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Leaving the Egg unused for a long time

I have not used the Egg in over a month and it probably will be a few more months until I do.  Winter/cold weather is coming as well.  Should I leave the egg completely empty (remove all the lump/ash)?  Or leave it the way it is?  I am thinking of tarp'ing the egg/table as well.  Remove the thermo?

Thoughts?

_______________________________________________________________
LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


Garnerville, NY

Comments

  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,706
    I'm glad I am in Ca.............No winter where I am :)>-
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • jcaspary
    jcaspary Posts: 1,479
    I don't care where I live, I would still be Egging!!!  No real experience with this but I would clean everything out and cover it to some extent.  I would probably see if there was a way for ventilation so that nothing starts growing.
    XL BGE, LG BGE, and a hunger to grill everything in sight!!!
    Joe- Strongsville, OH
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    Leave the bottom vent half open to prevent mold.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    jcaspary said:
    I don't care where I live, I would still be Egging!!!  No real experience with this but I would clean everything out and cover it to some extent.  I would probably see if there was a way for ventilation so that nothing starts growing.
    Leave the lower vent open some and the DMFT askew to allow some air movement. Maybe do a clean burn to "sanitize" it prior.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    I say just cover it and leave it, but if you do decide to open the bottom vent, then be sure to close the spark screen real tight. Otherwise Momma Mouse will have a big house to herself and her young ones she births this winter! Accumulated mouse feces and urine could be unpleasant by Spring!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 894
    Do NOT allow water to get in your egg - the ceramic will hold some water, and then when it freezes, BAM, you have a crack in your very expensive ceramic.

    I would put the green top on the vent chimney, and open the bottom vent all the way, then cover it with something waterproof.  Read this

    "YOU CAN cook in every season, in any weather … even in the rain or snow

    Thanks to its high-tech ceramic composition, an EGG will endure extreme temperature differences and can maintain internal temperatures irrespective of the weather. You will find yourself using your EGG in all seasons. Perfectly roasted turkey on Christmas Day … no problem!

    However, do not leave an unused EGG open or with the ceramic cap removed, and never allow rain or snow to enter an unused EGG. Should the interior of an EGG get wet, dry completely then light a small amount of charcoal and allow the EGG to heat very gradually to not more than 350°F / 177°C to slowly burn off any residue or moisture."

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,452
    I would remove lump/ash and keep the DFMT & lump grate indoor (oiled and wrapped in newspaper).
    canuckland
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Just dont have the time for it anymore.  I keep saying I will use it but I dont.  Too much going on and dont even have and hour or so to make a cook on it.  The longest cook this summer was ribs for 3.5 hours.   The rest were short cooks and nothing too great to make me want to brave the cold elements.

    I'll give it a clean out and cover it with a tarp\ for now.

    Also, will lump still be good if left in a shed all winter until next spring/summer?

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • GK59
    GK59 Posts: 501
    Cold weather is no reason to stop eggn'. I egged at -10* this past winter. I'm sure there are some who went even lower.

    Smitty's Kid's BBQ

    Bay City,MI

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Just keep the lump dry so it doesn't mildew.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    robnybbq said:
    Just dont have the time for it anymore.  I keep saying I will use it but I dont.  Too much going on and dont even have and hour or so to make a cook on it.  The longest cook this summer was ribs for 3.5 hours.   The rest were short cooks and nothing too great to make me want to brave the cold elements.

    I'll give it a clean out and cover it with a tarp\ for now.

    Also, will lump still be good if left in a shed all winter until next spring/summer?

    Not being a smarty here, but sounds to me like you are both too busy and really not into egging. Covering it will merely be less of a reminder that you have an expensive unused asset. You might consider selling it rather than beat yourself up. BTW was it a gift to you that wasn't even your idea in the first place?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
     If your life is so busy that you have no time to "Egg", then I foresee the day when your overly hectic life takes it's toll and you will need the "Egg" for therapy, something less stressful to calm down your over-wrought nerves from being constantly on the go.  But, hey, if Egging isn't a stress reliever for you, then maybe Ron is right, selling it as opposed to storing it might be what you need to do.

    Now, I don't use my egg nearly as much as others on this forum do, but that is just they way I am when it comes to cooking.  I love to cook, but there are lots of things I like to cook that I choose other heat sources for instead of the Egg.  I can go a couple of months without egging, and then in the dead of winter decide to smoke a pastrami or something.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    edited October 2014
    I like egging. It drives me crazy when a cook fails or at least to my expectations but the family likes it.

