Epic couple days and big bbq on the rise

[CaptGrumpy]

I have had few bad episodes yesterday but landed on my feet so to speak and I am ready to BBQ for over 100.
Yesterday I was busy replacing the gaskets on my large & XL BGEs when Iencountered an adhesive issue with one ofthe gasket sets and I set about regluing it with 3mSuper 77 spray adhesive. I had alrady had the dome off the XL and that was the one that had the issue so when I had the mishap it was costly.
OOPS!!! The damned dome slipped out of the band! (I will reveal the problem later)
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/BGEaccident.jpg
The dome cracked open and rolled against my left leg and it put quite a deep gash in the side of my calf.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/leg2.jpg
I decided in my infinite wisdom to skip getting stitches and just clean it up, shave it, disinfect with peroxide, and tape it closed. Worked well as I have done this before many many moons ago.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/leg1.jpg
I called my buddy at the BGE distibutor near here and was happy to find out it wasn't going to hurt as bad as I thought. So this morning I drove over to get a new dome and the new updated hinge band and drove home togetthe XL back up and on line because I am cateringa dinner for over 100 on Sunday and I will smoke the ribs tomorrow and then store them in steam trays in thefreefer till Sunday for rewarming, as well as get the tritip smoked and back in the reefer for finishing off over open flame on Sunday. All this so I can duck hunt Saturday.
So today I bought 45 pounds of Farmer John ribs and slathered them with EVOO and Pappy's low salt rub and stacked them into the reefer till tomorrow.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/40poundofribs.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/porkdone.jpg
Then the 60+ pounds f tritip slathered in EVOO and a mixture of Pappy's Prime Rib Rub and Pappy's Low Salt Rub and into buckets and off to my church hall around the corner to use the reefer there.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/60poundoftririp.jpg
So all the prep work has been finished and the smoke begins in the am.
When I took the trip to the distributor this moring I was trying to figure out why my and would not allow me to bend the bolt because the flanges were tight against each other and then I find out that myXL is smaller diameter because it is the first generation XL BGE and is 26 inches across and the newer XLs are 26 1/4 inch across thus making the band much tighter as it should be. The lower band in the pic is not completely tighten yet when the pic was taken.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/newbgeXLband2.jpg
The top band can now bend the bolt as needed. The bottom tighten back together as it did with the old band due to the bottom's diameter. Had the band fit properly to begin with this never would have happened and of course BGE would never have had to increase the diameter of the bottom and dome. You can't get a bolt to bend if the tabs are too close to each other. And before they added a 1/4 inch to the diameter BGE knew they had a problem with the band not being able to hold the dome. I will calling headquarters in the morning.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/newbgeXLband1.jpg
That is the beginning of my episode of taking a few days off from duck hunting. BTW I finally got a Woody after 30 years of hunting! Well a Wood Duckthat is! He is off at the taxidermist!
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w70/CaptGrumpy/woodduck2.jpg

[JiveTurkey]

Sorry about your leg but looks like it didn't slow you down. Good luck with the cookout tomorrow! Supposed to rain like mad on Saturday, not sure if that affects duck hunting our not but we got some big storms on the way.

[jocosa]

Nice Wood duck! He'll look awesome mounted.

[frognot]

Man, this BBQ bidness is dangerous!

Good lookin' Woody. Would love one of them on The Man Room wall but that water fowling is damn hard and miserable hunting so i'll stick with shooting at deers and wild pigs and such.

[Midnight Smoke]

You dropped the old dome, right? you said the new dome is 1/4" larger than the old style. But you are saying the lower band will not tighten? Did you get new Bands and they will not fit your old bottom? What did I miss here?

You did get the new XL Dome? How much different is it?

[CaptGrumpy]

You dropped the old dome, right? you said the new dome is 1/4" larger than the old style. But you are saying the lower band will not tighten? Did you get new Bands and they will not fit your old bottom? What did I miss here?

You did get the new XL Dome? How much different is it?

The new redesigned for more space dome is not out yet so I got a regular replacement dome for now.It is wider by 1/4 inch and as you can see by the bolt & band pic that the top is fine yet thelower band is not tight enough because the size of the old bottom but itwill work for now. You do not need to worry about your XL as I am certain it is of the newer circumfrence.

[Phubar]

:shock: