How To Replace and Install Rutland Gasket Big Green Egg (When Should I Replace my Green Egg Gasket?)

Big green egg is a complete outdoor cooking device that combines the ruggedness of the classic charcoal fire pit with the finesse of a modern grill that results in a product as effective as it is appealing.

This simple yet efficient cooking set made from ceramics is a joy to cook with. It presents you with a unique way of grilling that uses big lumps of charcoal made from hardwood, which supplies a refreshing departure from your everyday metal grills fueled by gas.

The Rutland gasket, an essential component of the green egg, is a heat-sealing material installed in the product to prevent heat and air from escaping from the cooking unit, thereby ensuring that your food cooks very fast.

These gaskets can last for years, all things being equal. However, there might be a need for you to change this gasket when it starts showing deterioration or wear and tear. How to replace this worn-out gasket is so easy, and we will show you how.

Why The Craze for Big Green Egg?

Variety, they say, is the spice of life; many people will always welcome change that provides a deviation from their monotonous way of doing things.

It is common to see outdoor grills made of metal and run-on gas, but when you see one that is ceramic and runs on your good-old charcoal, it becomes a hit with most people. There are other reasons why people love the big green egg, including:

Big green egg is a simple, natural, yet versatile cooking device that is easy to use and learn.
The cooking set has an alluring design, look, and color different from other grills that keep people hooked. They are simply a beauty to behold and cook with.
Big green eggs are made of high-quality materials that are sturdy and reliable, and hence the product is very durable. Even though the product is a little bit too expensive than your everyday grill, people see it as good value for money because of its quality.
Because of the way the unit is designed cooks food faster and gives fantastic cooking results that have endeared it to peoples’ hearts.
Big green egg is so versatile that it can serve as an outdoor oven, a low and slow smoker, a roaster, and what have you. It can cook different types of food, from burgers to seafood, steaks, and the likes.
Big green egg insulating ceramics allows for precise temperature control.
The unit has an exterior glaze that is easy to wipe clean while any build-up inside burns away, making the big green egg very easy to clean.
They come in about seven different sizes, from the large to the medium, small, minimax, and the rest, which means you have varieties of sizes to choose from based on your catering needs.

The Green Egg Parts and Components

Here are the components that makeup the Big Green Egg

The fire ring: this part sits inside the egg and is placed on top of the firebox. It creates space for the charcoal to burn properly.
The firebox: this is the place you burn your charcoal or wood product to generate heat.
The fire grates: this part separates the ash from the lump of charcoal that is burning. It is found at the bottom of the egg.
The temperature gauge [ 2inches and 3inches dial] helps to check the internal temperature of the big green egg.
Replacement Grid: this sits on top of the fire ring, and it is the place you cook directly on, while the plate setter is used for indirect cooking.
Mesh screen: this screen allows air into the compartment that burns the charcoal in the unit
Set of 4 Draft Door Tips: this is the part that allows you to control the unit’s temperature by controlling the amount of fresh air allowed into the firebox.
Ceramic damper top
Dual function metal top: this is also known as the chimney vent, and it regulates the amount of hot air and smoke that escapes.

How To Install the Rutland Gasket on The Big Green Egg?

Installing the Rutland gasket is not difficult if you follow the instruction in the manual.

Preparing The Big Green Egg for The Rutland Gasket

If your good old gasket is burnt and can no longer keep your big green egg sealed, then you must have to replace it. You must ensure that all the materials that you need are available.

To make the process easier, you should remove the big green egg’s dome by opening the lid and then loosening the top lid hoop near the hinge at the back.

The scrapper or a plastic putty knife can be used to scrape out the old gasket, and afterward, you can use a random-orbit sander with a 40-grit disc to completely remove any remaining part of the gasket.

Install The Rutland Gasket on The Big Green Egg

Before you install the Rutland gasket, ensure that you have the adequate amount of the gasket to go round the circumference of your big green egg.

You should also ensure that you wear a glove because you don’t want the adhesive sticking to your hand. It is always best to start fixing the gasket at the back of the cooker so that the seams of the gaskets can be hidden.

After fixing the gasket, ensure to put pressure on it to ensure that there is complete adhesion. You should put wax paper between the newly fixed gasket to don’t stick to each other. When you feel that the gasket’s adhesion is perfect, you can attempt the Dollar Bill test.

