New to forum---egg nest build

MagnoliaBBQ

I am new to the forum.  I have a large egg.

Just got finished last month with my eggtension to my outdoor kitchen--only took 9 months.  Framed it with steel studs on top of trex board for moisture isolation, added hardie backer/durarock to the steel frame and then had professionals do the countertop and stone work. Put a drop-in cooler beside of the egg--good for holding pulled pork hot for hours when the cooking completes early and for chilling drinks otherwise.  The single door allows egg vent access, and the double doors allow access to storage and the storage beneath the cooler.  The back of the countertop extends into a wrap around bar.  Not the most attractive patio umbrella, but a core bit was used to form a hole for it in the patio.

Solved some unique problems (for me) in this build way relating to how to frame curved walls with steel studs, how to "curve" durarock to fit the curved walls, how to seal the egg to the countertop (due to the region beneath the egg counter being closed), how to install a drain to the cooler beneath the patio without trenching the patio, how to properly support a large granite countertop overhang and how to solve a condensation problem when cooler is packed with ice.  Finally time to cook!

 

GK59

Great looking outdoor kitchen. 

RAC

Nice job! That look's great and welcome aboard.

henapple

Wow...

Mkline

Very nice!

Would love to have a setup like that.

caliking

Very nice!

Could you elaborate on how you solved those problems?

EggNorth

Very nice setup!

SMITTYtheSMOKER

Very nice, I like.

pescadorzih

Looks good. I just recently finished mine.

TexanOfTheNorth

Looks fantastic but, what happens when you need to keep a pulled pork hot AND chill drinks at the same time? May need to tear the whole thing down and start over. 

MagnoliaBBQ

I would be glad to elaborate on how I solved any of these problems to the extent someone is interested.

One solution that may be helpful to someone with a build that closes in the egg relates to how to seal the egg to the countertop.  My premise is that a gap between the egg and countertop is needed to interrupt heat transfer and allow expansion, but of course, the gap is problematic if the egg is uncovered, in a permanent enclosure and exposed to the elements. 

For my build, there is about a 3/4 to one inch gap between the egg and the countertop.  For tipping stablization of the egg, I first braided three Rutland stove gaskets together and stuffed them into the  gap.  They fit in there without protruding beyond the surface of the countertop.  To be quite honest, after the next step, I don't really know if the gaskets are now needed; but they at least aided in the installation process.  Next, I got a metal fabricator to cut out (on a plasma cutter) a SS flat donut, or ring, to span over the gap.  The flat ring has an ID that is 1/8 inch greater than the measured OD of the egg at the hole.  The ring has a radial thickness of 1.5 inches.  The fabricator cut the ring in two pieces to allow assembly about the egg.  I used a clear gasket sealant from Autozone (in a white caulking tube) that I recall has a temperature rating of 650 F, which is plenty given the outside of the egg never gets that hot.  A close up picture appears below and show one joint where the two ring pieces meet.  The gap between the ring and egg is not as large as it appears in the picture because I liberally and unprofessionally applied the sealant (I am a use your finger type of caulker).  A bead of the sealant was also applied beneath the ring before it was pressed down onto the countertop.  The seal has now been successfully tested with several 700F pizza cooks and rain storms.    

 

 

  

MagnoliaBBQ

This is probably nothing new to a lot of you, but I found a cheap way to add lights to the build. I just discovered LED all weather tape lights.  I bought a strip of these and the controller for around $26 from Amazon.  You can set the controller to change the lights to one of sixteen colors.  If you plug it into a switch controlled outlet, the controller maintains the programming everytime you turn it on and off.  The adhesive strip that is attached to the tape performs poorly---I used 3M double stick tape, which I bought from Lowes and is working just fine.

 

 

six_egg

Great job. You went above and beyond.

minniemoh

That looks great! Totally first class design and execution.

I only have one question... where is your second egg going to go?

CajunEggHead

Welcome and great job on the outdoor kitchen...