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Just picked up a used BGE but it needs some work...

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rossmatt06

Knows what a fatty is.
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I found an older, large BGE on ebay and was able to pick it up for $150. It looks to be in pretty good condition for its age but I noticed that they added a rotisserie to it and had to bore holes where the lid mates to the bottom. The ceramic cap it broken and needs replaced, as well as the gasket and the exterior glaze is pretty weathered. I am not able to pick it up until next weekend so I'm not sure the extent of the work required. I want to be able to use it to it's full temp range as the thought of making pizza at 750 or 800*F one day and smoking at 240*F the next astounds me :becky:. What do you recomend for the repair of the ceramic at the holes that will make a food safe but reliable fix? Secondly, how should I go about refinishing the faded glaze? I have a ceramic shop about a minute down the road but I don't know if the BGE will fit in her kiln let alone if she wants something like that in it. The last question I have is what modifications would you recomend once the repairs are made and it's brought back up to spec such as adding the spring assist lid hinge, place setter, upgraded gasket, cast iron dual purpose cap, etc... Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to joining the BGE owners group :cool:
 
When you get a chance, get pictures of the holes. How big are the holes. A new gasket sounds like it will be needed. If this is going to be outside, I would get the cast iron cap and the rain cap. The place setter is a must for low and slow. Someone else will have to answer your glaze question.
 
Here is the eBay link. Check out this item I found on eBay:

BBQ GRILL SMOKER BIG GREEN EGG W/ROTISSERIE SPIT MOTOR!

Link:http://cgi.ebay.com/BBQ-GRILL-SMOKER-BIG-GREEN-EGG-W-ROTISSERIE-SPIT-MOTOR_W0QQitemZ130414203925QQcategoryZ165567QQvarZQQcmdZViewItem

(Sent from eBay Mobile for Android)

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It looks like JB Weld is only good to 500*F so that's not really an option. Has anyone tried Resbond 907GF for ceramic repair?

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With that old-style egg you may not need to go higher than 500*. That looks like the one I had (though mine was brick red) and, IIRC, they recommended not exceeding 350* (at least routinely) or risk cracking not only the firebox but the shell itself. Mine actually had a number of cracks (bought it used from the dealer). I repaired the external cracks with some kind of firebox cement, but that was years ago and I don't remember much about what I actually bought.
 
Thanks for the fast response! I was looking forward to doing pizza at a higher temp but I'm still looking forward to the new addition. Is there any way to tell via serial or markings what vintage and the max recommended temperature is? I was under the impression that the clay eggs were a lower temp but the ceramic ones were higher. From the pics it looks white like ceramic but I won't know for sure until Saturday.

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Congrats on your new-to-you Egg. I don't know about fixing the holes, or refinishing, but I have some important advice for ya concerning the gasket. First, you don't need to replace it, I've cooked on mine for a year without a gasket...because...and this leads to the second point of advice - I let my temps peak to over 700 degrees on my third or fourth cook and seared the gasket shut. IF you replace it, do several low temp (250-300F max) cooks before letting it get high heat. Also, pizzas done at 350 in the Egg are still wonderful. You're gonna love your new cooker...if not, ship it to me :)
 
Thank you for the advice and encouraging words! Saturday can not come soon enough! Now hopefully it servives the three hour ride home : )

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rossmatt06 said:
Thanks for the fast response! I was looking forward to doing pizza at a higher temp but I'm still looking forward to the new addition. Is there any way to tell via serial or markings what vintage and the max recommended temperature is? I was under the impression that the clay eggs were a lower temp but the ceramic ones were higher. From the pics it looks white like ceramic but I won't know for sure until Saturday.

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Click to expand...
Honestly, from the pics it looks exactly like the old clay one I had except for color. I seriously doubt it is the newer high temp ceramic. While these can stand high heat for a little while, I would not expect to cook pizza at 700* and have the thing last for long. That said, it will cook at 350* and below like nobody's business. I replaced the ceramic top with the metal one with the vent they use to sell which helped maintain a steady temp much better. Not sure if those are still available.
 
So it survived the trip from Philly to central pa. Here are my findings... The egg looks identical to an emperial kamado from what I've seen on the web. It is made of clay not ceramic. Sorry for doubting my fellow brethren! Its solid but the draft door was rusted pretty bad. I downloaded the kamado manual from naked whiz and plan on restoring it starting this week. My questions are can I use a BGE draft door or is it something I will have to fabricate? Also, any words of wisdom for a new clay grill owner?

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Gotta be honest, I don't know anything about restoring them. You might want to jump on the BGE forum and see what some of those guys say about it. As for cooking on it, you just got to get used to how far to open the vents to get a steady temp. You can cook at 300* and most things will cook a bit quicker in the egg then in other smokers and be juicy. I still have the original cookbook that I got when I bought my egg, but it is packed up in storage somewhere. I will suggest that if all it has is the clay top, invest in the metal one with the vent - makes a huge difference in controlling the temp.
 
Replace the slide draft door with a BGE stainless steel one and get a DFMT to replace the cracked rain cap. Lose the rotisserie and use JB Weld or furnace cement to cover the spit rod gooves on the pot. I wouldn't dump much $$ into it because it will never be as functional like a ceramic kamado, but it will be a great little grill.
 
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