Clean burn - how long will your grill stay hot?

kersh13 · February 2020

Hi folks,

I did a clean burn on my grill after having done a few low-n-slow cooks. We're doing pizzas this week so I didn't want to have to burn off all that gunk before I could start my pizzas.

My question is this; how long are you able to keep your grill above 600 degrees without adding charcoal? For me, I can only keep it there for 1 1/2 - 2 hours before the coal burns out. I use either Royal Oak or Rockwood and have had a similar experience with both.

SmokeyLopey · February 2020

I've never measured the time; but that seems about right. Eitther way, 1.5-2 hours should be sufficient to clean up your egg. Good for you doing it ahead of time--I have gone out to cook and wished I had done a clean burn.

Photo Egg · February 2020

If you are filled with as much lump as will fit, then that's all you can do.
If you fill up heaping dome shape over the fire ring you should go at least 3 hours.
Do you need longer than 90 minutes at 600 to get it burning clean?

GregW · February 2020

Every time I see a clean burn mentioned it reminds me that my egg is way past due. It's been on my list for the last 18 years and I never seem to get remember to get it done.

FanOfFanboys · February 2020

is that something people do on a regular basis? I have never done on purpose, though I get above 600, and sometimes above 800, when searing which I guess accomplishes that same goal?

kl8ton · February 2020

Check your bolts after clean burn!

kersh13 · February 2020

kl8ton said:

Check your bolts after clean burn!

I still have the old style hinges and have to realign them nearly every time I do a high heat cook. So frustrating but I cannot justify spending so much on new hinge bands. Especially when I paid so much for the grill in the first place.

Mattman3969 · February 2020

GregW said:

Every time I see a clean burn mentioned it reminds me that my egg is way past due. It's been on my list for the last 18 years and I never seem to get remember to get it done.

Just proof that it’s not as important as played by some posters. Good for you @GregW I’m a firm believer that a high temp steak cook is plenty to keep my clean enough to cook whatever I want without smelly or bad tastin results

unoriginalusername · February 2020

I don’t think there is much to gain past 30 min at these temps.... unless your heating a room with your egg, otherwise your just wasting good charcoal

GregW · February 2020

Mattman3969 said:

GregW said:

Every time I see a clean burn mentioned it reminds me that my egg is way past due. It's been on my list for the last 18 years and I never seem to get remember to get it done.

Just proof that it’s not as important as played by some posters. Good for you @GregW I’m a firm believer that a high temp steak cook is plenty to keep my clean enough to cook whatever I want without smelly or bad tastin results

Thank you @Mattman3969. I was hoping that my subtle attempt to say that a clean burn is not really necessary would come through. A clean burn is a lot like playing Russian Roulette. Play the game long enough and you get your head blown off. If you do a clean burn enough times and you can get a cracked egg.

kersh13 · February 2020

jtcBoynton · February 2020

GregW said:

Mattman3969 said:

GregW said:

Every time I see a clean burn mentioned it reminds me that my egg is way past due. It's been on my list for the last 18 years and I never seem to get remember to get it done.

Just proof that it’s not as important as played by some posters. Good for you @GregW I’m a firm believer that a high temp steak cook is plenty to keep my clean enough to cook whatever I want without smelly or bad tastin results

Thank you @Mattman3969. I was hoping that my subtle attempt to say that a clean burn is not really necessary would come through. A clean burn is a lot like playing Russian Roulette. Play the game long enough and you get your head blown off. If you do a clean burn enough times and you can get a cracked egg.

There seem to be differing views of what constitutes a clean burn. You can clean the egg very nicely with temps of 550-650ºF. It will just take longer than letting the temps go out of control. Those temps are not Russian Roulette for an egg.

brentm · February 2020

FWIW - I did around 3 clean burns before I ended up taking a wire wheel to the inside of my egg to clean off the creosote. Each time, I was careful not to let the temperature go above 700.

This was after years of only doing low and slow cooks, never high-temp cooks. A buddy at work does both (low and high temp cooks) and does not have the same level of buildup that I did.

It's also a good time to replace the gasket and to refinish the wood handle.

TheToast · February 2020

Are clean burns really necessary? Or do you just like a shiny clean egg now and then?

