O.K.! My turn. First; here is why I now have an MES 30 analog and CLEAN the unit after every use and will NEVER again have LP gas.
I always see macho "city" fellas, trailering their ATVs back home, caked in mud, like it's a badge or medal but the same guys wash and polish their cars and will break your face if you touch it. My wife cleans her house oven, so what's the diff' with her's and mine outside? Nada!
Considering the lengthy prep' time for a smoke, what's another half hour after you have devoured the presentation? Nada!
Take it from a non-macho man who is still having his home rebuilt after eleven months.
"Once burnt; twice shy".
Here are the simple tools needed for a safely and reasonably cleaned MES analog 30.
The SS scrubs are dipped in hot water to scrub the walls. The #4 SW polishes and cleans the rails and thermometer. Clean the thermometer as well as the probes if you want an accurate reading. Crud insulates. The screw driver simply removes the 2 bolts that hold the element. The spatula, scrapes the bottom and scoops out the crappola.
BTW: Once you know how much your door's thermometer is consistantly in error (mine is 31 degrees), I simply add that to what it reads and I am in business.
As you can see, I am not completely anal but the rig is quite presentable AND SAFE TO USE.
The grates do not take anything much to clean. Simple dish detergent, a nylon scrub brush, a laundry tub and a 20 minute soak, while you are cleaning the cabinet.