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Vacation prep

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Jeepster47
Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
in EggHead Forum
The last three cooks have been low and slows.  Tonight was a splayed chicken, so the egg was at 500 degrees for an hour and a half.  For the first hour of the cook, the exterior of the egg steamed like it had been soaked in water.  That, plus a recent discussion about mold forming in an egg, got me to wondering.  Do you do any special preparation when leaving an egg unused for a couple of months?

Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,890
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    Honestly Tom, I have only had mold one time in one egg and even that surprised me! It really burns off quickly...just don't let anyone like a child or wife with a queasy attitude see it! Check it like a man and burn it off! No harm - no foul that way! Preparation time to me is needed for how you will be without egged food for 2 months! Seriously! Also bringing your eggs inside the garage so somebody (yup, even in Washington) won't steal them! 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,046
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    Don't worry.  I know where your freezer, lump, and egg is.  I'll make sure it doesn't get moldy.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    If you're headed south on i75, I can baby sit...
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    2 month vacation?  :o
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,046
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    Chubbs said:
    2 month vacation?  :o
    Don't let him fool you.  He is on permanent vacation.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,890
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    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    Chubbs said:
    2 month vacation?  :o
    Don't let him fool you.  He is on permanent vacation.
    Correct-O!!!!

    Us old farts paid our dues and are further down that assembly  line of life than you others are! We will drop off sooner than you younger guys and that's just the way the assembly line works!
    Let Tom enjoy - but I know you will - all kidding aside!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
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    I hope you are going somewhere that has sun & sand.  I could seriously enjoy a couple months of that right now.  Just shut the egg and walk away. Whatever happens or grows ain't nothing a little fire won't fix.  

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • bigalsworth
    bigalsworth Posts: 685
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    Now that I have a smokeware cap I slightly crack it and the bottom vent to allow a bit of air movement. Before I had the smokeware I put in a pen to prop the lid open a bit.  Having said that, I have not just left things closed up so I dont know if I am even helping anything and have no comparison
    Large BGE
    BBQ Guru DigiQ II

    Martensville, Saskatchewan Canada
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    I've never had a mold problem here in New Orleans, at least not in my grills and smokers.   The environment (humidity, temp) and organic matter in your egg (grease, protein, carbs) can all come together in a "perfect storm" and create a petri dish with extended disuse.  Best solution is to keep it clean and dry, especially if you're in a warm and humid climate.  Dry location (no rain), and ventilated.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • gmbbs
    gmbbs Posts: 110
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    I'd do a good clean burn before leaving the egg for two months. And crack the bottom vent and daisy for some airflow. 

    Or or loan my egg to one of my less fortunate eggless friends for safekeeping. Although all my eggless friends are turning into eggers for some reason...
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    Thanks for the input.  Looks like I'll make the last cook a hotter one, leave the vents open a crack, throw the cover over it, and not worry.

    @Mattman3969 ... oh yes, spring will officially start on March 11th in the sand and sun at the Huntington Beach Pier with a week of kite flying.  If you're not going to Salado and you're in that area, Kite Party takes place that next weekend.  You'll find some fantastic sport kite flying at Kite Party ... kind of like Salado for kite fliers.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,174
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    Smokeware uses air flow/mold reduction as a selling point for their caps. 
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  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
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    DoubleEgger said:
    Smokeware uses air flow/mold reduction as a selling point for their caps. 
    I can leave the bottom vent open for airflow and save money then? 
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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,174
    edited March 2015
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    Humid air rises so you wouldn't get as much benefit. 
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    Just to share the results of a seven week layup of my main egg.  I did a simple 375 degree cook on it before shutting it down.  Cleaned out the ash and unused lump.  Left the bottom vent and Smokeware vent (Velcro in and out of two holes to keep the top attached when the cover was removed) open.  Threw the BGE cover over the egg and left on vacation.

    Came back yesterday, uncovered it, and found the egg to be just as it was left.  No mold nor funny smells.  The birds loved the cover ... treated it like a statue, so that will take some cleaning, but the egg was great.

    Oh yes, threw on a chicken with some orange smoke wood for dinner.  One of the orange trees near our rental contributed a few branches ... they were dead anyway.  The smoke flavor got thumbs up from the missus (and our picky, picky niece), so looks like I'll have to add orange to the wood pile.  Although it's good with poultry ... not sure it would add much to brisket!

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,046
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    How did the egg do you left inside in the air conditioned space ... you know the one that after assembly won't fit through the door?
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    @Ozzie_Isaac ... still there and still band new ... just as it was intended ... with it locked inside, only one egg was exposed to unauthorized use.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
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    Jeepster47 said:
    The last three cooks have been low and slows.  Tonight was a splayed chicken, so the egg was at 500 degrees for an hour and a half.  For the first hour of the cook, the exterior of the egg steamed like it had been soaked in water.  That, plus a recent discussion about mold forming in an egg, got me to wondering.  Do you do any special preparation when leaving an egg unused for a couple of months?
    Next fall, i hope to have the opposite problem, not how to store an egg while on vacation, but how to store an egg for fall-winter-spring.  I'm hoping if I do a clean burn, then at altitude and very cold temps, the air will be too dry and cold to support fungal and/or microbial life.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
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  • anton
    anton Posts: 1,813
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    Yeah good deal bro, glad all was well and that you enjoyed my home state, we got our own cool planet out west , don't we?
     Using a MBGE,woo/w stone,livin' in  Hayward California," The Heart Of The Bay "
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    @anton ... we do enjoy visiting California ... yes, it is like a different planet!

    We've been able to travel quite a bit over the years, so have lived in or visited most of the US.  The interesting thing is that the US is not as homogenous as one would expect.  Just as the "correct" BBQ is highly regional, so are many, many other norms.  Always fun to tweak your idea of what's normal.

    Have to admit that the beaches in California were extra cheeky this year ...

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • anton
    anton Posts: 1,813
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    @Jeepster47 That is for sure dude, I have been all over the western states and through the midwest, never to the east coast yet. And am always amused at the cultural differences.
     Using a MBGE,woo/w stone,livin' in  Hayward California," The Heart Of The Bay "
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  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
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    Jeepster47 said:
    @anton ... we do enjoy visiting California ... yes, it is like a different planet!

    We've been able to travel quite a bit over the years, so have lived in or visited most of the US.  The interesting thing is that the US is not as homogenous as one would expect.  Just as the "correct" BBQ is highly regional, so are many, many other norms.  Always fun to tweak your idea of what's normal.

    Have to admit that the beaches in California were extra cheeky this year ...
    Northern CA isn't the same as Southern CA either, and those in the central valley are different than those on the coast.  Not only does CA have a wide variety of ecosystems, from deserts to alpine wilderness to redwood forests to tidal pools to Oak woodlands, we have a broad range of different human cultures.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

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