a burning question

r&r · October 2000

i was cooking two wonderful 1.5" thick ny strips last saturday night
and all was going well until it came time to flip over em over. it
was at that moment that mr humpty got a severe case of heartburn,
belched and caught himself on fire! i was cooking these guys at
900-1000* as is sometimes custom after a couple of cold ones, usually try to cook em in the 800* range. anywho the felt gasket caught on
fire. this was a first and i hope the last. would like to know if this has happened to any others as well as any advice on putting
mr humpty's fuzzy wuzzy back on. thanks in advance.

bdavidson · October 2000

rr,
You can order a new felt gasket from BGE. If you call them at the 800- number they'll hook you up with a new one. You should try to remove as much of the old one as you can with a scraper or spackling knife, rub it down with some alcohol to remove the old adhesive and then rough up the Egg surface with light sandpaper. The new felt comes in a coil and you simply peel the back off of it and reapply to the egg. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Easy.

Nature Boy · October 2000

rr,
When the dome is open at those temps, it gets very hot near the handle (and gasket), as it is right over the fire. Best to work very quickly when you do your flips, and get the dome closed as soon as possible. Are you doing your cooking with the dome closed?? Just a thought. I have not had any problem....even with turbo temps...when the dome is shut.
NB

JimW · October 2000

rr,
For cleaning off the old gasket, 3M makes a "Rust and Paint Remover" attachment for a power drill. It's very porous, is black and about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter and maybe 3/4 inch to an inch thick. It works great.
JimW

BBQfan1 · October 2000

rr, I'm not a real big fan of the supersonic temps on the Egg. In fact, about the only times I see 1000 degrees is when I'm welding or riding around in dad's '79 Plymouth Fury with the vinyl seats on July 16 with the windows rolled up! I've too felt the lick of the Dragon's tongue, and, not for that reason only, tend to keep things a little cooler when using Mr. Egg. I'm quite satisfied with steaks cooked around the 500 degree mark. A little dusting of CharCrust makes up for any lack of flame-induced seared surface. Plus my wife enjoys a well-done steak, so longer time at a lower temp gives satisfactory results. (Me, on the other hand, cut off the horns, wipe the bum, bring 'er out and I'm happy). I just start mine a little later in the process. Happy Grillin' whatever approach you take. (Take heed of NB's advice about high temp cooking--I've not had to use the asbestos undies since using his approach to higher temps, which I DO cook at on occasion; Mike O's grilled pineapple, and Spin's pizza for instance).
BBQfan1

CaptainBBQ · October 2000

rr,[p]So, how were the steaks? :-)[p]CaptainBBQ

r&r · October 2000

Nature Boy,[p]as is custom i was cooking the strips with the dome down
and the long necks high above the fray. this is the first
time i have had such a problem although i must say that
this was probable one of my hottest fires if not the
hottest. have you ever changed your gasket? if so how did
you remove the old [all of it did not burn off completely]
and installing the new one...high temp cement? etc. thanks
for any advice.

Unknown · October 2000

bdavidson,[p]definitely sounds like the voice of experience. did you
have the same encounter as me or were you just replacing
a worn out gasket? in the be cookbook it says the gasket
may need to be replaced every couple of years. mine was
around 2 years old and in good shape until its fiery end. [p]

Unknown · October 2000

CaptainBBQ,[p]nothing but wonderful has ever come out of that bad egg.

Nature Boy · October 2000

rr,
Still have the original gasket. One of the other posts (JimW???) mentioned the mildly abrasive drill attachment to remove the old stuff. Betcha that would work great. The new gasket material has a self-adhesive on it, so no need for additional glue.[p]Sounds like you had a pretty hot one going! Like many of the others, I have been doing steaks/chops a bit lower than I used to, and have been having good results. 650-700 seems to be enough for about anything....except squid which is best at turbo-temps![p]Egg on!
NB[p]

bdavidson · October 2000

randr,
Actually, I didn't have the same type of eggsperience, but close. A friend of mine was "helping" me make pizza one day and tried to close the dome without depressing the release lever. The dome slipped out of the metal band and, as it slid, the gasket was torn from the rear of the dome. Since the egg was 600 degrees, I had to rush to get a pair of gloves on to reset the dome. Most of the felt that was not torn was burned. I called BGE the next day and had a new coil of felt by the end of the week. Fortunately the dome did not crack. I allow nobody to close the dome except my wife and those that have been through my Official Egg-handlers Certification course (so far there have been no graduates).

BD · October 2000

Nature Boy,
Ah...we'll miss the squid in Atlanta this year, NB.

Nature Boy · October 2000

bd,
Yeah, I'm sure you'll be devistated! hee!
I really want to go badly. Damn. Count me in for next year.
NB

a burning question

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