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Aftermarket fire grate

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Harvell
Harvell Posts: 3
in EggHead Forum
I'm thinking of changing my fire grate on my LGE. Has anyone else switched and what results have you seen? 
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  • Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim Posts: 3,351
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    Yes I have and recommend the Kick Ash Basket.
    http://www.kickashbasket.com/store/http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1187071/kick-ash-basketWorth every penny. :)

    I'm only hungry when I'm awake!

    Okeechobee FL. Winter

    West Jefferson NC Summer

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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    I'm with Jupiter Jim. If you are going to spend any money replacing the lump grate...go all in and get the basket.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • bo31210
    bo31210 Posts: 715
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    Add +2 to @Jupiter Jim     I have a KAB and love it!
    In the middle of Georgia!    Geaux Tigers!!!!!
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Charcoal-Grate-Upgrade-MiniMax/dp/B004XU1FES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446033992&sr=8-1&keywords=high-que+grate

    Here's an alternative. The issue with the basket is having a convenient place to dump the ash. 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    High Que grate. To me the added convenience of being able to pull out a basket and shake the ash off is not worth the extra cash. The high que has great air flow and it takes a whole 10 seconds to clean ash out of the bottom of the egg. 
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    +1 @Chubbs have one in each egg. 
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  • chrisc133
    chrisc133 Posts: 501
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    Chubbs said:
    High Que grate. To me the added convenience of being able to pull out a basket and shake the ash off is not worth the extra cash. The high que has great air flow and it takes a whole 10 seconds to clean ash out of the bottom of the egg. 
    +1.  and it's stainless and will last a lot longer
    Augusta, GA
    #BGETEAMGREEN member
    MiniMax, Large, XL BGE
    Featured on Man Fire Food Season 7
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    theyolksonyou said:
    +1 @Chubbs have one in each egg. 
    Me too bud. Love them
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    chrisc133 said:No
    Chubbs said:
    High Que grate. To me the added convenience of being able to pull out a basket and shake the ash off is not worth the extra cash. The high que has great air flow and it takes a whole 10 seconds to clean ash out of the bottom of the egg. 
    +1.  and it's stainless and will last a lot longer
    The new kick ash bucket is made from rather thick round steel. How long do you think it will last compared to other companies SS?
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
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    "The issue with the basket is having a convenient place to dump the ash."
    Like Jim said, shake it in a 5 gallon bucket.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,528
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    Welcome to the forum!
    my cheapskate solution ... made out of scrap metal ...

    canuckland
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  • scmoose
    scmoose Posts: 164
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    Canugghead said:
    Welcome to the forum!
    my cheapskate solution ... made out of scrap metal ...


    Same thing I did.
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  • Thatgrimguy
    Thatgrimguy Posts: 4,729
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    Another vote for the Kick Ash Basket!! It's definitely worth the investment. 
    XL, Small, Mini & Mini Max Green Egg, Shirley Fab Trailer, 6 gal and 2.5 gal Cajun Fryers, BlueStar 60" Range, 48" Lonestar Grillz Santa Maria, Alto Shaam 1200s, Gozney Dome, Gateway 55g Drum
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    Kick ash is a great addition. You don't need to shake the ash if you don't want to, but you can. Also it protects the side vent holes which is the most common cause of fire control problems. You may have to replace it in twenty years or so as it is not SS. It has the positive qualities of the other grates and then some IMO. 
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  • Harvell
    Harvell Posts: 3
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    Thanks for all the advice. I'm new to using the egg.  My father had a Kamado from the late 60's.till 2000. 
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    Harvell said:
    I'm thinking of changing my fire grate on my LGE. Has anyone else switched and what results have you seen? 
    Which fire grate do you have - ceramic or cast iron?  If you have the cast iron and it is not broken, you could add the Kick Ash Basket (leaving the original grate in place).  The KAB will hold the lump away from the side vents and up a bit from the CI grate.  This allows for good airflow while still keeping extreme heat off the egg bottom. 
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    Photo Egg said:
    "The issue with the basket is having a convenient place to dump the ash."
    Like Jim said, shake it in a 5 gallon bucket.
    Just more mess and Egg "stuff" on the deck IMHO.
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    Photo Egg said:
    "The issue with the basket is having a convenient place to dump the ash."
    Like Jim said, shake it in a 5 gallon bucket.
    10 Gal ... 10 Gal ... 10 Gal ... a large KAB fits down inside a 10 Gal trash can.  Granted it's a one handed shake, but still!  Here's the one I have: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/behrens-10-gal-galvanized-sheet-steel-garbage-pail?cm_vc=IOPDP1

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,897
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    LOL - yesterday I ran in to a lady egger I have known for years and she had just the day before received her KAB. She commented that hers does not fit down well in her fire box. I suggested that her FB may not be round as I know my fire ring is more oval shaped. I suggested she assess the shape and then maybe she can slightly bend her KAB to fit. Is this a common problem?

