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Dealing with Small Pieces and Dust

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Ragtop99
Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
edited March 2012 in EggHead Forum
The holes on the XL fire grate are pretty good size so I was having a fair amount of small pieces fall through, especially when using the BGE lump as compared to wicked good lump.  Picking them out of the ash wasn't practical and I was surprised by the amount so I wanted a way to get them that was easy to do.  Also, I hated dumping the last pieces from a bag of lump into the Egg as they came with a lot of dust.  I wanted something I could sift that would keep the usable pieces and let the dust pass through.  The solution I came up with is to use an over the sink colander.  The one I got has a wide grid; the holes are 1/4" x 1/4" so dust will not clog it.  It also has adjustable handle length which allows it to sit on top of trash can while I pour stuff into it, yet slide away for storage.

The picture below shows sifted small pieces ready for use.
image




Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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Comments

  • Gezr
    Gezr Posts: 154
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    I've got a good sized metal bucket filled with small pieces and dust and so am glad to see a thread about ways of handling them. Sifting the ashes...no problem, but what to do with the small pieces? They tend to pack together so densely in the firebox that there isn't enough of an air flow thru them to get a good hot fire, or, at least that has been my experience.
    Is there a better way of handling this? mix a few in with larger chunks? use them in the garden as a soil amendment? Have I just answered my own question?
    If you don't think too good, don't think too much.

    Afton, VA
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  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    edited March 2012
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    i've put them on top of the new bigger pieces of lump that I added.  I had a bunch in the center and they fell down and I noticed that they were hard to start and choked my starter cube (actually it was 1/3 of a cube).  I cleared a little a little hole and put a a rolled-up oil soaked paper towel in to get them burning and I'm now 4hrs into the cook and Egg is holding steady like usual.

    I'd guess the start problem would be less or non-existent for those who use a weed burner or looftlighter to get things going and coul burn a fire down the grate.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
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    Ok...so you have all those tiny pieces separated out.  Now what?
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  • NightwingXP
    NightwingXP Posts: 448
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    Exactly! I have the same problem. What to do with all the small pieces??
    Only 3 things in life matter. Family, Steelers and my BGE!!
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
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    put on top of a low and slow.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
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    put on top of a low and slow.

    Exactly.  In about 10 minutes my 5.5lb beef shoulder will be coming off and many of those little pieces will have contributed to pulled beef sandwiches. :)

    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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  • Millsy
    Millsy Posts: 113
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    I used mine to do a good burn out on the egg.I filled it up with all the left overs and just let her burn wide open until it went out.It didnt feel as if I was wasteing anything
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  • OLD NORTH STATE BBQ CO.
    OLD NORTH STATE BBQ CO. Posts: 412
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    Mine goes right in the composter, which goes in my vegetable garden. It just assists me in making good food in a different way.

     "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

    Med & XL

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