jimithing78
Full Fledged Farker
Hi all. Was perusing craigslist the other day and saw a posting for a BGE-like grill + table for $50. No pictures. I've never owned a Kamado but I've been wanting to see what they're all about so I asked the guy to e-mail me some pictures and he sent a couple of pretty poor angled shots but I could at least see it was a kamado type grill so I said I'd take it and went to grab it. It was dark when I got there so I didn't get a good look at it but now I have it home and and finally got a chance to check it out.
The pattern doesn't look like a big green egg. And the top cover gives it away I guess - doesn't seem to be an egg. But what is it? Just a generic clone? There's a circle K logo in the 4th picture below and of course the top says "BBQ Smoker Top Taiwan." You can see from the pictures it's pretty rough. The finish is on the outside doesn't have any cracks in it or anything but it's faded. Possibly painted at one time?
Here's the list of things to do that I've found so far:
1. One of the hinges doesn't seem to open all the way and lock like it's supposed to (second hinge picture). I need to play with the band adjustments and hopefully I'll be able to correct that. I don't really want to try finding a replacement hinge for this - can't be done easily unless a medium BGE happens to be the exact same dimensions.
2. It doesn't have a gasket on it at all. What's the best way to get all the soot buildup off so the gasket will adhere properly? And what's the best gasket? BGE brand or something else?
3. You can see the fire box and fire ring are cracked. The ring is probably still useable - it's just in 2 pieces. The fire box looks pretty bad to me. It's crumbling so I'd like to replace it. At the opening the grill is 18" from outside edge to outside edge. 16" from inside edge to inside edge. This thing seems to be about the size of a medium BGE - will a medium BGE firebox fit properly? Can anyone with a medium BGE confirm the firebox dimensions?
4. I didn't get a picture of it but the draft door at the front is frozen and will have to be replaced. The screw holes are approximately where the holes are for a BGE so I suppose I'll get one meant for a medium BGE and see if it fits. The bolts holding it in on the inside are frozen from rust so I'll have to cut off the screw heads on the outside and hope it works out.
5. I'd like to remove some of the built up soot. I'll probably scrape as much as I can but may also try to burn it out after I get it in working shape. Or is there a better way? Wire brush is probably too abrasive, right?
6. Charcoal grate is obviously toast as well. From looking around it seems that the high-que grate is the way to go.
The pattern doesn't look like a big green egg. And the top cover gives it away I guess - doesn't seem to be an egg. But what is it? Just a generic clone? There's a circle K logo in the 4th picture below and of course the top says "BBQ Smoker Top Taiwan." You can see from the pictures it's pretty rough. The finish is on the outside doesn't have any cracks in it or anything but it's faded. Possibly painted at one time?
Here's the list of things to do that I've found so far:
1. One of the hinges doesn't seem to open all the way and lock like it's supposed to (second hinge picture). I need to play with the band adjustments and hopefully I'll be able to correct that. I don't really want to try finding a replacement hinge for this - can't be done easily unless a medium BGE happens to be the exact same dimensions.
2. It doesn't have a gasket on it at all. What's the best way to get all the soot buildup off so the gasket will adhere properly? And what's the best gasket? BGE brand or something else?
3. You can see the fire box and fire ring are cracked. The ring is probably still useable - it's just in 2 pieces. The fire box looks pretty bad to me. It's crumbling so I'd like to replace it. At the opening the grill is 18" from outside edge to outside edge. 16" from inside edge to inside edge. This thing seems to be about the size of a medium BGE - will a medium BGE firebox fit properly? Can anyone with a medium BGE confirm the firebox dimensions?
4. I didn't get a picture of it but the draft door at the front is frozen and will have to be replaced. The screw holes are approximately where the holes are for a BGE so I suppose I'll get one meant for a medium BGE and see if it fits. The bolts holding it in on the inside are frozen from rust so I'll have to cut off the screw heads on the outside and hope it works out.
5. I'd like to remove some of the built up soot. I'll probably scrape as much as I can but may also try to burn it out after I get it in working shape. Or is there a better way? Wire brush is probably too abrasive, right?
6. Charcoal grate is obviously toast as well. From looking around it seems that the high-que grate is the way to go.
