How To Replace A Gasket On A Big Green Egg Kamado Grill

Once upon a time, back in 2010, we bought Egg #2.  It had virgin ivory ceramics inside and the felt gasket was unblemished.

Six years later, the heavy grilling, smoking, and being hauled around to BBQ contests have taken their toll.  The gasket was toast.  Actually it was beyond toast, this gasket was....no more.   

Yeah, it's beyond time to replace this gasket.

Gaskets are the weakest point of a kamado grill.  They function as a seal between the top and bottom pieces of the ceramic grill.  They are made of things like felt, Nomex, and rubber.  Eventually, most of them fail.  Egg #1 lost his gasket within the first year and I ran it gasket-less for years.  Using a kamado without a gasket isn't the end of the world but they work a lot better with one.

My Grill Dome gasket has had over a year of very heavy use and it is surprisingly intact.  But it has gotten compacted and pretty inflexible so it doesn't provide much of a seal if I have thermometer cables running into the kamado.  I think I'll go ahead and replace it too but it has held up well.

When it comes to replacement gaskets, check with your kamado manufacturer first for their recommendations and whether or not they cover the gasket under warranty (most won't).  

So here is where I tell you don't do what I do, because technically the woven fiberglass gasket that I use is NOT approved by any kamado manufacturers that I know of and it is NOT certified as food safe. This is the thing....I'm not cooking my food on the gasket - I'm cooking it on the grill. 

Step 1 - Get your stuff!

For me, the only gasket that I will use is a Rutland stove gasket. I heard about them from a lot of people who swore by them on the kamado forums. The bottom line for me is that I have never had to replace a Rutland on a kamado once I have installed one. 

The specific model I use is a Rutland 95W-6    (3/4" x 1/4" x 7') .  This is a flat gasket, not the rope style.  You can buy them online from Amazon but I got all three of these items from Ace Hardware in Knoxville.   Note that the gasket is much thicker than the original one on the kamado.  You will only be installing it on the lower rim.  The rim of the dome lid will stay bare after this replacement.

Instead of using the cement provided with the gasket, I like to use Permatex Copper gasket maker.  It's the same stuff we used to seal around the lower vent on other kamados with good success.

The best tool for cleaning off the gasket, grease and adhesive residue left by the first gasket is a drill mounted 3M Paint and Rust Stripper. 

Step 2 - Take that kamado apart!

The first thing you have to do is secure the spring loaded hinge.  These have stored energy so be careful when handling them.  If you kept the retaining pieces (white pieces on top) you can use those.  These were my neighbor's and they didn't fit this older Egg so I used 2 heavy duty zip ties on each side like this.

Next, I loosen the 2 band bolts like this until they are completely loose.  Carefully lift the dome lid off and set aside.  Then remove the bands.

Step 3 - Lose the old gasket - or what is left of it.

Pull off the old gasket and remove as much as possible using a small putty knife.

Then I use the 3M Paint and Rust Stripper on the rims of the top and bottom.  You shouldn't have to press down too hard, let the drill do most of the work.  As always, wear safety glasses when using power tools.

I want the rim to be totally clean of dirt or debris like this so the adhesive can stick to it.

Step 4 - Apply the new gasket.

Next, I apply a zig zag bead of the Permatex all the way around the rim of the base.  Then immediately start installing the gasket.

You will see the ends are slightly frayed.  I have found the more you play with them the worse they get so I leave it alone.  I start this on top of the base rim at the back where the center of the hinge would be.  Notice that I'm wearing gloves...fiberglass makes me itchy. 

Work your way around the rim laying the gasket on top and slightly pressing down into the Permatex. The inner edge of the gasket should be just inside the inner edge of the rim, it should not protrude into the cooking area.

When I get all the way around to where it started, cut the excess gasket off with a pair of sharp scissors so that the gasket ends flush with itself.  There will be a little fluff from the two frayed ends.  I press what I can down into the Permatex and the rest has never been a problem for me.

Once I have the gasket lined up to my satisfaction, I place the dome lid on top and let the adhesive cure for at least one hour.

Step 5 - Put it back together.

Once the gasket has cured, it's time to put the the bands back on.  I line the handle back up with the bottom vent and then secure the bottom band by tightening the bolt just enough to hold it in place.

Finally it's time to put the dome lid back on and make sure it is aligned dead center.  These guides from Big Green Egg make that a little easier but I've done it without them.  Just look straight down and make sure it is centered.

Once aligned, I tighten both band bolts.  First,  I press up lightly on the upper band and tighten the bolt just enough to hold it securely in place.  Stop there and double check that your alignment is still good.  Then I finish tightening the lower bolt. I don't have a torque wrench so I just tighten it until I see the bolt start to bend.  Then I finish tightening the top band the same way.

Finally I do the "dollar bill" test to make sure that I don't have air gaps anywhere in the seal.  Just stick a dollar on the gasket and shut the lid.  Try to pull the dollar out and you should feel resistance.  Do those spot checks all around the kamado.  If it just slips out without effort, you've got an alignment issue.  Loosen the bolts, re-align the dome, retighten and try it again.

Ready to go back into the grill rotation. I'll use it a few times before its next BBQ competition in about 2 weeks.

Standard FTC Disclaimer:  I received no compensation for this post and paid full price for the supplies mentioned.

Char-Broil Half Time Charcoal Starter – A Must Have Grilling Accessory

When I first started on my journey to making exceptional BBQ, one of the first BBQ grilling accessories that I bought was a simple charcoal chimney starter.  I was using a drafty, cheap offset smoker and didn’t yet know a lot about BBQ but I knew enough that I wasn’t going to put lighter fluid into my smoker.

I have learned a ton about BBQ since then. I’ve learned new techniques, how to perfect my craft, and cook on much nicer equipment now.  But to this day, when I use charcoal grills like my Kettleman, Performance Charcoal Grill 780, or our competition trailer pit, I still use a chimney charcoal starter to get my coals fired up.  I like the chimney starters because they don’t impart any off flavors to my fuel, they are fast, and they give me a quick way to estimate quantity of fuel.

The only difference these days is that I use a better designed chimney that starts faster – The Char-Broil Half TimeCharcoal Chimney Starter .  The original chimneys were just big cans with holes cut in the bottom.  The Char-Broil Half Time Chimney Starter is designed to optimize air flow and get your coals started much faster than the original ones did. 

Here’s how I use mine:

What to use for starter fuel

The typical fuel that goes in the bottom section of the chimney starter is leftover newspaper.  But you can also use a paraffin wax starter cube under the chimney.  Lots of people just tear off pieces of the charcoal bag as starter fuel.  If using newspaper, you’ll need about 4 sheets of it – start with two sheets and then add two more about 2-3 minutes after the first batch.

Don’t just crumple up the paper and jam it in there.  That will work but it has unpredictable airflow and can make it take longer.

Instead, take 2 sheets and staring in one corner, roll towards the other corner to form a tube. 

Then roll that up like a doughnut like this.  Doing it like this will provide better airflow and quicker starts.

What to use for cooking fuel

Most folks use charcoal briquettes but you can also use your Char-Broil Half Time Chimney Starter for lump coal, wood, or a mixture of lump and wood.  If using wood with briquettes, I prefer to get the coals started and in the grill before adding wood. 

A fully loaded Half Time Chimney Starter will have about 60-70 briquettes so you can use the chimney to estimate your quantities of cooking fuel.  This would be about 40 or so briquettes. 

When using lump coal or lump and wood mixed, I overfill it slightly because the lump will break down and reduce in volume while starting.

How to light the Char-Broil Half Time Chimney Starter

You can use just about anything to light the fuel – matches, wand style lighters, or even a torch.  One of the design features that I LOVE about the Half Time Chimney Starter is that it has 3 access ports at the bottom that accommodate most wand lighters and even my torch.  For the previous brand that I had you had to lift the chimney up to light it and sometimes that lets the newspaper spring out. 

It is small design features like the access ports and plentiful venting that make the Half Time Chimney Starter the easiest, fastest, and cleanest way to start your fire.

It should take about 8-12 minutes to get your coals hot and ready, depending on weather conditions, fuel used, and quantity of coal. 

Your coals are ready when they are ashed over and glowing.  Wearing heat resistant gloves, carefully pour the hot coals into your grill’s charcoal tray and you’ll be ready to grill in minutes.

So up your grilling game this Summer with new grilling accessories  and make the switch to the Half Time Chimney Starter.

[Standard FTC Disclaimer]  I received compensation for this post as part of a sponsorship from Char-Broil. 

Practice Competition Rib Cook

I need practice on my competition ribs because at Sevierville* last weekend I averaged 8's for taste and tenderness which isn't going to cut it for what we want to do.  Just under 2 years ago we did our first contest and were happy just to complete every category without finishing DAL.  Now if we don't get 9-9-9's (KCBS scores 0-9 from each judge for appearance, taste, and tenderness), we're not satisfied.

So this cook was just a baseline to focus on the details of our rib program without being distracted at a contest and then figure out where I need to improve for our next contest in a few weeks.  

