BGE maintenance - what do you do?

TheToast · August 2017

Do you oil the grill and daisy wheel? Do you do anything else to keep her running? I've had my BGE almost two years and haven't even bothered with a clean burn (although pizza cooks clean most of the insides, if not the inner dome). I do wonder whether I should oil the daily wheel now and again. I did used to but it doesn't seem to suffer without it

nolaegghead · August 2017

All you *need* to do is clean the ash. Everything else is optional.

gbvinla · August 2017

I've had to disassemble the daisy wheels a couple of times due to grime build up. Other than that, clean out the ash.

Wolfie51sb · August 2017

On the list of my "must dos" regarding the Egg, a clean burn isn't even on the page.

lousubcap · August 2017

Check band tightness 2-3 times/year although no movement in several years. Spray the DFMT around twice a year. Check thermo calibration prior to L&S cook if I haven't done it in last 5-6 weeks. Completely remove all the guts and clean out the ash every 4 months (LBGE) or so, once a year on SBGE. FWIW-

gdenby · August 2017

Tip from fishlessman years ago. Put the daisy on the grill at shut down. The excess grease bakes away, moisture removed to prevent rust, and the gunk that gives a good seal isn't removed.

Clean burn only needed if:
So much creosote hair around the top vent that it's dropping into the food.
Pizza falls off to the side, giving the Egg an internal fat pepperoni crust.
You just really want an excuse to change the gasket.

If sitting uncovered in the rain, expect to oil the hinges every few years.

Tighten the dome band nut/bolt after repeated high temp sears.

Calibrate the dome therm after repeated high temp sears.

Clean out the ash that falls outside the fire bowl at least once a year. Sooner if dome temp won't hold steady and keeps dropping.

Focker · August 2017

Check band and handle bolts annually, change Weber light batteries as needed.

Lucky my two eggs are aligned, and tight.

My nomex is charred and cracked from 2009, but still going strong. Ron hooked me up with a replacement, when that time comes it will be my son's egg, and his rite of passage. Lol

tarheelmatt · August 2017

Every year, at Butt Blast, I get my Eggs cleaned, and this year, others tightened my bands. That was because my dome took a dive from about 5 feet down to the ground.

That's the only maintenance I, err, we, err, they do.

TheToast · August 2017

Good reminder to tighten the rings - which I haven't done in a year.

It looks like my lazy ways are the best ways - confirmed by you folks.

I bought a new gasket but even after multiple high cooks, the original is thin but still ok and not leaking smoke, so I've not replaced it yet.

Thanks everyone

ColtsFan · August 2017

Check band bolts quarterly and have never done a clean burn. Disassemble and clean out ash semi-annually. And yesterday, for the first time, I wash the exterior of the BGE and KJ with some Dawn dishwater...Now they shine with the exception of the Smokeware cap

fishlessman · August 2017

i yell at the dog when he lifts his leg on it

now theres other dogs doing the same, even a female lab that learned to lift her leg. its like a contest to see who can get it higher. am i the only one with this problem

jeponline · August 2017

gdenby said:

Tip from fishlessman years ago. Put the daisy on the grill at shut down. The excess grease bakes away, moisture removed to prevent rust, and the gunk that gives a good seal isn't removed.

Clean burn only needed if:
So much creosote hair around the top vent that it's dropping into the food.
Pizza falls off to the side, giving the Egg an internal fat pepperoni crust.
You just really want an excuse to change the gasket.

If sitting uncovered in the rain, expect to oil the hinges every few years.

Tighten the dome band nut/bolt after repeated high temp sears.

Calibrate the dome therm after repeated high temp sears.

Clean out the ash that falls outside the fire bowl at least once a year. Sooner if dome temp won't hold steady and keeps dropping.

This is a great summary of everything that I had learned from the forum before getting my egg and have been following the last year that I've had it. I'll just add that cleaning out the ash that falls to the side, is also good for when temps don't rise as fast as you like.

I could get my egg to any temp and hold it, but something simple like getting to 450 was taking me 30 minutes before I cleaned it out and now I can get there in about 15. Also, when doing reverse sear, I went from taking around 20 minutes to go from 250-600, to about 5.

Carolina Q · August 2017

Some of you guys work way to hard at this!

I hardly ever use the dfmt, but I store it in the egg, taking it out during a cook. When I DO use it, It always works and hasn't rusted in 8 years.

I checked band bolts once, a couple of years ago. They were fine.

Been about 4 years since I egged a pizza. Even longer since I clean burned. But I don't do a lot of lo n slo cooks.

I think I calibrated the dome thermo twice. Maybe.

Never oiled anything.

Been a good year, probably longer, since I gutted the egg. Accomplished nothing.

I leave it out in the weather so it gets cleaned every time it rains. This would work better in the PNW or the UK.

Remove the ash with the ash tool every 3-4 cooks.

That's about it.

xfire_ATX · August 2017

Clean ash when full

~every 9 months or so, pull guts and clean all ash out.

I need a new gasket but frankly just too lazy to work out with @RRP to get one.

theyolksonyou · August 2017

I let the dog lick my grids clean and rake out enough ask to have airflow when necessary.

buzd504 · August 2017

LOL @ calibrate the thermometer.

Eoin · August 2017

buzd504 said:

LOL @ calibrate the thermometer.

I did mine on the XL for the first time this week, noticed it sitting in a different zero position after it had got a bit hot (300F on the second circuit of the dial), which had knocked the zero off.

