Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Strange Egg occurrence

Options
Mayberry
Mayberry Posts: 750
edited September 2012 in EggHead Forum
Okay, I'm baffled. Wife and son are out of town and I am all alone this weekend, so I decided to cook some wings for myself tonight. Fired up the egg, as usual, and put in the plate setter. Stabilized temp at around 350 and threw on the wings. I just went outside to check on the temp, after they've been on for about 10 minutes. Wafts of smoke were coming out of the draft door, along with a little blue flame, and flames were coming around the top of the dome out the top. If the temps were in the 700° range I could understand, but it's only 350 still. I did a Boston butt about a week ago, and ribs a few days after that. Tonight, I am using the residual lump that was left over from the rib cook. What in the world could cause these flame-ups? Maybe some of the fat or sauce that got into the lump from the last cook?
Athens, GA
XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
    edited September 2012
    Options

    Pictures of that would have been cool. :)

     Did you use a drip pan on the other cooks? Also check your thermometer, it could be off.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    Options
    I get that with RO some times, I usually correct it buy closing my DFDW a little more while opening up the bottom draft door.

    Are you still using Natures Own? If so how much does it cost per bag, and what area do you live in. I have to pay 23.70 per 17.?lb bag... I'm looking for a much better deal. I love the stuff but when you cook on your egg daily it's far too expensive.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
    edited September 2012
    Options
    LOL wait until you see those flames puffing out the bottom vent in the area of you know where. :-O
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mayberry
    Mayberry Posts: 750
    Options
    Brownie said:
    I get that with RO some times, I usually correct it buy closing my DFDW a little more while opening up the bottom draft door.

    Are you still using Natures Own? If so how much does it cost per bag, and what area do you live in. I have to pay 23.70 per 17.?lb bag... I'm looking for a much better deal. I love the stuff but when you cook on your egg daily it's far too expensive.
    I use Nature's Own quite a bit. Not tonight...just dropped a little extra BGE lump I had left over on top of the wicked good weekend warrior I used on the ribs last week. I did use a drip pan under the ribs, so I'm not sure why it was flaring up. The wings turned out great tonight, though. Just looked a little scary in the beginning. As for Nature's Own, it's some really great stuff. I really like using it with chicken and fish because of the sugar maple having so light of a smoke flavor. I live in Athens GA, and buy it at a store locally. I think they are 18.8 pound bags, and I think I get it for just under $18 per bag. So, not too bad. I know of another store near the Mall of GA in Buford that also sells it, but I think they are around $21 or $22 per bag. Where do you live?
    Athens, GA
    XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mayberry
    Mayberry Posts: 750
    Options
    Oh, and by the way, I used Dizzy Pig on the wings tonight: raging river on half of them and swamp venom on the other half. Both were great. I swear, I've become a huge fan of all Dizzy Pig products. Those guys really know how to make a good rub!
    Athens, GA
    XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • PhazeZero
    PhazeZero Posts: 7
    Options
    I've had something similar happen. At 300 degrees, my egg started a very obvious 'breathing' cycle. I would see a small gout of flame puff through the lower screen grate every few seconds. The egg can get oxygen starved, and as it draws air in through the bottom, the oxygen immediately ignites in a quick puff. The cycle repeats over and over again, exhausting the new air repeatedly. An egg in this condition is primed for a major backdraft when the lid is opened. When I opened mine just a crack, the temperature shot up from 300 to 700 in about 10 seconds. It was quite impressive, albeit a bit scary. Definitely a condition to watch for, if you value your armhair and eyebrows! Tom
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mayberry
    Mayberry Posts: 750
    Options
    I've had quite a few run-ins with Flashbacks. I now use welders gloves any time the egg is over 350. I got really sick of my right arm being bald all the time. :D
    Athens, GA
    XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    Options
    If you boys would run commando (no gasket), you wouldn't have these problems. 
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    Options
    travisstrick said:
    If you boys would run commando (no gasket), you wouldn't have these problems. 
    Mine is a solid 85% commando and it was acting silly this week. Silly like described above.

    @Mayberry I live in Pa  50 miles outside of Philadelphia.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    Options
    I've been cooking on an egg for 15 years and never even remotely had anything like that happen.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • PhazeZero
    PhazeZero Posts: 7
    Options
    The behavior I described above is without a gasket.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • twlangan
    twlangan Posts: 307
    Options
    I've had my LBGE do the "Puff the Magic Dragon" thing a couple of times - smoke puffing out the bottom vent. My cure was the opposite of Brownie - I close my bottom vent a bit and open the top. My theory is by opening the top, I increase the draft on the bottom and keep the air moving in the right direction. It seems to have worked both times. Obviously there is more than one way to skin a cat!  :)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
    Options
    Before you burp open both vents all the way for a couple of seconds. BTW flashback mostly happens with new charcoal. I have never had it happen when relighting used charcoal.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Hoppy & Hoppette
    Hoppy & Hoppette Posts: 38
    edited September 2012
    Options
    twlangan said:
    I've had my LBGE do the "Puff the Magic Dragon" thing a couple of times - smoke puffing out the bottom vent. My cure was the opposite of Brownie - I close my bottom vent a bit and open the top. My theory is by opening the top, I increase the draft on the bottom and keep the air moving in the right direction.
     
    +1 This has always worked for me.
     
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories