Masterbuilt Electric Smoker

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eebes

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 4, 2016
4
10
Do any of you guys clean the inside of the smoker window so you can see what's going on in there? Also, I am new to smoking, but 3-2-1 seems like a really long time?
 
I did a quick search & here's some of the many sugestions.viegar & water 50/50 in water pan at 250f to soften & wipe clean with same solution,Warm water with cleaning pad that won't scratch glass,Razor blade held at proper angle,use ashes on wet rag  from wood stove,several mentioned to not use chemical cleaners,Just got Our mes yesterday so can't speak for these until I try them.
 
Rubbing alcohol works good too.

3-2-1 for spare ribs is just about right when you run your smoker at 225.

By the way, welcome to the forum!

Al
 
 
+1 for using rubbing alcohol.

For removable parts I use my ultrasonic cleaner. Here is a "before/after" shot of what it did on my MES 30 racks:


Any residual "dirt" you see in the "after" shot on the right is actually a shadow, not dirt. The racks were spotless after ten minutes in the cleaner.
John,

Am I right in Assuming "No Elbow Grease Involved" ???

Bear
 
 
John,

Am I right in Assuming "No Elbow Grease Involved" ???

Bear
Yup. The only work I have to do happens because my ultrasonic cleaner is "only" a 9-quart model. This means that I can only fit half the rack at a time. Since I do one rack at a time, this means that cleaning requires four separate sessions in the ultrasonic. So, I have to go out to the garage (where I keep the cleaner) four times.

One other nifty smoker-related use for an ultrasonic cleaner is to clean "disposable" aluminum trays. I hate to throw these out after only one use, but if you've ever tried to clean one, all those little folds and buckles that are used to add strength make it not worth the considerable time and effort required to get the item reasonably clean. However, with an ultrasonic cleaner, I can usually clean the tray in only a few seconds just by dipping it, one edge at a time. I also clean the smoker racks in the ultrasonic. I cannot quite reach to the center of the rack, so I still have to clean that by hand. However, all the really tough spots to clean are where the rack tines are spot-welded to the frame. That part of each reack fits into the cleaner, and the gunk in the nooks around each weld just comes floating off.
 
 
Yup. The only work I have to do happens because my ultrasonic cleaner is "only" a 9-quart model. This means that I can only fit half the rack at a time. Since I do one rack at a time, this means that cleaning requires four separate sessions in the ultrasonic. So, I have to go out to the garage (where I keep the cleaner) four times.

One other nifty smoker-related use for an ultrasonic cleaner is to clean "disposable" aluminum trays. I hate to throw these out after only one use, but if you've ever tried to clean one, all those little folds and buckles that are used to add strength make it not worth the considerable time and effort required to get the item reasonably clean. However, with an ultrasonic cleaner, I can usually clean the tray in only a few seconds just by dipping it, one edge at a time. I also clean the smoker racks in the ultrasonic. I cannot quite reach to the center of the rack, so I still have to clean that by hand. However, all the really tough spots to clean are where the rack tines are spot-welded to the frame. That part of each reack fits into the cleaner, and the gunk in the nooks around each weld just comes floating off.
That's what I thought, but one that big must cost a small fortune.

The only one I ever used was wen I graduated, but wasn't old enough to get the job I wanted (Bethlehem Steel), I worked in a small shop that machined quartz & precious stones for NASA parts. We had a small ultrasonic cleaner there. I put my watch band in it once & hit the Vibrator. In a few seconds the band was like brand new!!!

This was back in 1966---Probably a much bigger deal back then & a very rare item.

Mrs Bear cleans anything I can remove from my MES. I get the Window & the rest of the Smoker.

Bear
 
Yes, the 9-quart is roughly a $300 item, so not a casual purchase.

Cleaning gem stones is how I got my first one. My dad always bought mom jewelry and so he had one so her baubles were always sparkly. He kept asking if I wanted one, but I haven't bought my wife a piece of jewelry since I bought her a wedding ring forty years ago. So, I didn't want it. However, after they both were gone, I brought his old, tiny ultrasonic jewelry cleaner to my place and quickly found all sorts of uses. I kept wanting a bigger one, and so my wife got one for me for my birthday earlier this year. I am still finding new things to clean. For instance, I finally got our frying pan splash screen completely clean and free of grease residue. All of our cookie sheets look like new.

I'm still trying to find the "ultimate" cleaner to use on baked-on grease, like what you find on old cookie sheets. I've read a ton of literature, and apparently for grease removal you want cleaners that are on the base side of the pH scale (think oven cleaner). For cleaning metal corrosion, you want solvents that are on the acid side of that scale. Beyond those two things, I'm still trying to figure it out.
 
You definately got some very impressive results,

 A big thumbs up for your results and ingenious methods.
 
Last edited:
 
Yes, the 9-quart is roughly a $300 item, so not a casual purchase.

Cleaning gem stones is how I got my first one. My dad always bought mom jewelry and so he had one so her baubles were always sparkly. He kept asking if I wanted one, but I haven't bought my wife a piece of jewelry since I bought her a wedding ring forty years ago. So, I didn't want it. However, after they both were gone, I brought his old, tiny ultrasonic jewelry cleaner to my place and quickly found all sorts of uses. I kept wanting a bigger one, and so my wife got one for me for my birthday earlier this year. I am still finding new things to clean. For instance, I finally got our frying pan splash screen completely clean and free of grease residue. All of our cookie sheets look like new.

I'm still trying to find the "ultimate" cleaner to use on baked-on grease, like what you find on old cookie sheets. I've read a ton of literature, and apparently for grease removal you want cleaners that are on the base side of the pH scale (think oven cleaner). For cleaning metal corrosion, you want solvents that are on the acid side of that scale. Beyond those two things, I'm still trying to figure it out.
Awesome!

Thanks!

Bear
 
texas.gif
  Good afternoon and welcome to the forum, from a chilly and rainy day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of              great people with tons of information on just about  everything.  Bear has you covered on the MES

       Gary
 
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