Inherited an old moldy BGE. Any tips for cleaning it, making it ready to cook in?
Inherited an old moldy BGE. Any tips for cleaning it, making it ready to cook in?
by CorneliusPeter
18 Comments
silverfstop
Fire. Lots of Fire.
JayP1967
Fill it with lump and light it. But first check that the vents open and close and there is no other mechanical issues. Burning it out is a great start
Og-Morrow
Fire! Bring up around 280 300c and hold it there until all coals does.
With all grills etc on.
TrackingTenCross1
Hey bud, good for you, that’s quite an awesome inheritance; sorry if you lost someone close. First thing i would do is check the bottom from underneath to ensure there are no small cracks in the base. Then get a new bottom cast iron grate, or you could opt to upgrade to the BGE Ash Basket (my personal preference) or the KickAsh basket. After that, fill it about half way with lump charcoal. Do not use any charcoal that has lighter fluid in it, and do not use lighter fluid to start your fires. The chemicals will get into the porous ceramic and your food will taste like lighter fluid. My advice would be to leave it outside with the top (with a rain cover if needed) & bottom vent open for about 24 to 48 hours to air dry, and then a low temp first burn to ensure that any moisture that could be in the ceramic pores has evaporated to avoid any cracking. Then, clean it out, give it a scrape to get rid of any crusty stuff & vacuum out the inside. Next, do a high temp burn (around 700 degrees) with a full load of charcoal. This should clean out all the grease, grime, and build-up inside. The interior should be close to the original white ceramic color. After that, scrape off the old gasket (some acetone can help), and replace with a new one for the top & bottom. After all of that, the fun part: grill, smoke, bake, or burn whatever you want! Pizzas are awesome on the egg, but there is a learning curve. Good luck!
not_so_humble
Looks like some holes are clogged you may want to put on some gloves and take the insides out to better clean out the old ashes. Replace it all and then fire. Happens to mine now and again if I leave the vents closed between uses.
You may also want to think about a new gasket because yours has mold and while I don’t think it will contaminate food once everything else is clean, it’s still gross.
pabloescobarbecue
Gonna have a big hot fire in your future. Just give it a good once over to make sure you get airflow and light it up.
ItsGrape_
A burn out should clean things up.
Delicious-Treacle753
I had the same issue when I inherited mine. Did a clean burn and swept ash out. Haven’t seen mold again after 7 years of use.
Tazwell3
Fire to 550* F for about 10 min
Da_Burninator_Trog
Low burn for 12 hrs and then let it rip for an hour. If it’s got moisture inside you want to bake it off before nuking.
OkCartographer897
Get a new grate or basket. Burn at or above 700 degrees for several hours.
Appropriate_Data9369
Start a really hot fire
No-Potential3036
Pressure washer. Take the 2 ceramic inserts and charcoal grate out. Pressure wash inserts, inside bowl and inside top lid. You will get dirty.
ticklemesatan
WE GONNA BURN…THIS MOTHA OUT!!
(Listening to Funk lately, but seriously, burn that Motha out!!)
PLS-Surveyor-US
You don’t need no water … let that MF’er burn…burn MF’er burn.
Florida_man2020
Start a hot fire, and let it burn for a few hours
Sofarbeyondfucked
Quick brush down then blazing hot fire. After which you can install a new gasket
18 Comments
Fire. Lots of Fire.
Fill it with lump and light it. But first check that the vents open and close and there is no other mechanical issues. Burning it out is a great start
Fire! Bring up around 280 300c and hold it there until all coals does.
With all grills etc on.
Hey bud, good for you, that’s quite an awesome inheritance; sorry if you lost someone close. First thing i would do is check the bottom from underneath to ensure there are no small cracks in the base. Then get a new bottom cast iron grate, or you could opt to upgrade to the BGE Ash Basket (my personal preference) or the KickAsh basket. After that, fill it about half way with lump charcoal. Do not use any charcoal that has lighter fluid in it, and do not use lighter fluid to start your fires. The chemicals will get into the porous ceramic and your food will taste like lighter fluid. My advice would be to leave it outside with the top (with a rain cover if needed) & bottom vent open for about 24 to 48 hours to air dry, and then a low temp first burn to ensure that any moisture that could be in the ceramic pores has evaporated to avoid any cracking. Then, clean it out, give it a scrape to get rid of any crusty stuff & vacuum out the inside. Next, do a high temp burn (around 700 degrees) with a full load of charcoal. This should clean out all the grease, grime, and build-up inside. The interior should be close to the original white ceramic color. After that, scrape off the old gasket (some acetone can help), and replace with a new one for the top & bottom. After all of that, the fun part: grill, smoke, bake, or burn whatever you want! Pizzas are awesome on the egg, but there is a learning curve. Good luck!
Looks like some holes are clogged you may want to put on some gloves and take the insides out to better clean out the old ashes. Replace it all and then fire. Happens to mine now and again if I leave the vents closed between uses.
You may also want to think about a new gasket because yours has mold and while I don’t think it will contaminate food once everything else is clean, it’s still gross.
Gonna have a big hot fire in your future.
Just give it a good once over to make sure you get airflow and light it up.
A burn out should clean things up.
I had the same issue when I inherited mine. Did a clean burn and swept ash out. Haven’t seen mold again after 7 years of use.
Fire to 550* F for about 10 min
Low burn for 12 hrs and then let it rip for an hour. If it’s got moisture inside you want to bake it off before nuking.
Get a new grate or basket. Burn at or above 700 degrees for several hours.
Start a really hot fire
Pressure washer. Take the 2 ceramic inserts and charcoal grate out. Pressure wash inserts, inside bowl and inside top lid. You will get dirty.
WE GONNA BURN…THIS MOTHA OUT!!
(Listening to Funk lately, but seriously, burn that Motha out!!)
You don’t need no water … let that MF’er burn…burn MF’er burn.
Start a hot fire, and let it burn for a few hours
Quick brush down then blazing hot fire. After which you can install a new gasket
Kill it with fire