My Grill Dome didn't make it back to the deck after last weekend's contest so I just rolled it out front on Saturday.  Never noticed until now that it is almost a perfect match for Trevor's car.  You can get Grill Domes in custom colors but this was just a stock color.

My highest rib score was 6th place at Sevierville last year when I cooked them on an Adjustable Rig but since then I've been using a homemade raised rack.  Typically we run 4 racks of ribs.  Using the raised rack means the bottom 2 ribs are close to the heat deflector so the ends can overcook.   So time to go back to the A/R.

To get back to using the Adjustable Rigs, I bought a set of oval heat deflectors from the Ceramic Grill Store.  (And a Kick Ash Basket for the Mini-Max!)  The longer heat deflectors are what they recommend for rib and brisket set ups anyway and I should have bought one that way to begin with.

This cook was the maiden voyage for a new fire box that I bought from Hearth and Patio this weekend.  So ivory...for now.

Here is a side view of the full A/R set up.  The main advantages for this specific set up are 1) the oval heat deflector protects the rib ends and 2) the 4 racks of ribs sit higher up in the dome for more even cooking.

One of the biggest issues with our ribs has been consistency of suppliers. I've gone back and forth. These were IBP because I couldn't get my usual ones this weekend.  I'm definitely sticking with Cheshire Heritage Pork ribs, our best ribs this year have been theirs. No more jumping around.

This set up is great for getting the racks away from any hot spots. The downside is that the ribs on the upper rack are very near the thermometer stem, which will throw off temperature readings, making them seem artificially low.  I have a fix for that.

I took an air temperature probe for my ThermaQ and clipped it just below the upper grate to get a more accurate temperature reading.  Kamado grill tip: Pulling the dome thermometer out a little bit will also help by getting the tip of the thermometer further away from the cold meat.

The temperature difference due to the cold meat only lasted for the first hour or two.  Once the meat was cooking, the dome thermometer came up and matched the ThermaQ.  

Getting close to wrapping time.

Another benefit to the A/R set up is that I can just slide the rib racks out and shut the dome, doing a better job of maintaining cooking temps.  I don't do anything much different than the majority of top comp teams for the wrap ingredients.

This is after coming back out of the foil.  Lighting is harsh but whatevs...

Sauced and back on for a brief kiss of smoke before boxing.

Sliced.  Not much of a smoke ring.  KCBS Certified BBQ Judges (3 of our teammates are CBJ's) are not supposed to judge based on smoke rings but I think it still makes a difference.  I just need to make sure the ribs are nice and cold when they go on and make sure I spritz the ribs when they first go on instead of waiting for the first hour to pass.  Moisture helps the nitrogen compounds in smoke convert and bond more easily to the myoglobin in the meat, keeping it pink. 

Practice box.  Appearance hasn't been an issue, I pretty much get 9's for that.  But this box  still bugs me.  I should be using ribs from the same rack or two so they aren't all herky-jerky at the top like these.  The garnish is lighter at the top of the box versus the bottom.  I'll take the color and the evenly exposed bones but definitely room for improvement.

So these are good but I have some things that I will adjust.  I'm going to reduce or eliminate one of the three rubs.  Once that is set I'll test a few sauce changes (you only ever change 1 thing at a time). Finally for tenderness, I think I've taken too much time to foil the ribs which means less time in the wrap.  I've streamlined that process to minimize time off the grill.

You might think I am nit-picking here.  But any competition team will tell you that less than 1 point can make the difference between Top 10 and everyone else.  

If BBQ competitions intrigue you, check out a local event.  It's a great thing to get involved in as an organizer, volunteer, judge, or competitor.  Here are some lists of events for different organizations.  We like KCBS but there are lots of solid groups.

Kansas City BBQ Society (biggest, most widely recognized IMO)

Florida BBQ Association

Georgia BBQ Association

Memphis BBQ Network

North East BBQ Society

Pacific North West BBQ Association

California BBQ Association

Standard FTC Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this post.  We have no affiliation with Grill Dome (sponsor last year), Ceramic Grill Store, Hearth and Patio, or Cheshire Pork.  We have good working relationships with Thermaworks and Kick Ash Basket but paid full price for their products shown.

*Full report on the report coming up later

Burger Month: Poblano and Pimento Cheese Sliders with Home Cured Bacon

May is National Burger Month and Kita over at Girl Carnivore has rounded up a great cadre of burgers for every day of the month from food bloggers across the interwebs thingy.  Probably despite her best judgement, Kita invited me to contribute again this year.

