BGE gasket help

[stoneeyes317]

For those of you who regularly use a BGE, how often do you have to replace your gasket? I got my BGE late last summer, and I had to replace my gasket this spring. I just did some ribs today and it looks like I will need to replace it again soon. Is this normal? If not, what would I be doing wrong with my cooking that I need to change? Any help?

eyes317

[CAMAN]

I don't own one but do know they have issues if you cook at high temps.

[stoneeyes317]

Well that could easily be the problem. We like to have a steak regularly, and we've done a few pizzas too and those cooks are 500 degrees plus. I guess it's going to be just a cost of using the Egg...

eyes317

[thirdeye]

My eggs have the older gray felt style and the gaskets are 6 or 7 years old. The one on my large egg is actually wearing out from use. Pizza is the hardest on all gaskets as the plate setter and pizza stone are at gasket level, and you cook them in the 500° range. That high heat is deflected right at the gasket. Steaks are not as bad as the grate is well below the rim.

Here is the deal.... About a year and a half ago, there was a supplier problem with some gaskets installed on many new Eggs. The glue failed, sometimes after one or two cooks. They could not tell which gaskets were which, and had to wait for the bad ones to fail. The home office in Atlanta was supplying replacement gaskets, but went with a self adhesive style that had mixed results. In addition you had to clean the old one off and install the new one. Responsible dealers replaced them at no cost claiming they were a warranty issue. I think by now, all the bad gaskets have probably been discovered and replaced.

Good advice after installing a new gasket is to do a couple of lower temp cooks to cure the glue. There are also a couple of options for replacement gaskets other than BGE products. And some folks cook without gaskets. I think the toughest ones are Rutland gaskets, but they are made from woven fiberglass and the company does have a disclaimer about using around food.... but I know a lot of folks that use them.

[stoneeyes317]

Thanks for the info thirdeye. Yes, my new gasket was as you described, but it looked to be doing well until the last couple of cooks. That being said, my family likes a good pizza hot off the grill and it's taken 4 attempts before I seemed to have gotten it right. As I said I will just stock up on gaskets and consider it a cost of use...

eyes317

[ameyers41]

I've had mine since last christmas, and I'm about ready to need a replacement. I do both pizzas and high heat searing (650-700) somewhat frequently, and I too have chalked it up to cost of a use. It's a fantastic grill/smoker though. Just did ribs last sunday, and I'm starting to drool thinking about them.