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Gasket failure-I made a grave error with my rib rub

Last night I made a fantastic rib dinner.  My gigantic error was that the sugar based rub I used dripped onto my gasket when I pulled the ribs off the cook. Tonight after my light up the sugar re-carmelized and made a really nice gooey glue that pulled both gaskets from the top and bottom clean off my new XL BGE. I am resolved to replacing the gaskets this time but is there some secret to cleaning the gaskets should i make this error again? High heat with lid open to burn it off prior to shut down? I am very disappointed in myself after this tragic error. Thankfully I am only cooking for my immediate family and not a whole party.

This is my first week cooking on a BGE and this just makes me feel like an idiot that I erred so grievously. Any advice is welcome.

Eggheads help a newbie out. I really don't want to go back to gas.


You don't win friends with salad...

Comments

  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    My gaskets burned off both of my eggs and I never replaced them. Try egging without them first, you may change your mind about replacing them. Either way, no permanent damage done.
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • flemster
    flemster Posts: 269
    Some go commando, some replace.  I found I had trouble with holding temp steady on long slow cooks and used a lot of lump because the shut down kept smoldering. So I replace mine when they go.  I did the same thing with Pizza Cheese my first week of ownership.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Keywords: Gator, Nashvegas, LBGE, Looftlighter, Thermapen in Racing Green (faster than the red one!), PSWOO2, Spider with CI, IQ120
  • I replaced my gaskets with nomex and my "spill" of bbq sauce pulled them off. Realigned my dome without gaskets (have an XL) and haven't looked back. Haven't had any trouble holding temps or shutting down/snuffing out charcoal. If you do replace, make sure it's warm enough. (Too cold to follow manufacturers guidelines where I am til spring.)
    "Take yourself lightly, but what you do seriously." - M. Martin XL BGE - Johnston, IA
  • Thanks for the tips all. I think I am going to replace them as i am afraid I might drop the lid and chip/or crack the egg.  I know the gasket is not designed  to cushion like that but it is mostly mental reassurance.

    Argh! Rookie mistakes!
    You don't win friends with salad...
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    Finally replaced mine with a nomex and it burned off after 1st pizza cook. Back to gasketless, but I am definitely going through more lump. Been too lazy to replace because adjusting the dome after it is installed is not fun. For me at least.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • jerryp
    jerryp Posts: 232
    I still have my nomex gasket from 3 years ago. It's quite crusty and could probably stand to be replaced, but it's still working as designed.
  • Parallel
    Parallel Posts: 433
    Well, my gasket must be glued down EXTRA well as I couldn't open my egg last night. There was nothing spilled on it either but I had done a clean burn for a couple of hours the night before. I ended up being able to pry it open and it looks like the gasket is shot. I'm guessing that the 800° clean burn caused the gasket to "melt" a bit and I didn't open the egg while it was still hot so the gaskets kind of stuck to each other.

    Every time my elbow bends my mouth flies open.
  • I burned my gasket off just as the weather was turning bad.  I got a replacement, but due to temp. have not replaced it yet.  It's been doing fine.
    Brighton, IL (North East of St. Louis, MO)
  • My gasket came off after like 3rd cook. Went without a gasket for like 9 months. Just recently got a new high temp from BGE under warranty. Used about a month now, both low temps and lava temps. No issues, still looks good. I'm sure helps some with lump burn time but mentally I prefer to sounds of closing with a gasket on rather than without a gasket
    Boom