I give up - my Egg is a dehumidifier not a smoker

bigeggdan

Every time I do a low and slow water condensation accumulates in the bottom of my Egg.  Today is the last time, screw this.  I just took the porkbutt out after only 5 hours because there is a puddle of water at the bottom.  In fact, its even starting to drip outside of the egg onto the ground.  I believe this only happens to me, so whatever the issue, its time for a Traeger.

ColbyLang

How low and slow? Also, what’s your location and cooking setup? Humidity can hold in your egg. Also rain and or snow. 

pgprescott

A few questions come to mind. Where do you live? Do you store the egg inside a garage or outside? If outside, do you cover it? How often do you use the egg? 

I suspect you don’t use it often and it’s stored outside and the ceramics have taken on moisture between cooks. But hey, do whatever helps
you enjoy cooking. 

ColtsFan

Sounds like you need to use it more often. It’s not harming anything when it does that. Enjoy your pellet pooper. 

bigeggdan

I just cooked steaks at 600 couple nights ago.  It did rain yesterday, Egg was outside and covered. What’s happened before is the water caused the base to crack and need to be replaced.  This is base #2 and even though I love my BGE it’s not worth the stress.

GregW

bigeggdan said:

Every time I do a low and slow water condensation accumulates in the bottom of my Egg.  Today is the last time, screw this.  I just took the porkbutt out after only 5 hours because there is a puddle of water at the bottom.  In fact, its even starting to drip outside of the egg onto the ground.  I believe this only happens to me, so whatever the issue, its time for a Traeger.

Please let me know if you live near Alabama- I collect unwanted eggs and give them a good caring home.

Langner91

I am sorry this has happened to you.

Please keep your pellets dry.  I hear the Traeger forums are heartless when it comes to guys getting their pellet augers jammed with pellet paste.

I hear they usually tell people, "if you are going to get water in your grill, you should buy an egg.  At least it will still work if it gets wet!"

RealDonaldTrump

bigeggdan said:

I just cooked steaks at 600 couple nights ago.  It did rain yesterday, Egg was outside and covered. What’s happened before is the water caused the base to crack and need to be replaced.  This is base #2 and even though I love my BGE it’s not worth the stress.

That’s not how that works scientifically. There is more that adequate room for expansion vertically and the force isn’t nearly enough to crack a base. But what do I know?

lkapigian

A GFIC  is in order

bigeggdan

I ended up putting the pork in the oven and then cranked the empty BGE up to 600 for a couple hours.  That dried it out enough where I could put the pork back in after I lowered the temp back down to 250.  Everything seems to be working fine now.  I guess the BGE had absorbed a lot of water yesterday.  Lesson learned - dry it out before long cooks.

Ozzie_Isaac

I am confused.  Is the moisture collecting in the bottom a problem?  Is it impacting the actual cook, or just hate having stuff drip out the vent?

In cold weather and doing L&S you will get moisture around the vent occasionally.  This can be an issue with the controllers that use fans.  In really really cold weather I have seen fans freeze up if you do not set it to run fairly often.

If the fire is lit and stays lit, your cook should progress just fine, whether moister is collecting or not.  You may even see yout egg get the sweats, which looks terrible but will wipe right off.

Either way, a BGE isn't a magical device and is a luxury.  If it doesn't bring you joy and you do not like using it, then ditch it and get something that you will enjoy using.

JohnInCarolina

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Either way, a BGE isn't a magical device 

The heLL you say…

paqman

pics or it didn’t happen

Foghorn

I suspect that if you had just left the pork on the egg at your lower smoking temperature it would have tasted great and the water would have eventually evaporated with enough time at that temp.  If not, if there was still water at the end of the cook you could take the pork inside for dinner and open the vents some to let it all burn off and evaporate.

danhoo

bigeggdan said:

I ended up putting the pork in the oven and then cranked the empty BGE up to 600 for a couple hours.  That dried it out enough where I could put the pork back in after I lowered the temp back down to 250.  Everything seems to be working fine now.  I guess the BGE had absorbed a lot of water yesterday.  Lesson learned - dry it out before long cooks.

Do you have a ceramic cap? With that and a cover mine stays dry even after days of downpour 

Here's the cover I have. It also keeps the water away from the top, and I only cover the BGE if I'm expecting heavy rains. 

Mini Lustrous Cover for Large Big Green Egg, Heavy Duty Ceramic Grill Cover - Premium Outdoor Grill Cover with Durable and Water Resistant Fabric, Large https://a.co/d/3WSkgB0

FrostyEgg

My egg lives outside uncovered 100% of the time and gets rained and snowed on - no issues at all...

