Clean Burn

DanO08

I have had my XL for over a year. I have cleaned it several times with the BGE brush, but never performed a clean burn. I have seen differing opinions other spots on the web. But dont trust that information. Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, dos and donts?

smokeyw

I do somewhat of a clean burn when it gets a little gummy from low and slow cooks. I get it to around 500-600 and keep it there for an hour or so. I never do the nuclear burns of 1,000 degrees or more that some talk about. I hear too many issues about gaskets and cracks and I personally don't believe it needs to go that high to accomplish what I need to do.

blind99

If it's heavily gunked up and smells off you might want to. I don't go super hot, just 450 or so for about 6 hours. 

DanO08

Ya I have read about the 1000 degree burns and that just sounds like a disaster and more money to replace gaskets.  Sounds like just need a long steady burn. Do you use good lump or do you use the cheaper briquettes? 

blind99

Just the regular lump. Briquettes would work fine, though. 

Agree, for me an egg at 1000 degrees is just asking for me to lose eyebrows. 

DanO08

Thanks for the advice 

smokeyw

I would personally never ever burn briquettes in my egg.  They say that some briquettes can impart a negative flavor into the ceramics since it is porous. There may or may not be validity to this but it is too big an investment to chance over the difference in cost of lump versus briquettes, at least in my way of thinking.

Jupiter Jim

I have done many clean burns in fact every fall before I put the eggs up for the winter, always as hot as it can get for me and in 9 years no cracks in the eggs. No problem with the gasket because I have Cotronics high temp. My 9 year old fire box has a lot of cracks but started before I ever did a clean burn. Like the others have said 500-600 should do the job. The only reason I go so hot is because I want to burn off all oils from cooking, it stops the mold from growing over the winter.

DanO08

smokeyw said:

I would personally never ever burn briquettes in my egg.  They say that some briquettes can impart a negative flavor into the ceramics since it is porous. There may or may not be validity to this but it is too big an investment to chance over the difference in cost of lump versus briquettes, at least in my way of thinking.

That's a good point! Briquettes do have a different flavor than lump. Think I will spend a little to save a lot.

bgeaddikt

Hopefully this thread doesn't go sour about the whole clean burn and eggs cracking topic.

Chubbs

@Jupiter Jim- put eggs up for winter?!

I regularly do pizzas around 500 degree. I heat it, stabilize it, cook the pies, and leave the egg at that temp while we eat and clean up. Back outside to close down egg. Most of the gunk is gone at this point.  

bhedges1987

Uh Oh

OhioEgger

WhenI think it's appropriate, maybe once a year, I do 600-700 degrees for half an hour. That seems to work well and no danger of ruining the gasket.

Ladeback69

I cook steaks at 600-700 and when done I have let it run for 30 minutes to and hour before to clean out the egg or a long pizza cook should do wonders for it as well.   My first one took 2.5 hours at 550.  My XL was pretty clean after that.  I try not to go over 700 anymore if I can help it.  

Theophan

DanO08 said:

I have had my XL for over a year. I have cleaned it several times with the BGE brush, but never performed a clean burn. I have seen differing opinions other spots on the web. But dont trust that information. Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, dos and donts?

I don't see anything in your post about why you think you need a clean burn.  Are you sure you do?

If all you ever do is low-and-slow cooks, and a huge amount of gunk has built up, maybe it'd be worth doing, but the only reason I've ever done clean burns has been when I've been unable to use my Eggs for several weeks and they got moldy.  When I see mold, I burn that stuff OFF.  But if there's no mold, and you don't see anything in the dome that looks like it might drip or fall on your food while cooking, and there's no off smells or anything else, why waste the lump?

SmokingPiney

Theophan said:

DanO08 said:

I have had my XL for over a year. I have cleaned it several times with the BGE brush, but never performed a clean burn. I have seen differing opinions other spots on the web. But dont trust that information. Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, dos and donts?

I don't see anything in your post about why you think you need a clean burn.  Are you sure you do?

If all you ever do is low-and-slow cooks, and a huge amount of gunk has built up, maybe it'd be worth doing, but the only reason I've ever done clean burns has been when I've been unable to use my Eggs for several weeks and they got moldy.  When I see mold, I burn that stuff OFF.  But if there's no mold, and you don't see anything in the dome that looks like it might drip or fall on your food while cooking, and there's no off smells or anything else, why waste the lump?

