Ceramic Grill Spring Cleaning/Maintenance

Spring has sprung and grilling season is once again approaching.  It is time to get those grills in shape for some hot fire BBQ and grilling action.  With some simple maintenance and care, you can be assured of a hassle free and fun grilling season.  In today’s video, we offer you some of our favorite annual maintenance and cleaning help to make sure that the season goes smoothly with no problems.  Whether you are using a Big Green Egg or other Kamado grill, these seven easy to follow and simple tips will surely make your summer cooking time much more enjoyable.

It may seem odd to need to do maintenance on your grill but I assure you, taking an hour or two to do all of these  “chores” will cut down on any problems that you may normally encounter.  Not only that, but it is great to start the season off with a nice clean grill.  The cleaner the grill, the better the food will turn out.  Not only that, but these maintenance items will help to prevent any catastrophic failures.  I have seen many broken kamado domes out there!

Go ahead and click on the video link to get some helpful and useful knowledge for an enjoyable and care free grilling season.  There is nothing worse than planning a summer party and when the guests arrive there is no food because of a broken grill or other problems that could arise.  Until then, here is a summary of what we cover in the video.  Enjoy the video, happy grilling, get out and grill, remember to SUBSCRIBE to the channel and we will see you the next time on….The FOGO Life.  Captain Ron out……

• Full cleanout.
  1. Remove all pieces inside the Egg.
  2. Clean out all ash
  3. Scrub the sides with aluminum foil ball
  4. Check all ceramics for cracks
  5. Scrub the grates- clean them when hot, it works best
  6. Shop Vac out the ash.
  7. Ash can be used in gardening
• Clean Burn
  1. Not necessary but many people like to do it for a fresh start.
  2. Cleans all ceramics, including the conveggtor.
  3. 700 degrees for an hour or more ought to do it.
  4. WARNING- YOU WILL NEED A NEW GASKET
• Gasket Replacement
  1. Use OEM style gasket. Simple but may burn out over time.
  2. Use a Rutland Gasket. Works well but will void the lifetime warranty
  3. You can go gasketless. I know people who have done it.
• Tighten all nuts and bolts
  1. EVERYTHING must be checked due to Thermal Expansion.
  2. Check to see that everything is tight. Dome nuts, bands and stand.
  3. I have seen many broken domes and once broken, you can’t put Humpty Dumpty together again
  4. Grab the right wrench sizes & BGE tool 7/16 & ½”
  5. The bolts on the back are supposed to be bent
  6. All screws and bolts on the Egg and table should be checked.
• Overbite/underbite
  1. These will greatly affect the performance of your egg.
  2. Any air gap, even the slightest, will make temperature control nearly impossible.
  3. Alignment is as important as an air gap. It could easily cause air leakage and temperature control is affected
• Conveggtor cleaning.
  1. Scrape and cover in foil.
  2. Foil catches all of the juices and fats that drip down. When it drips on the conveggtor, it is porous, so it all seeps its way in.  Thermal expansion will cause it to crack
• Thermometer calibration
  1. Check it once every 6 months. They can be way off.
  2. It is to calibrate.