Egg Sweating

Davidg5700

So, I'm out on the back patio trying to beat the black clouds that are rolling in to get dinner cooked. I get my large up around 300 and put some on sliced red potatoes mixed with EVOO, rosemary, garlic powder and salt. I closed the lid and it started sweating a bit, which I've noticed in the past and assumed that it was a bit of moisture seepage into the ceramic from the crazing on the glaze.

This is usually not much and stops. But after I finished the potatoes and let it rip for the burger sear, it started sweating more profusely. :ohmy:



(You can see some of it trickling down the lip of the dome and some weird, almost foamy white spots between the flash reflection and the thermometer)

Also, there was some dark sweat coming from the back of the chimney (is that the right name for it? )



What gives?

stike

lots of rain and infrequent use.

Davidg5700

Yes, we have been getting lots of rain around here which has put a damper on the cooking.

Did my pictures show up? This was my first attempt and I didn't see the little camera icon next to my post and I only see the code in the message.

vidalia1

No pics that I see...use the Egg more and it will not sweat..

Davidg5700

vidalia1

Now I see it...just wipe it off and use your BGE more.... :P

Bob V

David -

If you look really close at the surface of your Egg, you'll see that the green surface is covered with millions of tiny cracks. This is normal - if you have been using it at all- for ceramics that go through any sort of heating and cooling cycle. Basically the glaze gets spider-web cracks all over.

What happens is that the ceramic of the Egg absorbs rainwater through the cracks, and when you fire it up and the Egg begins to heat up, you are driving the water out of the ceramic towards the surface. That equals "sweat".

Corollaries to this are the mold and yuck that grow inside the Egg if you haven't used it in awhile and the brown ooze that comes out as sweat if the dome isn't clean on the inside.

Kind of interesting to think of your Egg "breathing" but that's what's going on.

Bob V

Davidg5700

Most definitely will use it more. :cheer:

Don't particularly care for the brown ooze...

Davidg5700

Bob,

I don't keep mine covered and figured that the dome had absorbed some of the copious rain we've been getting in east TN lately.

I had thought that moisture would have been forced out fairly quickly, but it seemed to sweat more profusely when I jacked the temp up.

The brown ooze I thought was rather odd. It seems like the smoke/grease coating on the interior of the dome is being forced through the ceramic.

I'm not terribly concerned about it, but just trying to understand what is happening with my precious egg :ermm:

Thanks for the reply.

Bob V

Just as the Egg doesn't heat up or cool down quickly, the moisture doesn't "blow off" until you've gotten some real heat in it. Not dome temperature, mind you, but the ceramic itself. The Egg is a big heat sink.

We've had a good amount of rain here in NC - it is the stuff you ship us after you've finished with it in TN. My Egg sometimes starts to "steam" after it has sweat as the ceramic gets to 212.

No worries - nothing is broken.

Bob V

Willie

We had the same problem, lack of use and lots of rain.If I remember correctly, it took 3 or 4 good cooks before the sweating stopped. Have had no further problems, and keep the cover on it when not in use.
Bon Appetit.
Willie