Agree. I don't need a near factory ivory finish on the inside of my Egg to consider it "clean". I'm also cooking on mine 2-5 times a week all year round and I don't have any problems with mold. 

lousubcap

Recently the clean burn topic has become as contentious as lump and roto-molded coolers.  Google clean burn and add egghead forum for plenty of reading material.  This topic does not lend itself to a black or white solution.  FWIW-

Lit

If you get your egg to 350 plus and it doesn't turn to clear smoke after 15 minutes or so you can do a clean burn however the people above said. If it does burn clean no need to do it. When I had a large and an XL I used my XL only for low and slows and after a couple years of that when I tried to cook a pizza in the XL that's probably the last clean burn I did cause the white smoke wouldn't clear. I let it sit at 500 for 3-4 hours. After that it still was black on the walls but it burns clean which is what matters. Unless you have a vagina. 

DanO08

Theophan said:

DanO08 said:

I have had my XL for over a year. I have cleaned it several times with the BGE brush, but never performed a clean burn. I have seen differing opinions other spots on the web. But dont trust that information. Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, dos and donts?

I don't see anything in your post about why you think you need a clean burn.  Are you sure you do?

If all you ever do is low-and-slow cooks, and a huge amount of gunk has built up, maybe it'd be worth doing, but the only reason I've ever done clean burns has been when I've been unable to use my Eggs for several weeks and they got moldy.  When I see mold, I burn that stuff OFF.  But if there's no mold, and you don't see anything in the dome that looks like it might drip or fall on your food while cooking, and there's no off smells or anything else, why waste the lump?

I don't have any mold or and most of the build up I can get cleaned up with the regular ash Clean up. I have some build up in the dome around the cap that I have a hard time getting removed. Mainly conserned, as you mentioned of dripping into new cooks.

DanO08

lousubcap said:

Recently the clean burn topic has become as contentious as lump and roto-molded coolers.  Google clean burn and add egghead forum for plenty of reading material.  This topic does not lend itself to a black or white solution.  FWIW-

I know it can be a contentious topic, and have seen so through several Google searches. I wasn't wanting to debate the topic, was just looking for suggestions, dos and donts from those with experience. Everyone has offered useful advice and I appreciate it.

Focker

Egg a pie.

dougcrann

Have done numerous wide open burns...as well as 400* for hours...neither cleaned it worth a damn...

Lit

Focker said:

Egg a pie.

That sounds dirty. You may need a clean burn.

SmokingPiney

Clean burn - why risk a full nuclear burn............to get bragging rights here for all to exalt at your near pristine looking Egg..................and risk frying your gasket and possibly cracking your Egg for those bragging rights?

"Hey look! I fried my gasket and cracked my Egg on this clean burn, I must be one of the kewl kids!" 

It's all for forum fame, so why not go for it?

There is way too much advice here to willfully self destruct an Egg - "go right ahead with pizza heat on your first cook ; burn it clean nuclear style, and...my favorite (and no offence to RRP)...... just get a Rutland gasket. 

We pay BIG money for our Eggs. Can we not at least take care of them a bit?

bgebrent

SmokingPiney said:

Clean burn - why risk a full nuclear burn............to get bragging rights here for all to exalt at your near pristine looking Egg..................and risk frying your gasket and possibly cracking your Egg for those bragging rights?

"Hey look! I fried my gasket and cracked my Egg on this clean burn, I must be one of the kewl kids!" 

It's all for forum fame, so why not go for it?

There is way too much advice here to willfully self destruct an Egg - "go right ahead with pizza heat on your first cook ; burn it clean nuclear style, and...my favorite (and no offence to RRP)...... just get a Rutland gasket. 

We pay BIG money for our Eggs. Can we not at least take care of them a bit?

There brothers is some sound advice.  A white egg is new egg, not a seasoned egg.

jbreed

Jupiter Jim said:

I have done many clean burns in fact every fall before I put the eggs up for the winter, always as hot as it can get for me and in 9 years no cracks in the eggs. No problem with the gasket because I have Cotronics high temp. My 9 year old fire box has a lot of cracks but started before I ever did a clean burn. Like the others have said 500-600 should do the job. The only reason I go so hot is because I want to burn off all oils from cooking, it stops the mold from growing over the winter.

Put it away for the winter?????? ;-)