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Cleaning the inside of the egg

alphabrace
alphabrace Posts: 23
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
How often does the inside of the egg need to be cleaned and how do you do it?

Comments

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    The egg is ceramic and porous, if you put chemicals on the ceramic they will seep in an stay. When you cook the next time you cook those fumes will permeate into the cavity of the egg and possibly into your food.

    To clean the heavy creosote I use a 6" diameter funner (wide end) and that will take off all the chunks.

    and or...

    Like a self cleaning oven, heat and time is supposed to get it looking like new again.

    It's been 5 years since my large was new and I am thinking I may want to do a high temperature burn to clean out.

    GG
  • FSM-Meatball
    FSM-Meatball Posts: 215
    The recommended cleaning method is to load it up with charcoal, put the vents WFO and let her get to 600+ and sit for a while.

    I have been collecting the small bits of lump left at the bottom of the bag that I wont cook with and using that for my clean cycles. That way I don't waste what I paid for and I clean out the egg at the same time.
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I would say every 2-3 years.Fill it up with lump,fire it up and let her roll with no top vent and the bottom wide open til it goes out.If you are lucky it will melt your gasket,then you will have no gasket,thus no gasket problems. ;)
  • asianflava
    asianflava Posts: 313
    I get a bag of cheap briquettes and burn them with the vents WFO. I let it burn out and leave it till it cools down. When it is all done, it in nice and white like it was brand new. If you still have the original gasket, it will melt.
  • smbishop
    smbishop Posts: 3,061
    Or you could be like me. I had nothing to cook, so I did a high temp clean while I did yard work yesterday. Maybe once a month, overkill? probably.
    Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.
  • eggzlot
    eggzlot Posts: 93
    each time I do a low and slow I take out the remaining lump, clean out all the vent holes to allow better airflow, etc. I've been saving all of that used lump and I have more than a garbage bag full of it.

    Is that used lump just as good to get up to high temps? Could I put some in my egg and get it up to 500-600 degrees to do a cleaning? Usually I just add some old lump to a little new lump when doing easy cooks like burgers, wings, etc.

    Just wondering if the old used lump can still get up to high heat temps to do a cleaning.
  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167
    No reason why it shouldn't, as long as you have enough of it.
    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
  • smbishop
    smbishop Posts: 3,061
    I use the paint bucket method I saw posted a while back. Drilled some holes in the bottom, sift out all the ash, anything remaining goes back into the grill for cooking and cleaning...
    Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.