    BTW I just ordered a KAB for myself!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,897
    edited October 2015
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    Oh...another question. I have used a heavy duty machine shop made grate for years. It even has 3 rods of 1/2" stock welded to the bottom so it stays in place. When my KAB arrives would it be best to remove it for sake of airflow?

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,897
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    Jeepster47 said:

    10 Gal ... 10 Gal ... 10 Gal ... a large KAB fits down inside a 10 Gal trash can.  Granted it's a one handed shake, but still!  Here's the one I have: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/behrens-10-gal-galvanized-sheet-steel-garbage-pail?cm_vc=IOPDP1

    Off to the south end to our TS store! I like the metal with lid!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
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    RRP said:
    Oh...another question. I have used a heavy duty machine shop made grate for years. It even has 3 rods of 1/2" stock welded to the bottom so it stays in place. When my KAB arrives would it be best to remove it for sake of airflow?

    I use my KAB with the CI grate in place.  Plenty of airflow.  I think that the KAB keeping the lump off the side holes in the fire bowl really helps. 
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • NibbleMeThis
    NibbleMeThis Posts: 2,295
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    Our team has 4 different types.  We have the expanded metal pictured several posts above (that's my actual one used in a picture from my blog), a Hi Que, a Fishbones from Michael Chance, and 4 Kick Ash Baskets. 

    Expanded metal
    Works great and even after heavy use at high temps, it is still as flat as the day I got it from St Louis Charcoal.  Very inexpensive but they don't sell them anymore, they were a one off deal for them.  If you get someone to make one for you, make sure to use heavy gauge metal.

    Fishbones and Hi Que
    Both work great and have held up well.  Main difference is the Fishbones don't have a circular ring around the outer edges.  If you are just looking for airflow, these are the ones for you.

    Kick Ash Basket
    Kick Ash Baskets do the same thing the other high airflow grates do, but it also lets you shake your coal free of ash the next time.  We bought 4 of these because we do a lot of BBQ competitions and cooking demos where we have to load up our gear.  It takes forever for an Egg to cool down after shutting down with live coals inside.  When we finish cooking onsite, we pull the Kick Ash baskets out (live coal and all) and leave the Eggs open to cool down right away.  It has shortened our load out times significantly.
    Knoxville, TN
    Nibble Me This
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  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
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    Chubbs said:
    High Que grate. To me the added convenience of being able to pull out a basket and shake the ash off is not worth the extra cash. The high que has great air flow and it takes a whole 10 seconds to clean ash out of the bottom of the egg. 
    The LBGE is the only size I have where I have had problems getting up to temp from time to time.  The HiQue pretty much resolved that.  As to removing ashes, I stir the lump every start and unless the last one was some very long cook probably go 10 cooks without cleaning it out.  I suspect the basket would concentrate the ash and block the air flow.


    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,186
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    @RRP I left my grate in place using the KAB on my medium. I didn't have to learn new vent settings to maintain the temp. 
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  • johnkitchens
    johnkitchens Posts: 5,227
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    +1 for the Hi Que Grate. I have one in both of my eggs, and I couldn't be happier with them. 

    Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
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    HighQue here on my large and small.  Love them and wouldn't switch for nothin because this is what I have experience with.  


    To the guys that have KAB, I'm curious as to how the basket keeps the ash from plugging the holes in the firebox.  In my head ash is gonna drop regardless if it is encompassed in a wire cage or not.  What keeps it from plugging the holes?

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • NibbleMeThis
    NibbleMeThis Posts: 2,295
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    Mattman3969 - you can put the KAB in without the stock grate in place.
    Knoxville, TN
    Nibble Me This
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    Mattman3969 said:
    HighQue here on my large and small.  Love them and wouldn't switch for nothin because this is what I have experience with.  


    To the guys that have KAB, I'm curious as to how the basket keeps the ash from plugging the holes in the firebox.  In my head ash is gonna drop regardless if it is encompassed in a wire cage or not.  What keeps it from plugging the holes?
    It keeps the smaller pieces of lump away from the walls of the firebox. I have nothing against the hi q or fishbones, I sell the fishbones, but the basket is everything those are plus more, Period. People don't need to take it personally. I do not understand the negative comments by those who don't have it????
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  • luckyboy
    luckyboy Posts: 284
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    I purchased my KAB about a month ago but haven't used it yet.My plan was to shake what ash I could from the lump and then pull the basket from the egg and use my vacuum to clean out the egg leaving reusable lump in thebasket then placing the basket back in the egg after adding lump if needed. I pepersonally clean my egg after every cook,  just my thing.
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