Tips for MES Owners

roadkill cafe · Dec 8, 2012

rabbithutch said:
Because I started this thread about cleaning racks . . . and because I learned something important that I didn't know this week . . . and because it has to do with cleaning and products we probably all use from time to time, I thought I'd better post this.
DO NOT USE DAWN AND CLOROX TOGETHER!
I'm not a chemist and I don't have any idea why this is a problem, but a local man died in the ICU where my wife works last week from smelling the fumes from using Dawn dishwasher detergent and Clorox in his kitchen sink. One of the trained chemists here can probably tell us what components combine to create a caustic gas, but it really doesn't matter. I know for a fact that this individual died, and the cause was attributed to lung damage from fumes given off by the combination.
And, if it turns out I'm full of $h#x, well . . . it won't be the first time and a laxative will fix that but I wouldn't want to live with myself if I knew something that might be important to my friends here and didn't share it.
I would never have suspected that using these 2 products together could be deadly. I don't know what strengths the ingredients were nor what proportions were used, but I will never have Dawn and Clorox out at the same time when cleaning ever again.

RH, I am not a chemist either but just as an FYI. Dawn (some) as well as Joy (some) and some other (but not all) dishwashing detergents contain ammonia and when mixed with Clorox (bleach) creates chlorine gas. As you may recall, chlorine gas was used in WWI in trench warfare, France I think. It says on the bottle "Do Not Add Bleach".

waucedah · Feb 10, 2013

I clean my MES racks and water bowl in my large gas grill at high heat, when I grill the next time.

Works great-no labor to speak of. The same way I clean my racks and smoke de-fuser from my UDS

bdskelly · Feb 17, 2013

One of the best things I've found to clean the inside, drip pan and water pan of my MB is Simple Green. Let the unit cool Spray a liberal coating of Simple Green on the pans and interior. and let set for about 30 minutes. Then hose it out. The glass and sides may need just a bit of a light scrub but not much. The racks go in the dish washer when no one is looking. And I'm done!

BDSkelly

toesmasher · Feb 18, 2013

One of my wife's bro-in-laws had an older Masterbuilt units (digital but with no window) and he washed out his unit with a pressure washer and degreaser. He said it looked pretty, but the smoker worked no more. He killed it. After I found this fine site I told him that he could prob replace the electronics, but he had already dragged it off to the dump. Guess thats not a good way to clean one.

bgolden49 · May 29, 2013

Thanks for that idea on the dolly from Northern Freight. I will be looking in to them

Bill G

bgolden49 · May 29, 2013

OH CRAP! after christening my new MES, I cleaned the racks with Dawn in Hot water. I think I'll read the threads here before I do anything else.

Thanks for the post on the cleaning.

Bill G

roadkill cafe · May 29, 2013

bgolden49 said:
OH CRAP! after christening my new MES, I cleaned the racks with Dawn in Hot water. I think I'll read the threads here before I do anything else.

Thanks for the post on the cleaning.

Bill G

Where's the problem? Nothing wrong with doing that. I do mine that way to get the heavy stuff off then into the dishwasher or I place them in a plastic trash bag and spray/soak them down with Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner for a day then just hose off. Just don't get any oven cleaner on your skin. It's caustic and will burn.

Steve

oldschoolbbq · May 29, 2013

Great hints , Bob. I have them noted for my venture into Watt Burning...LOL

Good to hear from you and as always . . .

sm0kin · Jun 3, 2013

After reading through this thread it seems all who used simple green had good results. That concludes my search for a cleaner, thanks!

mario05 · Nov 18, 2013

Roadkill Cafe said:
RH, I am not a chemist either but just as an FYI. Dawn (some) as well as Joy (some) and some other (but not all) dishwashing detergents contain ammonia and when mixed with Clorox (bleach) creates chlorine gas. As you may recall, chlorine gas was used in WWI in trench warfare, France I think. It says on the bottle "Do Not Add Bleach".

I know this is an old thread, but it seemed worth a little more information since ammonia + bleach produces a lot of bad stuff:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/a/Mixing-Bleach-And-Ammonia.htm

rabbithutch · Nov 18, 2013

Thanks for the info, mario05.

My go to cleaner is now Simple Green, but because I use Dawn dishwashing liquid in the kitchen and sometimes spray my sinks with Clorox bleach - especially after washing poultry - I am now much more careful about keeping the two apart. I never have them both out at the same time any more.

Thanks, again!

nchapelheel · Nov 21, 2013

I use isopropyl alcohol on the glass in the door. If accumulation is heavy, I spot clean with the alcohol.

I tried oven cleaner on the inside of the MES, but I waited too long to hose it out. The walls got clean, but at

the expense of the plating on the metal. I don't know exactly what happened, but it looks different. I will not be

using oven cleaner again on the inside of the MES.

I take the racks, drip pan, and water pan in a large plastic tub I bought that is slightly bigger than the racks. The

tub is 8 inches deep so that it can have 4 racks and the pans in it and all are covered with water and dishwasher

detergent. Note that I used dishWASHER detergent. I tried the standard "dawn" type detergent, but it did not work

nearly as well.

