How to Clean Big Green Egg in 2025 (6 Easy Steps)

A big green egg is a great tool for making dishes. It’s a great grill, a smoker, a brick oven, and a convection oven, and you can do so much with it. However, you must clean it after cooking the dishes.

You need to take out the old ashes, remove the leftover food every time as it’s a part of the cleaning process. To help you with all that, we’ll go over a guide on how to clean a big green egg with easy steps. Also, we’ll cover some maintenance tips that’ll keep the molds from forming and keep the big green egg in the best shape. Let’s get into the details without any further due.

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Why You Should Clean Your BGE Regularly?

It’s important to clean your big green egg regularly to enjoy the best dishes every time. Otherwise, the leftovers from previous cooking sessions and the gunk buildup will have a negative impact on the food you cook.

Cleaning your big green egg will help get rid of the oil and grease, making it easier for you to get consistent cooking. But you definitely don’t need to clean it a whole lot as the heat takes care of most of it. If you use it frequently, you don’t need to clean it after every use. You can clean it after every 3 to 5 cooking sessions. But if you don’t use it too often, it’s best to clean your BGE before and after cooking.

How to Clean Big Green Egg: Step by Step

Cleaning your BGE is fairly easy, and it doesn’t take a long time. If you already know how to clean a kamado joe, you’ll be glad to hear that the process is almost the same. However, let’s go over the cleaning process of a big green egg with an easy step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Remove the Ash

First of all, you need to clean the ash from the BGE. Give it a good stir using any poker, and it’ll get the ash off of the charcoal. Then you can simply use something like an ash removal pan to scoop it up and throw it away.

Cleaning the ash from the BGE will help to give a consistent temperature, which is perfect for making your dishes more delicious.

Step 2: Increase the Temperature

Once you clean the ashes, it’s time to light up the big green egg. You need to target at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit to get the best results. You can use the remaining charcoal to do the job. But if you don’t have it inside, simply use some lump charcoal.

Also, make sure to set the timer to an hour as it’ll melt any buildup that’s been inside the BGE.

Step 3: Let It Cool Down

After heating up the BGE for about an hour, it’s time to let it sit until it’s fully cooled off. You can’t start the cleaning process when the BGE is hot as you’ll just risk burning yourself. So, just wait for it to cool down completely, and then move on to the next step.

Step 4: Cleaning the Interior

Assuming that the BGE is cold now, it’s time to clean the interior. Use a stiff wire brush and a scraper to scrape any buildup inside the big green egg. Once that’s done, use a vacuum machine to scoop everything.

You’ll find air vents inside of the BGE. Clean them well and make sure that they don’t have any buildup inside. Take time to clean the firebox, the grate, and the fire ring. Be very patient and take your time going over everything.

Step 5: Check the Gasket

Once you’re done cleaning the big green egg, it’s a good idea to check whether the gasket is damaged due to all the heat and cooking. Simply take a look at the gasket and check for wear and damaged area.

If you feel like it’s pretty worn out, you’ll need to replace it as soon as possible. Make sure to clean the remains in the area of the old gasket by rubbing alcohol and a piece of cloth.

Step 6: Post Cleaning

Finally, you need to add some polish to your big green egg and store it for the upcoming cooking sessions. You can make an easy solution in your home, and it’ll add a shine to your BGE and make it look as good as new.

To make the solution, take two parts vinegar, two parts olive oil, one part lemon juice and mix them well in a jar. Then take a clean microfiber cloth and soak it with the solution. Now, start rubbing the outer shell of the BGE with the cloth, and it’s going to add the finishing polish to your big green egg. Also, make sure to cover your big green egg with a large cover to protect it from harsh weather.

How to Maintain Big Green Egg

Now that you know how to clean your BGE, it’s time to learn proper maintenance. That’ll make sure that the big green egg lasts for years and keeps looking as good as new. And of course, it’ll help make every meal fresh and delicious consistently. Without any further ado, let’s go over some key maintenance tips.

A clean stainless steel grid makes cooking a lot easier than one with leftover food stuck on from previously cooked dishes.
The ConvEGGtor allows the heat to conduct properly and keep the airflow going. Place a drip tray on top of it while cooking, and it’ll keep the ConvEGGtor from getting dirty.
The steel hinge of the big green egg requires some maintenance once in a while. If it feels rigid or too rough to move, you need to take care of it. Apply some WD-40 or another silicone spray and clean it with some soap and water.
The base and the dome are the most overlooked parts as nobody cleans the outside of the BGE. But spending some time cleaning them will keep your big green egg looking as good as new for years to come.
Clean the frames with some soap and water every now and then to give them extra shine.

For more detailed information you can also check this video:

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about cleaning big green egg.

1. How often should I clean my big green egg?

You don’t need to clean your big green egg too often if you use it regularly. Feel free to clean it after every 3-5 cooks to keep things fresh. That’ll give you the fresh dishes that you crave.

But if you only use your big green egg occasionally, you’ll need to clean it before and after each use. That’ll ensure the best dishes every time from your BGE.

2. What are the homemade solutions to keep the BGE cleaner and shinier like a new one?

Homemade solutions can keep your BGE cleaner and shinier, like a new one. First, take some water in a jar and apply it to the outside shell of your BGE. Once it’s wet, use a sponge to rub off any dirt buildups.

Also, you can use a degreaser to make your BGE appear as good as new. Make sure to clean it immediately after applying it. Otherwise, that might damage the outer layer of your big green egg, which is not good.

3. What should I do if there’s mold growing in my Big Green Egg?

Mold buildup is typically caused by letting your big green egg sit for too long without using it. Luckily, the cleanup process is not that difficult at all.

All you’ve got to do is crank up the fire to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and let it sit until all the lump coal is burned. You can increase the heat up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit if you want to, and it will take out the entire mold without any issue.

Verdict

Cleaning and doing proper maintenance is the key to keeping your big green egg ready to prepare your next delicious dish. Hopefully, the guide on how to clean big green egg will help you with the cleaning. Also, make sure to take your time going over the maintenance phase. Most people get lazy in that phase, and it’ll cause an unwanted mess that you will have to deal with anyway. So, save yourself the trouble and properly maintain your big green egg.

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