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cleaning my medium

giantwing
giantwing Posts: 189
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
Well its really dirty. I am nervous about just putting lump in and letting it go with the top off. Can it be cleaned with tin foil or any other method? Any advice would be welcome

thanks
Mike
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Comments

  • smoky b
    smoky b Posts: 648
    just let her rip. she'll be fine. might burn the gasket but that was going to happen eventually anyway B)
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Some folks will use balled up aluminum foil, foil scrubby balls, scrapers and such. I have found a small diameter funnel works well for cleaning the creosote on the inside dome. I use the opening of the funnel, the oval shape of the funnel works well for the inside of the dome. I then take the egg to about 500° - 550° and let it burn for an hour or so.

    Sometimes with the BGE gasket the adhesive will melt and sometimes it will hold up - just a crap shoot. The egg cleans up well but this method doesn't get a 'white' look inside the egg.

    GG
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I usually clean mine by just letting the remnants of the lump go when I'm down to about 1/3 of a fire box. Top and bottom wide open. Tho I've lost several gaskets, none were from a burn off.

    Then, having driven off the grease, the remaining sooty mass is pretty easy to remove with wads of crumpled foil. Check way up in the dome. After my last heat cleanse, there were thin flakes of burnt crust just ready to fall off, and if I hadn't removed them, they most likely would have fallen into my next cook.
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  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    Count me in the let her rip at 650° for half an hour with the top off camp. I like seeing the heat waves shooting out the top like a jet afterburner.
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
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  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Burn it at 600 degrees for 3 hours, but go out every half hour and lift the lid to make sure you have no gasket issues. Close it down and again open the lid every half hour until it get to about 400. After that wait till cool and clean with heavy duty foil.
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  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Please don't forget to burp the egg before opening the dome if you do a high temp burn. Sure would hate to see you posting about a flashback later on. :(

    Good Luck,
    Bordello
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  • BBQMaven
    BBQMaven Posts: 1,041
    It's a grill, it burns carbon, it cooks meat, and it's not inside the house --- what is there to clean? and why? or is it an OCD thing?
    Not that OCD is bad? just wondering?
    Kent Madison MS
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  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    it is an oven .... no rude intended here but... do you clean your oven ? and if so why? same reason for the egg.
    why do i do it often?
    cause i did not for 2 years .. fired it to 900 and let it go.. really cool jet blue flames out the top in the dark.. .. next morning was an oh crap moment.. the layer of grease melted ran down the dome over the gasket and down the outside of the base ,, at that temp it was turned into 'creaosote' or melted plastic. .. goop off , gasoline, alcohol, paint thinner and acetone later most, not all, of it was removed .. then to remove the fried gasket which was like plastic.. 8 hrs. work total and there are still spots on the outside.
    i clean burn regularly then rub with foil ball and vacuum ... the burn is no more than 700.
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  • BBQMaven
    BBQMaven Posts: 1,041
    bill
    I don't think your rude, but we do differ in our views.... you call it an oven, I say it's an outdoor grill... don't know why anyone would cook over 600 for any extended time --- my experience is 500 degrees for 3-4 hours cleans the bulk of the build up....
    You also need to know I'm too lazy to scrub anything, not OCD, and really learn from others (our story brought tears to my eyes!!)
    Kent Madison MS
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