Spring cleaning - Power washing the Longhorn..

Today was the day. I cleaned as much of the creosote as I could get out of the OKJ. I used Easy Off oven cleaner to loosen the grease and creosote. The power washer certainly came in handy as getting the grill clean took some effort. Doing it by hand might be an option but don't wait too long. This was the first serious cleaning I've done on the OKJ since I've had it. 

I have some before and after pics...

Before....



After:



I realize that the smoker isn't pristine but I did get the creosote build up waay down to a manageable level. I was surprised how much grease was actually built up in the smoking chamber. I think my next mod will be to elevate the FB end of the OKJ just to make sure the grease drains into my bucket. 

I will say this too. I am now a believer in using Aluminum trays for all my smokes going forward. I can still get the right amount of smoke into the food AND not have to deal with the grease buildup in the smoker. 

I used Easy Off Professional on the smoker. I went with a cold scenario as I didn't want to fire the grill up to 400F. I believe that if you go hot, the Easy Off will clean the grill much more thoroughly. I will re-season the OKJ with Olive oil. I am considering going one more time with the Easy Off but this time, do a "hot clean" like an indoor oven.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!