DoubleEgger · August 2017

@JohnInCarolina might have some egg cleaning tips...

nolaegghead · August 2017

I don't use the thermometer anymore.

dfrelich · August 2017

Scrape ash every few cooks. Use yard blower to clean guts every few months. That's about it.

Usually I do that after I mow. When I blow yard debris off my patio. I open the egg. Blow em out.

Thrilla_in_my_grilla · August 2017

New egger here, first few cooks went well. Had some conflicting opinions on what to do with the convector. One person told me to wrap it in foil to keep it clean. Another told me use a pan and let any other drippings burn off. Other than cleaning out he ash is there anything else that needs to be done with the ceramic pieces?

tarheelmatt · August 2017

DoubleEgger said:

@JohnInCarolina might have some egg cleaning tips...

He's part of the "wait for Butt Blast" camp as well.

bgebrent · August 2017

Y'all are way too ocd. Calibrate twice a year.

YukonRon · August 2017

When the lid gets stuck to the base, I pry it open with a cowboy cut rib, that's been laying on the ground.

Stormbringer · August 2017

Thrilla_in_my_grilla said:

New egger here, first few cooks went well. Had some conflicting opinions on what to do with the convector. One person told me to wrap it in foil to keep it clean. Another told me use a pan and let any other drippings burn off. Other than cleaning out he ash is there anything else that needs to be done with the ceramic pieces?

Welcome to the forum. On the convector (most folks call it a platesetter), you can wrap it in foil to keep it clean, put a pan on it to keep it clean and stop the drippings going onto the coals or leave it naked and let it get dirty. And then clean it. I've done all of those, doesn't really matter.

Other than that, the ceramics just look after themselves. I do a controlled clean burn every six months or so in the MMX but only because of the very specific way I use it ... cooking meat (specifically spatchcock chicken) raised into the dome a LOT and never cooking pizza in it. Doing this causes a lot of fat to accumulate in the dome (pic below), a clean burn sorts this out.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/g6/pmqswlew1vuw.jpg

There's probably other ways of doing it, but a clean burn works for me. To put into context, I cook pizza in our LBGE and never need to do a clean burn.

Toxarch · August 2017

I disassembled the daisy wheel and seasoned it like a CI skillet. I stick it on the grate during cool down. Never had and rust on it.

bigegger · August 2017

I do my maintenance "as-I-go"

Before every cook I don on the neoprenes then:
-open the BGE, access the coals shuffle the coals around to make ashes drop down then bring out my little shop vac and suck up all the ashes from the bottom vent.. then i make sure all the vents aren't clogged..then i vacuum up or give the chimney a rub down along with the dome lip where the chimney top rests on just to loosen up any soot and particles that have accumulated so they wont drop on anything cooking

During every cook:
-I check dome alignment and bracket security every now and then i open and close the BGE

After every cook when BGE has cooled down:
-clean griddles with nylon coated ceramic bristles and spray with oil
-close vents and slide cover on

DoubleEgger · August 2017

bigegger said:

I do my maintenance "as-I-go"

Before every cook I don on the neoprenes then:
-open the BGE, access the coals shuffle the coals around to make ashes drop down then bring out my little shop vac and suck up all the ashes from the bottom vent.. then i make sure all the vents aren't clogged..then i vacuum up or give the chimney a rub down along with the dome lip where the chimney top rests on just to loosen up any soot and particles that have accumulated so they wont drop on anything cooking

During every cook:
-I check dome alignment and bracket security every now and then i open and close the BGE

After every cook when BGE has cooled down:
-clean griddles with nylon coated ceramic bristles and spray with oil
-close vents and slide cover on

Good Lord!

fishlessman · August 2017

some of you are way too ocd, dont they have pills for that

i start by opening a beer on the opener nailed to the wall in the kitchen. theres a black tin bucket that my grandmother painted an eagle on back in the 1950's or so. the beer cap drops out of the opener and into the bucket, sometimes it doesnt make the bucket. i empty the bucket maybe every other year

meat goes on the grill after its hot and scraped with anything handy, usually a stick,a brush, whatevers there at the time, maybe an ash shovel from the fireplace bucket

SmokingPiney · August 2017

Clean the cook grate after every cook

Clean out the ash every few cooks

Clean the Mates when they get grungy

Make sure the hardware is tight about once a month

Remove the fire grate and firebox for a better cleaning 2 or 3 times a year. While I'm doing that, I ball up some foil and clean the inside of the dome

No clean burns and no heroics.

tarheelmatt · August 2017

bigegger said:

I do my maintenance "as-I-go"

Before every cook I don on the neoprenes then:
-open the BGE, access the coals shuffle the coals around to make ashes drop down then bring out my little shop vac and suck up all the ashes from the bottom vent.. then i make sure all the vents aren't clogged..then i vacuum up or give the chimney a rub down along with the dome lip where the chimney top rests on just to loosen up any soot and particles that have accumulated so they wont drop on anything cooking

During every cook:
-I check dome alignment and bracket security every now and then i open and close the BGE

After every cook when BGE has cooled down:
-clean griddles with nylon coated ceramic bristles and spray with oil
-close vents and slide cover on

Dang.. You start cooking dinner first thing in the morning?

BGE maintenance - what do you do?

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Frederick County, MD

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BGE maintenance - what do you do?

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X-Large & LargeFrederick County, MD

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X-Large & Large
Frederick County, MD