Clean old egg

Duker15 · May 2017

My dad has had is egg almost 15 years never really cleaned it with the burn off method, had scraped the gunk off the sides .

He has to replace his seal here soon was wondering if he should try the high heat burn off or ifs it's really worth it?

SmokeyPitt · May 2017

I don't think the super high heat burns are worth it. Too much risk of a crack or high heat tweaking a band.

I like to clean by simply making a pizza or two. I run the egg at 550-600 for about 45 minute to an hour. This gets a nice clean burning fire so the pizza doesn't taste like smoke, the egg gets cleaned up a little in the process, and I get to eat pizza. Win-win-win.

jeponline · May 2017

Making a pizza is my preferred method as well. It has the added bonus of getting most everything inside the egg too, plate setter, grid, extender, and stone.

Preheating it all seems to burn everything off, when I stop seeing smoke I'm typically good to start cooking the pizza.

I've never gone nuclear on purpose.

RRP · May 2017

I'm in the high heat, let her rip camp. Just remember to remove your dome thermometer if you join us!

lousubcap · May 2017

As you can tell from the above, just like most BGE things you can find a few options. I am in the "no need" for the nuclear option. Run for an hour or so at 500-600*F and then take balled up foil and scrape the insides. Load your heat deflector as well. Since you are there with the temp you may as well crank out a pizza or two while burning lump.

jtcBoynton · May 2017

A clean burn is like the self cleaning cycle of an oven. You can use it if you want, or you could use a manual scrubbing method. As for clean burns, they work. Uncontrolled, nuclear temps are not needed to do a clean burn. I think some enjoy seeing flames shooting out the top of their egg. Avoid the potential problems some caution against by keeping the temp within the range of your thermometer - 650-700ºF. This is plenty hot enough to burn up any organics in the egg. It will take longer than an uncontrolled burn.

Smolder · May 2017

I've had my egg 25 years and never cleaned it once

I consider it seasoned. Was just looking at the inside of the lid last week. The grease pattern looks just like the outside of the egg. I do cook steak a lot at high temps.

RRP · May 2017

The glassy hard green color on the exterior of a BGE is called glaze. It was applied in liquid form on the already kiln fired dome and base. The liquid is allowed to dry and then the dome and base components are returned to a kiln for firing in excess of 1,800º. Even an uncontrolled "let her rip" fire in a BGE along with its protective fire box and fire ring in place is not going to hurt your egg. But if you don't want to do a clean burn - then that's fine with me! I just want people to realize they are not subjecting their precious BGE to danger in the 1,000 to 1,100 range which an uncontrolled "let her rip" fire will produce.

I've said my piece and I'm off to jury duty! Good day, ladies and gents!

SoCalTim · May 2017

Blow that baby up - Nuclear Option for me!

jeponline · May 2017

I'm not against going nuclear, just haven't seen a point when pizza temps seem to clean my egg well and when it's said and done, I end up with a clean egg and pizza to eat.

FatTrout · May 2017

I cook Pizza at 650. I just did 6 pies for my wife and I and two other couples. Here is what my fire box, fire ring, and bottom stone look like after that cook. I always put the dirtiest stone face down at main grate level with.a pizza stone above that. I use the deflector as the pizza stone on the next pizza cook.

Plenty clean enough for me. I personally don't think the risks involved with a super high heat burn off are worth the results. 4 years, lots of use, no cracks, and the same original high heat BGE gasket.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/n2/3im1slyxzkai.jpg

RRP · May 2017

FatTrout said:

I cook Pizza at 650. I just did 6 pies for my wife and I and two other couples. Here is what my fire box, fire ring, and bottom stone look like after that cook. I always put the dirtiest stone face down at main grate level with.a pizza stone above that. I use the deflector as the pizza stone on the next pizza cook. Plenty clean enough for me. I personally don't think the risks involved with a super high heat burn off are worth the results. 4 years, lots of use, no cracks, and the same original high heat BGE gasket.

Yes, your fire box, fire ring and p/s are nice and white from your pizza cooks. No argument whatsoever! The reason people do high heat burn outs is not to return those 3 pieces to white, but to burn off the crappy, flaky build up from creosote and fat build up on their dome. When the dome gets crappy and flaky it will start popping off onto your food! Some find frequent cleaning with a ball of aluminum works for them, but for other heavy users not so!

Not being a smart *ss but with only 22 posts and just joining here in April it just might be you have not yet cooked enough greasy butts, ribs, chicken etc, nor added much smoking wood for scads of rolling smoke to have yet seen the crappy, flaky build up.

td66snrf · May 2017

Nothing breaks on a low and slow.