I mostly do slow cooks and the occasional direct grill of a steak. And maybe pizzas once or twice a year. My dome inside is dark and greasy but not flakey. It’s never bothered me in the 4 or 5 years I’ve had my BGE. Am I in the minority?

GregW · February 2020

jtcBoynton said:

GregW said:

Mattman3969 said:

GregW said:

Every time I see a clean burn mentioned it reminds me that my egg is way past due. It's been on my list for the last 18 years and I never seem to get remember to get it done.

Just proof that it’s not as important as played by some posters. Good for you @GregW I’m a firm believer that a high temp steak cook is plenty to keep my clean enough to cook whatever I want without smelly or bad tastin results

Thank you @Mattman3969. I was hoping that my subtle attempt to say that a clean burn is not really necessary would come through. A clean burn is a lot like playing Russian Roulette. Play the game long enough and you get your head blown off. If you do a clean burn enough times and you can get a cracked egg.

There seem to be differing views of what constitutes a clean burn. You can clean the egg very nicely with temps of 550-650ºF. It will just take longer than letting the temps go out of control. Those temps are not Russian Roulette for an egg.

@jtcBoynton- you are correct. 550-650ºF is a perfectly normal cooking temp.
A clean burn is considerably higher, in the 1000ºF range. You never know how those temps will turn out, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

jtcBoynton · February 2020

Some people like to crank up the temps really high. But you don’t need to go above the 550-650° range to burn off all the organic material. You don't get the new egg look but the purpose of the clean burn should be to remove the organics and not aesthetics.

littlerascal56 · February 2020

I do a clean burn every 4 cooks. After I pull the food, I open top & bottom vent. Egg goes to 650-700 for about 1.5 hours, then cools off slowly. Have done it that way this past 5 years on my XL.

unoriginalusername · February 2020

TheToast said:

Are clean burns really necessary? Or do you just like a shiny clean egg now and then?

I mostly do slow cooks and the occasional direct grill of a steak. And maybe pizzas once or twice a year. My dome inside is dark and greasy but not flakey. It’s never bothered me in the 4 or 5 years I’ve had my BGE. Am I in the minority?

No not necessary. If your grill has pork fat all over from a previous cook you’ll want to burn it off until there is no white smoke. If you’re not getting smoke or smelling your last cook it’s already clean.

I don’t do clean burns. If I do a fatty cook I let it run a little hotter after I take the food off so I don’t have to deal with it next time. 450 normally works.

I sear steaks so often it’s never been an issue lol

kersh13 · February 2020

TheToast said:

Are clean burns really necessary? Or do you just like a shiny clean egg now and then?

I mostly do slow cooks and the occasional direct grill of a steak. And maybe pizzas once or twice a year. My dome inside is dark and greasy but not flakey. It’s never bothered me in the 4 or 5 years I’ve had my BGE. Am I in the minority?

I wouldn't call it necessary. That's the first time I've ever done one as I had just installed a Rutland gasket and had grease/gunk built up that I wanted to clean prior do doing an expedited weeknight pizza cook.

For some reason this is one of those topics that many posters here feel the need to share his/her opinions regarding the merit of doing one rather than addressing the original question.

GATraveller · February 2020

I've never done a clean burn on purpose.

Cornholio · February 2020

kersh13 said:

kl8ton said:

Check your bolts after clean burn!

I still have the old style hinges and have to realign them nearly every time I do a high heat cook. So frustrating but I cannot justify spending so much on new hinge bands. Especially when I paid so much for the grill in the first place.

I also have the old style bands and it already cost me a dome during a pizza cook. Definitely on my short list of things I need to get, the mothership told me they should be replaced every 5 or so years I believe. I’m at about 9 years and quite tired of the huge underbite on my egg.

kersh13 · February 2020

Cornholio said:

I also have the old style bands and it already cost me a dome during a pizza cook. Definitely on my short list of things I need to get, the mothership told me they should be replaced every 5 or so years I believe. I’m at about 9 years and quite tired of the huge underbite on my egg.

Thanks for passing that along. That's definitely frustrating. I finally decided to put up with a small amount of underbite and aligned the dome such that the rear of it is slid higher up in the bands so that when the base bands slip down, at least it isn't grinding the rear of the dome against the rear of the base.

Clean burn - how long will your grill stay hot?

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