My first "new" electric smoker-- cleaning question

[tylerbrady]

My friend just got a new smoker and gave me his old 30" Masterbuilt electric smoker.

I cleaned the drip tray, racks, etc. but my question revolves around cleaning the inside of the smoker. He had not used it in almost a year and it was really gross and I did a pretty thorough cleaning job but should I scrape the inside of the smoker to get the black off the walls or leave it as is?

Also any general advice about cleaning the smoker that hasn't been used in a year would be awesome. Thanks a lot guys!

 

[bmaddox]

I would not scrape the sides. The build up on the walls is normal. I would just clean it with some hot water and vinegar to knock off any loose pieces and kill off any mold then run it at its highest setting for 3-4 hours to make sure there is no mold or any other spores/bacteria in it. 

 

[mummel]

And foil what you can going forward.  Makes cleanup a breeze.

 

[tylerbrady]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice everyone!