Should I Winterize My Egg?

SouthJerseyGrEGG

Hi All![p]Here in the Mid-Atlantic States we were told time and again about the "warmer winters" that are now suppose to be the norm. Well guess what! The top story last night on the leading new program was about the rapid drop in temperature and how we were caught "off guard" about the early arrival of winter weather. This morning my lawn was pure white with frost, my car needed a good scraping, and my trees seem to be going into shock since they did not have enough time to go dormant.[p]This is my first winter with the Egg. I origionally planned to put it away for the winter and keep it snug and warm in the toolshed. However I continue to entertain the idea of a nice midwinter BBQ to fight the blahs! So right now it remains in the yard with the Egg cover on it.[p]Should I anticipate any cracks or other damage to the Egg should we have sub zero temperatures, snow, freezen rain, or otherwise a "normal winter" this year??[p]

The Naked Whiz

SouthJerseyGrEGG,
I don't think you need to do anything. You should see some photos posted of eggs in the snow very shortly, I think. The only problem I've heard of is sometimes the felt seal will get wet and then freeze, locking the lid shut. You overcome this by putting a weber starter cube in through the bottom vent and lighting it. This will heat things up and thaw the seal.[p]TNW

Tim M

<p />SouthJerseyGrEGG,[p]No need to winterize. I would suggest using the rain cap though. Sometimes a sudden snow might pop up and the top can be frozen to the bottom gasket - there should always be a little lump in there so if it freezes shut, just place a starter cube in the bottom vent under the grate and lite it. The fire will start and melt off the snow and the dome will open in a little while. You can also drop a starter in the chimney, but i find under the grate is easier. [p]Tim

SouthJerseyGrEGG

Tim M,[p]Great pic! Have you tried "cold smoked snow balls"? :-)[p]I will follow the fire cube tip. It looks like you have not
had any problems with moisture setting into the ceramic then freezing and forming cracks. From what I read on this forum recently, the Egg is known to have very small pores.[p][p]

Sundown

SouthJerseyGrEGG,
Had MR. Egg outside for almost 4 years now and we cook frequently during the winter months. I do use the BGE cover for the Egg and the table. Never had a problem with moisture, the gasket or cracks. The material is porus but it's no big deal during some cooks Mr. Egg "sweats" like a pig if I leave him uncovered by mistake.

BlueSmoke

SouthJerseyGrEGG,
I've been Egging here in Colorado for 2 1/2 years, year-round. My "winterization" consists of positioning the snow shovel and a whisk broom near the back door. :-)
Ken

Tim M

<p />SouthJerseyGrEGG,[p]Found another one[p]Here I placed a starter cube under the grate to unfreeze it.[p]
Tim

Carl T

<p />SouthJerseyGrEGG,[p]Using the egg in the winter is great. I keep mine covered when not in use. My gaskets have never frozen closed yet.[p]Carl T

Earl

SouthJerseyGrEGG,[p] Winterize your egg, you should just be getting it warmed up for the winter. It would be a shame to lock it away when you can enjoy it all year round. This is my brother out ice fishing & i try to take my mini egg along for a nice warm meal. So no you don't need to do anything but cover it when not using it. Enjoy the cool weather, looking out at your egg humming along at 250F when it's -20 outside.[p]Earl

Earl

<p />Earl,[p] This is a small catch i was able to cookup on the mini on another outing. The just cleaned them & scaled & put them right on the grill. Sa they say, you can't get fresher than that.[p]Earl[p]