FatTrout · May 2017

RRP said:

Not being a smart *ss but with only 22 posts and just joining here in April it just might be you have not yet cooked enough greasy butts, ribs, chicken etc, nor added much smoking wood for scads of rolling smoke to have yet seen the crappy, flaky build up.

I am a moderator on another kamado forum with thousands and thousands of posts, likes, and cooks. Arrogance like yours is why, although I cook on an egg, I don't post here very much.

EGGjlmh · May 2017

FatTrout said:

RRP said:

Not being a smart *ss but with only 22 posts and just joining here in April it just might be you have not yet cooked enough greasy butts, ribs, chicken etc, nor added much smoking wood for scads of rolling smoke to have yet seen the crappy, flaky build up.

I am a moderator on another kamado forum with thousands and thousands of posts, likes, and cooks. Arrogance like yours is why, although I cook on an egg, I don't post here very much.

Go back to the other forum

Tony_T · May 2017

15 years of gunk?
Fill up with lump to the top of the fire ring, take off the daisy wheel and grate and take out the thermometer, open the bottom vent and go nuclear. (and before the coals die out, drop in the daisy wheel to give that a clean)

Jupiter Jim · May 2017

For 10 years I have been in the load the egg full of lump to the top of the fire ring, light with the weed burner, open top 100%, open bottom vent 100% and let it go until it's cool to touch. Unless you have a Cotronics or Rutland gasket you will need a new gasket. I only do it to the eggs that don't get used in the winter at our home in NC. Before you tell me that you live up north and grill all year well so do I but I'm in FL not NC. This cleaning kills all the things that allow mold to grow during the winter months, if I don't I have to do it when we return in the spring. One other item I would like to point out is there are two kinds of ceramics the one with no cracks and that are going to crack! (A quote from UkonRon) It's going to happen to some items no mater what we do. Thus the BGE warranty. I have had to replace the fire box in my Mini, small and Large, the base of the Mini all due to what I would call normal use. I have an awesome dealer in FL so replacements are no problem. I also don't buy the you will burn off all of the seasoning!!!!!!! if you think that stuff is seasoning go open your Egg and lick the inside and let us all know how good it taste. That's my story and I'm sticking to it...............

RRP · May 2017

FatTrout said:

RRP said:

Not being a smart *ss but with only 22 posts and just joining here in April it just might be you have not yet cooked enough greasy butts, ribs, chicken etc, nor added much smoking wood for scads of rolling smoke to have yet seen the crappy, flaky build up.

I am a moderator on another kamado forum with thousands and thousands of posts, likes, and cooks. Arrogance like yours is why, although I cook on an egg, I don't post here very much.

Arrogance like mine, huh? Wish I was as smart as you to know from my one reply to your post of what I MAY have added in all these years to eggdom.

But you have already judged me and obviously MAY have come here with a chip on your shoulder looking for a p*ssing contest! Perhaps I engaged you - perhaps you need to return to your other "komado forum" where others - like you - can knock BGE for your apparent delight. Good night.

Lmidkiff · May 2017

I personally don't like 1000 degree burns, but it's just me. I will cook a pizza at 550 then raise it to 700/750 and burn off all the remaining lump. Works ok for me but I do know many go nuclear with great results.

MaskedMarvel · May 2017

As I am a moderator in another forum, and have been in other forums, none of which were BGE related, I can say -- an experienced moderator with thousands of posts likes and whatever would know better than to be inflammatory to any forum member, much less a respected wizard such as @RRP

I'm calling BS.

RRP · May 2017

RRP said:

The glassy hard green color on the exterior of a BGE is called glaze. It was applied in liquid form on the already kiln fired dome and base. The liquid is allowed to dry and then the dome and base components are returned to a kiln for firing in excess of 1,800º. Even an uncontrolled "let her rip" fire in a BGE along with its protective fire box and fire ring in place is not going to hurt your egg. But if you don't want to do a clean burn - then that's fine with me! I just want people to realize they are not subjecting their precious BGE to danger in the 1,000 to 1,100 range which an uncontrolled "let her rip" fire will produce.

I've said my piece and I'm off to jury duty! Good day, ladies and gents!

So @Wolfie51sb you disagreed with my post. I take it you are disagreeing with my explanation about glazing. The rest of this post was stated as my opinion. Please tell the forum what it was I said that was wrong.

On the other hand the last 4 "disagees" to any of my posts have been made by you - guess you have a grudge against me personally - care to be a man and take your gripe with me over to the Personal Message area?

Clean old egg

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