    During the week I get home after 7 and some times after 8 or 9 depending on the kids sports schedules. Same for weekends with kids hockey games and other sports all day on both days. That leaves not much time for a real cook. 30 minutes to get the egg to cooking temp/clean smoke then cook meat for an hour (unless it's a quick steak for 15 min). So During the week is out and not much time on weekends. Trust me I'd rather cook my own as takeout/eating out is taking its toll on my health and wallet.

    I do not care for leftovers as they never taste good reheated so when would I use the egg unless I want to cook on bad smoke?

    What can be cooked in less that 30 min including lighting/burn off?

    I have a gasser that I have not touched in over 2 years.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,452
    Given your hectic lifestyle and love of cooking, IMO a sous vide unit would serve you better than an egg.
    canuckland
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    It was my idea. Would take a beating on it to sell with the table its in. Then buy a new one next summer?

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • bweekes
    bweekes Posts: 725
    Given your hectic lifestyle and love of cooking, IMO a sous vide unit would serve you better than an egg.
    +1 on the sous vide. And the nice thing is you still get use out of the egg to do quick finishing sears.   
    Ajax, ON Canada
    (XL BGE, MED BGE, La Caja China #2, and the wife's Napoleon gasser)
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    robnybbq said:
    It was my idea. Would take a beating on it to sell with the table its in. Then buy a new one next summer?

    sorry...I was just trying to help you as I do understand what you are saying and experiencing as I lived most of my working carreer working long hours and 6 day weeks myself. Actually the BGE which I first bought at age 56 is what started to turn my life around showing me there was more to life than working. Then at age 57 I was diagnosed with cancer and THAT really made me start thinking! I was able to retire at age 60 and here I am 10 years later and I'm a happily eggin fool! I hope you can reach a similar position, but without the cancer!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • XC242
    XC242 Posts: 1,208
    Store it as long as you need to. It's yours, use it when you want, no big deal if you're not eggin all the time. It's not gonna go bad and if some day down the road you have more time to use it that will be great. Remember, this isn't a contest and your egg ain't sad because it's not being used a lot.
    LBGE (still waitin' for my free T-Shirt), DIgiQ DX2 (In Blue, cause it's the fastest), Heavy Duty Kick Ash Basket, Mc Farland, WI. :glasses:  B)
    If it wasn't for my BGE I'd have no use for my backyard...
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Stop working so much and enjoy life.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911

    Stop working so much and enjoy life.


    Amen to that. One year. I have a nasty commute that burns 3 hours of my day then add work 9 hours and then try to watch the kids play. Non stop. watching the kids is the best therapy for the work day and I won't miss it if I can control it

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Hey so gross question but I left my grates in for awhile after a cook and I got little blue fuzz balls. Some kind of mold I guess. I can clean the grates but inside the rim of the egg has it too. I wiped it out but should I crank up the egg and try to burn it off? Didn't know if just smoking at 230 would kill any leftover I missed cleaning it out. Thanks
  • fusionhq
    fusionhq Posts: 1,707
    Keep using it if you're able to. I understand the travel situation. . If you have no way to, do a clean burn now and make sure you get it nice and hot before next time, maybe even another clean burn. No big deal.
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    For me unused for a long time used to be a week. Lately work has been pushing things longer. I just make sure when I finish a cook and think it may be a while before I fire it up again, I let it get up to 600 plus for a bit to burn off any residual protein before shutting down. No issues with mold or other crap.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • @robnybbq‌ just my opinion but I would do a good burn before storing for that long. I had mine down for three weeks and it grew the fuzzy mold as stated by zero above. @zerolimit‌ I had the same problem. I took mine to 500 and let it burn for about 1 hour. Didnt need that long but made me feel better. Then just brush residual dust left
    Henderson TN. 1 large BGE, 1 Webber Gasser (recently seems to have converted into a warming oven)
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I agree with @Hunter1881.  Cook off all the organic stuff that mold loves and you dramatically reduce mold after a long duration of disuse. That said, either way you go, make your first cook a hot one, to exorcise all the funk that can cause distasteful food.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,188
    JMHO, after 36 years on the treadmill at a mostly 7 day a week job and lots of 12 hour days. Clean the Egg up and cover it for the time being, other than the tarp or cover it will cost you nothing except a bit of space.  The kids will grow up soon enough, so enjoy them while you can and as they get older, they will enjoy the food you cook on the Egg when they bring a pile of pals over.  Once their friends get a taste of Egg delights you will become the go to place for meals and snacks, which gets you more time with the kids when many parents are losing that. Also remember that those long work hours may not be a forever thing, whether it's retirement or a change in hours required of you.  The Egg will likely never be any cheaper than it is right now.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa