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Can you over heat an egg?

qprhooligan
qprhooligan Posts: 126
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
This weekend we fired up the lbge and left all vets open and the temp got up to what would seem over 1000 deg. I thought 700 deg or so was max. Will this hurt anything?

Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    without a fan, wide open it maxes out somewhere around 1200 dome temp, what can happen is that the bands grow with thermal expansion, they will get loose enough that the dome may fall out when you open the egg. i notice the bands getting loose around 900 on extended long cooks like several pizzas, doesnt usually happen when done quicker like for searing some syeaks
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Hillbilly-Hightech
    Hillbilly-Hightech Posts: 966
    edited August 2012
    This weekend we fired up the lbge and left all vets open and the temp got up to what would seem over 1000 deg. I thought 700 deg or so was max. Will this hurt anything?
    Short Answer:  NO, it won't hurt anything. 

    Longer answer:  Did it look like it hurt anything?  Meaning, did you see a crack develop?  And by "700 deg max" do you mean that you heard the Egg was supposed to only be taken up to 700 degrees, or that's what your thermometer maxes out at?  The Egg can go higher than what your temp reads. 

    FWIW, I believe the Egg has been tested to heats well above 1000 degrees. 

    However, I do NOT know if BGE Corp has stated anywhere that the Egg should NOT exceed "XXXX" Temperature.  That doesn't mean one should hook up a leaf blower to the bottom vent & see if they can use their Egg as a welding crucible however 8-|

    Furthermore, I have absolutely no idea why anyone would want to have their Egg up to that high, unless they're smelting lead or something.  Do you cast your own bullets?  :))

    I have had mine probably close to that once (to do a high temp clean burn), but I wouldn't make it a habit of getting it that hot, even if it's OK to do so, JMHO.  I've since learned I can get the same effect from the clean burn at lower temps (800* or so, I think). 

    HTH,
    Rob
    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
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    This weekend we fired up the lbge and left all vets open and the temp got up to what would seem over 1000 deg. I thought 700 deg or so was max. Will this hurt anything?
    Short Answer:  NO, it won't hurt anything. 

    Longer answer:  Did it look like it hurt anything?  Meaning, did you see a crack develop?  And by "700 deg max" do you mean that you heard the Egg was supposed to only be taken up to 700 degrees, or that's what your thermometer maxes out at?  The Egg can go higher than what your temp reads. 

    FWIW, I believe the Egg has been tested to heats well above 1000 degrees. 

    However, I do NOT know if BGE Corp has stated anywhere that the Egg should NOT exceed "XXXX" Temperature.  That doesn't mean one should hook up a leaf blower to the bottom vent & see if they can use their Egg as a welding crucible however 8-|

    Furthermore, I have absolutely no idea why anyone would want to have their Egg up to that high, unless they're smelting lead or something.  Do you cast your own bullets?  :))

    I have had mine probably close to that once (to do a high temp clean burn), but I wouldn't make it a habit of getting it that hot, even if it's OK to do so, JMHO.  I've since learned I can get the same effect from the clean burn at lower temps (800* or so, I think). 

    HTH,
    Rob
    ive done lead fishing weights
    :D
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • chuff
    chuff Posts: 255
    As has already been said the bands loosen. There's also a better than average chance of torching your gasket. Last time I did pizza at ultra high temps I also cracked the fire ring, which is not a big deal at all but I thought I'd mention it. So far I've had my XL at those temps 3 different times and I've had to loosen all the bolts and re-do the lid adjustment - you guessed it - 3 different times.
    XL BGE
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    There was a post a couple of years ago that mentioned to what "cone" the Egg ceramics are fired. Can't find a link. I recall at the time looking up charts on ceramic cone temperatures (FWIW, the cones are placed in a kiln, and at certain temperatures and times, they slump over, showing how hot the ceramics are.) Assuming the post was correct, the Egg ceramics are fired up above 2000F, high enough that the  burning lump can't melt it.

    I'd guess that there is a bigger hazard from accumulated moisture freezing, and expanding the ceramics enough to crack them.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    "I'd guess that there is a bigger hazard from accumulated moisture freezing, and expanding the ceramics enough to crack them"  that was the issue with the earthenware eggs.  this stuff is refractory ceramic, and according to the 'space age' claim (hahaha) i think is much more tolerant of freeze thaw
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    I had one of my larges up around 1000 and I heard a loud crack and thought it was lump popping or something. A couple minutes later there was another load pop so I shut it down. My fire ring cracked into 2 pieces and the base of the egg also cracked. I don't take my larges over 700 anymore. I had taken them that hot before but that time it didn't like it. I really have no need to keep my larges over 550 that's the temp I do pizzas at and when searing on the spider it isn't at temps long enough to get the ceramic too hot.
  • DaveM
    DaveM Posts: 100
    How'd you get it that hot? I've never been able to get my XL over 600F.
    --Dave from Leesburg, VA BGE XL, Viking 42", Firepit with $16 grill
  • How'd you get it that hot? I've never been able to get my XL over 600F.
    Light your lump in several places.
  • reh111
    reh111 Posts: 196
    At least 2 problems -

    1. you will fry your gasket and if you don't like smoke escaping from the area where the dome closes on the base, you'll have to replace it.

    2.  The last time I did a clean burn with the plate setter legs down, one of the legs of the plate setter cracked off and I got a crack in the top part of the fire ring.

    They may have tested it at high temps, but there some of the accessories that seem unable to handle it