All the parts stay overnight in the tub and then get scrubbed with a brush. They get a ride in the Bosch dishwasher

after that.

hope this helps.

nChapelHeel

rabbithutch · Nov 21, 2013

nChapelHeel - ah! The Southern Part of Heaven!

I'm '64 from Kenan Flagler.

palladini · Apr 24, 2014

Waucedah said:
I clean my MES racks and water bowl in my large gas grill at high heat, when I grill the next time.

Works great-no labor to speak of. The same way I clean my racks and smoke de-fuser from my UDS

I did that after my first smoke. Put all 4 racks from MES 30 inch smoker in the BBQ, cranked it on high, 1/2 hour later removed them, they had rusted to the point you cannot use them anymore. I contacted MasterBuilt, they said never to do that and sent me some new racks.

dale4121 · May 3, 2014

daRicksta said:
There seems to be a difference of opinion in cleaning the interior. Some guys prefer to leave the inside walls as is because they believe it seasons the smoker. They only clean the racks and the metal stuff.

I fall into the don't clean the interior group. I've had wood smokers for over 20 years and only occasionally clean the walls if I have visible bulky build up of fat. Same for the MES. You should smell smoke when you open your MES to start smoking for the day. If your MES smells good like BBQ that tells you it's "cured".

Go to any good BBQ joint and the walls are black with aroma from the pits.

I do clean the drip pan that slants toward the water pan, the water pan, the flat pan on the bottom that looks like a cookie sheet leading to the grease trap and the slide out grease trap. I also clean the racks. Rinse off the excess grease and pop into the dishwasher works for me.

I keep these clean because grease can be dangerous and start a fire and burning old grease is not a flavor enhancer.

I stopped trying to clean the window after the second use. When I have to get a new MES I will NOT get one with the window. Worthless. a b***h to clean and by the time you preheat and get some early smoke going it's brown again. Looks nice on the box. Totally useless in real life.

daricksta · May 4, 2014

Dale4121 said:
I fall into the don't clean the interior group. I've had wood smokers for over 20 years and only occasionally clean the walls if I have visible bulky build up of fat. Same for the MES. You should smell smoke when you open your MES to start smoking for the day. If your MES smells good like BBQ that tells you it's "cured".

Go to any good BBQ joint and the walls are black with aroma from the pits.

I do clean the drip pan that slants toward the water pan, the water pan, the flat pan on the bottom that looks like a cookie sheet leading to the grease trap and the slide out grease trap. I also clean the racks. Rinse off the excess grease and pop into the dishwasher works for me.

I keep these clean because grease can be dangerous and start a fire and burning old grease is not a flavor enhancer.

I stopped trying to clean the window after the second use. When I have to get a new MES I will NOT get one with the window. Worthless. a b***h to clean and by the time you preheat and get some early smoke going it's brown again. Looks nice on the box. Totally useless in real life.

I agree. I always clean the racks and wherever surfaces meat and sauces stuck to. I have begun cleaning the interior walls after 3 or 4 (or more) smokes in an attempt to reduce the harshness of the smoke flavor but I'm not sure if the interior buildup has anything to do with that.

I bought the least expensive electric 30" MES available--which means mine doesn't have the window, and I don't miss it. If I could afford a 40" 1st Gen MES I'd buy that since quite a few times a rack of spareribs or a brisket will be too wide for the racks and will start off pressing against the walls until the meat shrinks. That little bit of extra room would be nice, but paying a lot more for a little bit more room wasn't worth it to me. And my 30" MES feeds a bunch of people just fine.

craigdchang · Feb 20, 2015

is it safe to put in the oven and do a self cleaning cycle in the oven to burn all the crud off?

daricksta · Feb 20, 2015

I just re-read the owners manual. It specifically states to avoid using any chemical cleaner to clean the inside. All that's needed is a wipe down with a damp cloth (or paper towel). Why on earth would anyone want to apply chemicals--benign or not--to the inside of their smoker?

Plain soap, hot water, and a scrub sponge in a sink is all I that's needed. The racks can also be placed in the dishwasher which I did once and found to be a big hassle.

timberjet · Feb 20, 2015

nChapelHeel said:
I use isopropyl alcohol on the glass in the door. If accumulation is heavy, I spot clean with the alcohol.

I tried oven cleaner on the inside of the MES, but I waited too long to hose it out. The walls got clean, but at

the expense of the plating on the metal. I don't know exactly what happened, but it looks different. I will not be

using oven cleaner again on the inside of the MES.

I take the racks, drip pan, and water pan in a large plastic tub I bought that is slightly bigger than the racks. The

tub is 8 inches deep so that it can have 4 racks and the pans in it and all are covered with water and dishwasher

detergent. Note that I used dishWASHER detergent. I tried the standard "dawn" type detergent, but it did not work

nearly as well.

All the parts stay overnight in the tub and then get scrubbed with a brush. They get a ride in the Bosch dishwasher

after that.

hope this helps.

nChapelHeel

Better living through caustic, poisonous chemicals. lol

smell smoke · Feb 25, 2015

craigdchang said:
is it safe to put in the oven and do a self cleaning cycle in the oven to burn all the crud off?

Wouldn't recommend it, the racks will rust much quicker.

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