had my egg for about a year and half, and that's the first time I've done a clean burn. I don't think I would do a dedicated burn, but I wanted to use the leftover lump.Thanks, Mike "Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you, no one will believe it."
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I rake the ashes out every cook. Take the fire pit out and clean ashes completely about 3 times a year. That's it.
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I have an ash vac for my pellet stove. I just got my egg, so that will be my method before the memorial day cooks!
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Whiz, I always read your comments with interest since you are one of the most knowledgable eggers...but won't the ash build up below the side holes in firebox inhibit air flow? I pulled my firebox and there was quite a lot there.
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I never clean. I scrape out most of the ash when necessary, and never use a vacuum.
I'm in that same group, but I'm lazy. I think in time I've had mine, I've taken the innards out twice to clean it.Rowlett, Texas
Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook
The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings
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The following is on an "whenever needed" basis:
- Shop-Vac for the ashes
- ball of aluminum foil for the grates
- High Temp Burnout for the gunk & soot
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 -
Mines blacker than hell inside, guess I should burn it out one of these days. But Each time I fill it up with charcoal I start fresh. Scoop out all the old stuff and give it a blast with the shop vac. Fill it up, when that lumps basically depleted I do it again. If the grates have some stubborn gunk on them I blast them with the weed burner quick, in a real dirty situation they'll go in the slop sink and get hit with brillo.
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I must be lucky, because I've been egging a few times a week since November 2011 and I've only used a shop vac once. I do agitate the coals before envy cook and scrape the bottom out with the ash tool and BGE dustpan. My temps are very stable and I haven't had a problem getting up to high heat.
Large BGE, Adjustable Rig, Small BGE, 2 BBQ Guru's, 18" WSM, Rockwood, Stage 3 Roush Mustang and a hot wife...
Las Vegas, Nevada! -
burr baby, I may take the fire box out every 2-3 years and if I do, I'll of course get the ash around the sides, but when I scrape ash out, i reach down the sides as far as the tool will go and get some of that out, but I've not had any airflow problems.
The Naked Whiz
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