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How do you clean your egg?

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dougemsmacks
dougemsmacks Posts: 152
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Well I ran it @ 650 for a whole batch of lump. When the grease in the gasket started boiling out I thought I should close it down. I wanted to get the odor out so I could cook pizza and other things without that flavor in the food, so I kept on going. It wasn't too long after I saw smoke from the dome :unsure: I figured I already ate the gasket and kept on going till it burned out.

The next day I had a fire box and ring that where pure white no grease and no gasket I also had a cracked fire grate :whistle:

I would like to keep it clean but my approach seems to flawed I could use some advise :)
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Comments

  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    That's the way ya do it. Burn it til the smoking stops.

    650 is a bit high, but it worked so run with it.

    If there is some dried on stuff in the dome you can use a ball of crumbled foil to scratch it off.
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  • dougemsmacks
    dougemsmacks Posts: 152
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    Yeah but I don't want to do a gasket and a grate every time :laugh:
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    I didn't realize you lost the gasket. I misread your post.

    The fire grate is odd. I've got a small crack in my large grate between two of the holes and it is over 6 yrs old and has quite a few hundred hours at nuclear temps on it.
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  • dougemsmacks
    dougemsmacks Posts: 152
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    O.K. I get it tin foil and not too hot

    Do you have a problem with the chicken building up too much grease? I am trying low and slow and there seems to be more than when I was cooking higher.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    I don't cook chicken at lower temps any more. Lowest I cook chicken is 350, and that is b/s breasts.

    Parts and wings I do at 425+

    And I always use a drip pan with chicken (except b/s)
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  • Eggtucky
    Eggtucky Posts: 2,746
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    Personally, I think you ran it too hot..500 for a hour or 2 should burn out anything in your egg...
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  • dougemsmacks
    dougemsmacks Posts: 152
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    That's what my dealer said, I probably should have asked first :pinch:

    I will say I am happy with them as they took care of me on the grate.
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  • dougemsmacks
    dougemsmacks Posts: 152
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    That is what i thought, It's cast iron and I see people going very high compared to me. I went to the dealer and they gave me one in warr.

    I watched it and the highest I got was 680 dome, since I am new I just figured 680 dome may be 900 - 1100 pit and it just cracked from the high heat.
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  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
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    you can run 650-700°regularly to clean with out killing your gasket if you clean often... it was not the heat from the lump but the burning melted grease running down the dome... i did 900 for a whole load of south american lump that i wanted to get rid of .... really cool jet blue flames > 2 years of melted platsic/creosote everywhere... 8 hours to clean and re-gasket now i just let smaller amounts of lump burn out regularly.
    bill
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  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
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    Both my large and small are due for cleanings, particularly the large. So I guess 500deg for 2hrs.....
    Should be no gasket issues with this?
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  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
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    i would remove as much gunk as possible with a plastic scraper spatula.from the dome ..carefully, and then go with your plan.. i think the aluminum foil works poorly on grease , fine on ash... i had a very thick layer of crud .. the grease in the base did not cause me a problem.. but if you have enough there may be craking of the grate / firebox issues.. 900° is really cool in the dark. really sucks in the morning ...
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  • Charleston Dave
    Charleston Dave Posts: 571
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    Just wondering aloud here, as I have not tried it...

    Has anybody tried using a small steam-cleaner to blast off ash and grease?

    I'm thinking of one of the small hand-held Shark units, or something similar.

    Generally with this kind of cleaner no soap or solvent is needed; the steam does all the work.

    Would there be a risk of damaging the ceramic? [url][/url]
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  • bubba tim
    bubba tim Posts: 3,216
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    What Fidel said, use a drip pan. Done many clean burns and never had a problem with the gasket but I have an older egg.
    SEE YOU IN FLORIDA, March 14th and 15th 2014 http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com You must master temp, smoke, and time to achive moisture, taste, and texture! Visit www.bubbatim.com for BRISKET HELP
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    Gasket melting sounds like something that would happen with an Egg that hadn't been cooked on enough. That shouldn't be your problem so go figure..

    I always hold the temp around 650 when I'm cleaning it and have gone higher (tho probably not the full time). I never scrape out anything, I only use the self-cleaning feature and it works great with no muss, no fuss. I haven't tried cleaning the dome-are you supposed to do that?

    For your next gasket, you might contact RRP and see if he has anything.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
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    Foil works great after the burn - not before.
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  • momcooks
    momcooks Posts: 247
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    You're supposed to clean them? :unsure:
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  • Eggatorium
    Eggatorium Posts: 99
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    Good answer!
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