Cleaning

bocaboy2591

I've owned my BGE for a very long time and have never really cleaned it. Last night, after doing ribs for Labor Day (as always they came out great) I decided to let the fire get as hot as I could, but never really saw it get over 400º. For those that have done a cleaning by building a very hot fire, how did you get the temp up so high? Did you use lump charcoal, as I always do, or briquets? What did you do for setting the chimney and flue?

I'm so used to being able to set the temp at 230º that I guess I haven't learned yet how to get it up to the 600-700º range!

Thanks for any help.

dfrea

I pull all the guts to get all the ash from around the firebox, refill with a full load of lump, try to get bigger pieces to allow for good airflow.  One starter cube in the bottom of the firebox to get all the lump burining, vents wide open, just let it go until it burns itself out.  Pull your thermometer to prevent damage.  

tulocay

Sounds like an airflow issue. I would pull the internals, clean, put them back in, fill with lump and let her go. Once fire is established, bottom vent wide open and no daisy wheel on top. With that, close the bottom vent about half way and let it run. That should be about 600-700 degrees.

RRP

+1 what @dfrea said, but I also wonder if you may have another issue that is keeping your fire from turning inferno if you so wish. That is before you start taking it apart get down and look thru the vent opening and see if the opening in the bottom of the fire box lines up with the vent, The FB opening is wider but just eyeball it to see if it is off center which it sounds like could be your problem. Let us know!

fishlessman

ash sometimes builds up behind the firebox and the daisy needs to be OFF the egg and on the table, ground etc. if you have only done low and slows for years its going to smoke like crazy, you might have to rub the insides down with a big ball of tinfoil as the tar stuff will bubble up and flake, more than likely you will be needing a new gasket, RRP has the rutland gaskets and directions on how to do that, much better than the original felt

johnkitchens

I agree with the others that have posted. In short it sounds like an airflow issue. I have never completed a clean burn. The closest I got was up to around 550 or so. 

I cooked a lot of steaks that day and decided at the end of the cook to try a clean burn. I couldn't get over 550. I knew the problem was ash buildup and clogged air holes. 

When I do try one I will clean everything out and start with a fresh batch of lump. I know it will get to temp then. 

bocaboy2591

Thank you all! I'm going to take your suggestion(s) and make sure the BGE is clean from ashes and that the vent hole and firebox are correctly aligned. As to the latter, I think they are as I normally use a DigiQ to control temperature and it wouldn't work if the vent holes weren’t aligned. Nonetheless, it's a good suggestion and something to check.

I'll report back in a few days to let everyone know how I made out!

Ladeback69

I agree with all, but have never really had a problem getting it up to 700 or over to sear steaks. Now I haven't tried it with the plate setter in. I'm not ready to do one yet. Have you ever taken the fire ring and box out before and done a full cleaning? I do it every time I do a long low & slow. Good luck.

@RRP, how much does the Rutland gasket cost if don't mind putting it on this post?

BRush00

Maybe a dumb question but.... was there enough lump left in the egg after your rib cook?  I tried a clean burn once, I can't remember what I cooked, but after I pulled the food off, I simply opened up the top and bottom vents to let it run up, but.... never did... what the? 

Then I realized.... I only had maybe a tennis ball size of lump left that just couldn't bring the whole egg up to clean-temp.

RRP

Ladeback69 said:

@RRP, how much does the Rutland gasket cost if don't mind putting it on this post?

I sent you a full reply as a PM, but I have nothing to hide from the curious, I just like to give a full explanation about what you get, and considerations. 1,348 shipped to date in the passed 12 years so I'm no fly by night operator! I sell the length needed for each egg and the most popular sizes are $13 for an XL and $11 for a L. Those prices includes the postage.

bocaboy2591

To all, I wanted to let you know I took everyone's advice and cleaned my Egg thoroughly and assured that the firebox vents were aligned with the bottom flue (they were) and then filled it with charcoal and fired her up. Based on the temperature (the round thermometer went all the way around and back to 200º) and the amount of sooty smoke, the egg was cleaned and I'm ready to go. 

If I had to guess, I'd say that there was too much ash at the bottom of the pit and that was keeping it from getting to the temp I needed.

Thanks to everyone for their input!

Ladeback69

RRP said:

Ladeback69 said:

@RRP, how much does the Rutland gasket cost if don't mind putting it on this post?

I sent you a full reply as a PM, but I have nothing to hide from the curious, I just like to give a full explanation about what you get, and considerations. 1,348 shipped to date in the passed 12 years so I'm no fly by night operator! I sell the length needed for each egg and the most popular sizes are $13 for an XL and $11 for a L. Those prices includes the postage.

Thank You, Sir. I read it and will let you know when I need it. Mine is good and I don't see a reason to do clean burn right now. It only has 7 months of use on it.