Jstroke

bigeggdan said:

I ended up putting the pork in the oven and then cranked the empty BGE up to 600 for a couple hours.  That dried it out enough where I could put the pork back in after I lowered the temp back down to 250.  Everything seems to be working fine now.  I guess the BGE had absorbed a lot of water yesterday.  Lesson learned - dry it out before long cooks.

See this is now where the forum will gladly help you spend the necessary money for a henhouse so your egg stays warm and dry in its nest. 

caliking

I don’t understand the problem. Some condensation/water at the bottom of the egg is affecting the cook how?

GregW

I'm always amazed when someone posts a problem that has never been encountered before. It's definitely a problem I had never heard of. 

alaskanassasin

I have noticed water in the bottom of mine occasionally. I don’t see how that could crack a base.

nolaegghead

alaskanassasin said:

I have noticed water in the bottom of mine occasionally. I don’t see how that could crack a base.

Theoretically the ceramic under water(bottom of base) can’t get heated much over the boiling point of water while the rest of it can get hot AF.  This creates a mechanical stress that CAN (not will) cause any defects in the ceramic to potentially grow into cracks (that relieve stress).  That the base is not fully symmetrical doesn’t help.  

briwald

JohnInCarolina said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

Either way, a BGE isn't a magical device 

The heLL you say…

+1  My egg is the Rumplestiltskin of cooking devices.

Ozzie_Isaac

I think @bigeggdan did what is commonly referred to as a "swoop and poop".

TechsasJim

This is weird.   Many of us here live in warm/humid conditions.   I have never had an issue like that.  Granted I also don’t use a water pan.   If I do use a pan it’s a catch pan.   

Fat cap of any protein is always smoked dome side up.   

JohnInCarolina

nolaegghead said:

alaskanassasin said:

I have noticed water in the bottom of mine occasionally. I don’t see how that could crack a base.

Theoretically the ceramic under water(bottom of base) can’t get heated much over the boiling point of water while the rest of it can get hot AF.  This creates a mechanical stress that CAN (not will) cause any defects in the ceramic to potentially grow into cracks (that relieve stress).  That the base is not fully symmetrical doesn’t help.  

Yeah temperature gradients are your enemy when it comes to causing fractures.  

alaskanassasin

nolaegghead said:

alaskanassasin said:

I have noticed water in the bottom of mine occasionally. I don’t see how that could crack a base.

Theoretically the ceramic under water(bottom of base) can’t get heated much over the boiling point of water while the rest of it can get hot AF.  This creates a mechanical stress that CAN (not will) cause any defects in the ceramic to potentially grow into cracks (that relieve stress).  That the base is not fully symmetrical doesn’t help.  

Op said he was cooking low and slow, I don’t see a puddle in the bottom causing a crack when smoking a shoulder.  But sure, if he has a mosquito breeder in the bottom, lights it in 5 places throws the vents open and starts stretching a pizza dough, increased chance of cracking over no water? I guess.

paqman

Could we please see pictures of the problem?

4TheGrillOfIt

I’d be a little freaked out if there was a bunch of water in my Egg.  

Ozzie_Isaac

4TheGrillOfIt said:

I’d be a little freaked out if there was a bunch of water in my Egg.  

Me too, I expect albumen, a yolk, and some membranes.

xfire_ATX

Covered my LGBE with a simple weber kettle cover.  Found some used wing shelves and put them on- cover no longer fit.  Now mind you I had long worn out the gaskets but it worked fine.

One day I am cooking and see water all over the ground under the egg and looked under bottom and sure enough cracked from side to side and partway up the sides.  Warranty new base (actually got a top also) with all new gaskets and still not covered but I noticed the amount of moisture trapped in gaskets so always warmed up slow to dry out.

FF to now XLBGE and again no cover and again lots of moisture in gaskets so I finally broke down and bought the overpriced BGE cover and now keep it covered.

One thing about Central Texas is hardly rains but when it does its usually a decent amount or it lasts a few days then can be a month or more.  So Generally I think it dries itself on its own (especially in the summer) if Im not using it much.

bigeggdan

Sorry, I've been remiss in checking back and see several people have commented.  Thank you!  

I empty my BGE and clean it out spotless before loading it up for a low in slow.  It's dry at the bottom.  I load lump up to the bottom of the placesetter and then fire it up.

Almost within an hour of cooking, I'll see water in the lip of the bottom vent.  Eventually there is a puddle of water in the bottom of the base.  In fact, I've stuck a washcloth through the vent, sucked up the water and rang it out in a bucket!  Pulled out a bunch of water.  Somehow the moisture is condensing and accumulating in the base.

As I feared would happen, this afternoon I noticed a hairline crack has formed along the bottom of the base.  This is exactly what happened before, this has occurred on two different bases.

I love my Egg, this is like being in a bad marriage or my girlfriend breaking up (pun) with me.  : - (