Hair Singe

Peddler

OK...I know I've seen the posting about big flames shooting out of Mr. Egg but must have forgotten the proper procedure to avoid this kind of fun. I shut down the bottom vent and sloooowly opened the lid but the flame attacked me. Can a pro set me straight?

Spin

Peddler,[p]Welcome to the club. Prior to accessing the meal, open the bottom and top vent. Wait a few seconds (smoke will appear out the top vent). Lift the dome a half inch. If no smoke comes out and then is drawn back in your OK. If it is drawn back in, close the lid. Wait another second and try again.[p]Spin

Peddler

Spin,[p]Thanks...keep it open not closed...I guessed that was what I should have done but decided to ask first. I don't get this problem when I bake a pizza probably because of the ceramic barrier for the indirect setup. The flare-up came when I was putting high heat to a great flank steak.

Nature Boy

Peddler,
I have gotten them with pizza too. Anytime you have a very hot fire, the situation is volitile. Fire wants oxygen bad. Follow Spin's steps, and you will forever have eyebrows.[p]
Cheers!
NB

The Colonel

Nature Boy, You can always tell when a really happy egger walks into the room. 1. He smells of hickory and mesquite and 2. He has no hair on his hands or arms from the elbow down. The really excited ones have no eyebrows.
yours in the egg--The Colonel

Mike Oelrich

Spin,[p] When I do this, flames shoot out of the bottom vent! 'Course, if I just open the top and wait a few seconds before opening the bottom, it's usually not that bad. Now that my friends know it happens, they all gather outide to see the "light show" right before eating their steaks![p]MikeO

Peddler

Spin,[p]Meant to say that I had no top on since I was looking for really high heat. That set up makes it dicey I guess.[p]Peddler

Unknown

The Colonel,[p]et al:[p]This strikes me as a serious design flaw! It just happened to someone I care very much about, who knows his way around the Egg, and I'm horrified to know that this extremely dangerous phenomenon is so frequent! (I came over to this
forum to ask about the subject and found this thread). [p]Though I appreciate the tips on how to prevent/mininimize those flare-ups from occurring, I'm astounded that this is considered an amusing "rite of passage" by some people who this piece of equipment.[p]Sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen, to me. [p]Lee[p][p]

Nature Boy

QSis,
Let's hope there are no tragedies!
Power tools, and even chain saws are safe when you realize the potential dangers. Not that an egg is as dangerous as a chain saw, but if a chain saw can be used safely, surely the egg can![p]The book that comes with the egg explains the procedure to avoid adding large amounts of air quickly to a hot fire. We also mention it often here. [p]It is predictable, and controllable....and save a few hairs, haven't heard of any injuries! I singed some hair on my arm during my first week...but have not since incorporating the safe steps to avoid it![p]Thanks for your concern.
NB

sprinter

QSis,[p]"design flaw"?[p]Lets see, we have fire, we have air. When a fire is starved of air it goes out, if it gets a sudden burst of air it ignites, sometimes violently. If you can find a way to change these seemingly immutable laws of nature we may be able to change the egg to fit within the new laws. Until that time we may just have to recognize that it IS something that we have to deal with and take precautions to avoid it. We do our best to advise people of this here in the forum but even the seasoned veterans have an occasional flare up when they are not paying attention. It is a FIRE, and fire tends to burn things. If you arent careful with it and respect it then accidents may happen.[p]Off my soapbox now.[p]Troy