All you have to do is open the unit, fix a Dollar bill between the gasket, and then close the big green egg.

Then try to pull the Dollar bill out of the unit; if it comes out smoothly without any stress, it means that the adhesion is not perfect, so you might want to make adjustments.

If, however, you try pilling the Dollar bill out and it doesn’t pull out, or you must struggle to get it out, then your gasket is installed correctly.

Before using the gasket, ensure that you’d cure cook’ the big green egg for about an hour at 250 degrees to ensure that your gasket is firmly fixed.

How To Know When the Big Green Egg Gasket Need to Be Replaced

The gasket in your big green egg can last for more than a year before you might ever need to replace them. If you experience any of the issues below, then you might want to change the gasket of your big green egg.

The first indicator of a defective gasket is when you see it burnt or when you perceive the odor of burning plastic,
If your big green egg is leaking smoke through the gasket, it then missed the gasket is getting slack and so must be replaced.
When the gasket starts to fall off as you cook, it indicates that it should be changed.
If your big green egg gasket cannot hold down a temperature of 220/250, it then means it is time to replace it.

Tips And Tricks Before Replacing the Big Green Egg Gaskets

Many people use their big green egg without the gasket; the problem with that is that you will not be able to control the unit’s airflow and temperature.

Secondly, the gasket provides some cushion when you close the lid, that clashing sound you get from ceramic-on-ceramic contact when you close your big green egg without the gasket is eliminated.

The gasket also helps prevent heat from escaping from your unit, making food cook a lot faster on the big green egg with gasket than those without.

It also ensures that your charcoal burns a lot slower, which ends up saving you some amount of money in the long run.

Items Required to Replace Big Green Egg

The following are the items you need for replacing the gasket of the big green egg

Paper towel
Rutland gasket
Acetone
Permatex Ultra Copper
Cardboard sheet
Rubber glove
Scrapper

How To Replace the Big Green Egg Gasket?

The steps below will help you to replace the gasket of your big green egg.

Get rid of the old gasket from the big green egg dome by using a scraper to scrape it out.
To get the remaining adhesive off the unit so that the new Rutland gasket makes good contact, rub the area where the gasket is placed with a paper towel and the smallest amount of acetone.
Run a 1/8 inches bead of the Permatex on the bottom of the base of the big green egg.
Cut one end of the Rutland Gasket at a 45-degree angle.
Center the gasket on the surface and then lightly press it into the bead of the gasket starting from the back of the big green egg.
Continue around the unit’s base and at the end overlap and cut another 45-degree angle to finish the gasket.
Place a big piece of cardboard over the rim of the base of the big green egg and then press down around the unit to push the rest of the gasket into the Permatex.
To allow the Permatex to set up, leave the lid of the big green egg open for about an hour immediately after the gasket is placed into the Permatex.
Close the lid afterward and allow the big green egg to remain the way it is for about a day before using it.
After a day, fire up the big green egg for about 2 hours and let it cook at 250 degrees which will help to be fully cured and ready to be used.

How To Cure the Big Green Egg Rutland Gasket?

Your big green egg Rutland Gasket needs to cure properly so that it adheres properly to the unit. Hence your first few uses of the big green egg should be for grilling foods that you can cook on low heat slowly.

The unit’s temperature should not be greater than 350-degree Fahrenheit for the first three or so cooking times.

Cooking at a very temperature can damage the gasket before you even start using it. You can cure the unit without really cooking anything on it.

The key to getting a low temperature is to use less charcoal and then close the vent about 50 degrees before your goal temperature. So that when the temperature rises eventually, it will never go higher than your ideal temperature.

Conclusion

The big green egg is a very efficient way of cooking that combines the classic charcoal cooker and the effectiveness of a modern grill that brings you a refreshingly new way to cook your food, especially for outdoor fun activities like camping, tailgating, and the likes.

The Rutland Gasket is an integral part of the cooking unit that ensures that your food cooks faster and uses your charcoal efficiently.

There are times; however, when the gasket gets damaged, it entails following a few steps to fix a new one back and have your big green egg working great again.

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We trust this article helped you understand how to replace and install Rutland gasket big green egg. You may also want to check out this article: What is a Low Pressure Propane Burner?

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