I decided to go pub style this year with a pimento cheese burger but put a few special twists on it. First of all, my pimento cheese, really isn't pimento cheese.  I find the jarred pimentos lacking in flavor so I made a "fire roasted poblano and red bell pepper cheese spread sort of like pimento cheese".  You can see why I still just call it pimento cheese.  

I also upped the bacon ante by curing and smoking my own bacon.  I realize that not many people are going to bother with making their own bacon so I won't make it a part of the recipe.  But you really should try it some time.  I did a version of Chris Lilly's Pepper Maple Bacon except we made Pepper Honey Bacon.  Chris' right hand man at Big Bob Gibson's BBQ is Ken Hess who also happens to be a beekeeper and I had some honey from his Jive Hive, so I used it.  

This is a section of a 12lb pork belly that we got from Willy's Butcher Shop in Knoxville.  I smoked it on a ceramic kamado grill (Big Green Egg this time) with some hickory wood.

I smoked it to an internal temperature of 155°f.  For full details, I have previously done a post on How I Smoke Bacon on a Kamado Grill. 

After smoking, I chilled the bacon for 24 hours to make it easier to slice.  Plus I think it needs a rest after smoking.  I sliced most of it but cubed the end pieces to use as seasoning in things like pinto beans, collard greens, and things like that. 

If you don't want to cure the bacon at home, see if you can find Benton's Bacon.  It's well known in upper echelon restaurants.  It's made here locally using old fashion techniques (they use a real smokehouse, not flash smoking slices or injecting smoke solutions like commercial bacon).  For the burger seasoning, I used a simple rub of 4 parts coarse black pepper, 3 parts Kosher salt, and 2 parts granulated garlic.

Poblano and Pimento Cheese Sliders with Pepper Honey Bacon

Published 05/26/16

Ingredients

• 24 ounces ground beef
• 4 pretzel slider buns
• 1.5 teaspoons burger seasoning
• 4 slices pepper honey bacon, halved

For the sort of pimento cheese

• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons fire roasted poblano peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon season salt
• 1/4 teaspoon BBQ rub
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ancho chile
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Char a red bell pepper and a poblano chile on a hot grill.  Here's how to fire roast a chile pepper.  
2. Mix together pimento cheese ingredients together in a large bowl until it is well blended together.  Allow to chill for at least 1 hour before using.
3. Cook bacon until crispy and set aside.
4. Divide the ground beef into six 3-ounce portions and form them into 3" patties.
5. Set up your grill for direct heat and pre-heat it to 450°f.
6. Just before putting the burgers on the grill, lightly oil the grill grates and season the patties on both sides with whatever burger seasoning you wish to use.  
7. Grill the burgers for 4 minutes a side and remove from the grill.  Note:  I don't like medium rare burgers unless I ground the meat myself.  If you choose to do so, shorten the cook times.
8. Assemble the burgers with a burger on the bottom bun topped with a spoonful of the pimento cheese, another pattie, the bacon and of course, the top bun.  

Yield: 4 sliders that won't leave you hungry

Fresh vegetables always taste better. 

Chop off the butt end, slice it open and scrape out the insides.

A grapefruit spoon is a grate tool for lightly scraping off the charred skin.

The roasted chiles really boost the flavor of pimento cheese.  Of course homemade pimento cheese isn't the weird day-glow orange color that you see in most store bought versions.

We're still working on the tater tot recipe but we took shredded potatoes, dried onion, pepper, salt, parsley and garlic and mixed it with a batter of flour, egg, and beer.  

We deep fried the tots until golden, about 5-6 minutes.

I didn't season the burgers until immediately before they go onto the grill.

I cooked these on the first kamado I ever got, my first large BGE.  

Typically I go about 4 minutes per side but what I'm really watching for is to see the burgers start to expel juice out of the top like this.  That tells me they are ready to flip.

Burgers finishing up on the grill.

Despite having a small footprint, these sliders have over a third pound of beef so they won't leave you hungry!

You can check out all of the other epic burger ideas by clicking on the pictures at Girl Carnivore. Kita has also set up a great selection of prizes for giveaways.  The following are this week's giveaways.

• Swissmar Glow 7PC Fondue Set ($15.00)
• American Lamb
• Cabot cheesebox
• Cert Angus Beef
• Charbroil Grill
• Cowboy Charcoal Samplers
• Cuttingboard.com cutting board
• GrillMasters Club Box

Where this epic burger creation is my own for #BurgerMonth 2016, I would love to thank American Lamb Board, Char-broil, Cowboy Charcoal, Swissmar, Cabot

Enter the giveaway below on Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where this epic burger creation is my own for #BurgerMonth 2016, I would love to thank American Lamb Board, Char-broil, Cowboy Charcoal, Swissmar, Cabot