Cleaning masterbuilt electric smoker

[oldman]

I clean water pan then put the grates on my grill on high for a few minutes then use grill brush to clean them.  Anyone see an issue with this?

 

[ribwizzard]

I clean water pan then put the grates on my grill on high for a few minutes then use grill brush to clean them. Anyone see an issue with this?

Whatever works...

But these parts are so small, if you just remove them, run them through dishwasher or handwash in sink, store them as you would your pots and pans you use in the kitchen, then pull them out all nice and clean and spray a little non stick spray on them before you cook, they would stay looking nice for a very long time. As far as the smoker, as long as you wipe up any spilled juices and run it on high for a little bit after you cook, it should stay nice and clean as well.

The problem I have with cleaning with water and any kind of cleaning agent after you cook is that if you do not run the smoker long enough to dry it out, thats where your going to get your mildew/mold. It comes from the moisture, not the soot from smoking.

 

[oldman]

The cleaning in the sink or dishwasher sounds great, I have just always kept the cleaning outside, but I'm new at smoking.

 

[ribwizzard]

Well, I like to keep the food on a rack while it cools down, so I'll pull the whole rack out and set it on a baking pan in order to keep it from dripping on the counter, then they just end up in dishwasher together. Living next to the salt water , I try not to store the racks outside. Spray both sides with non stick spray makes them clean up like new with just a little hot water.  I found that leaving these kinds of grates outside and trying to use a wire grill brush before cleaning eventually will start to pull the chrome off.

 

[philsey da bear]

Chef Jimmy, I agree with you. At the end of a smoking weekend I wash the racks, water pan and the grease pan. If there is any excess grease on the interior I wipe that off. But that's about it. (My old MES does not have a glass door). The walls turn from gold to mahogany to black and that's a Good thing. Until my MES I've always had the (somewhat maligned due to it's price) Brinkman Smoke N Grill. Not only did I not wipe down the barrel and top, I left it uncovered outside all the time as it has no electronics. Never had a problem with mold.

Back to the MES. Simple, wash the racks and grease pan. Wipe up any left over grease or food stuff. (Heat if you wish, I guess) And don't worry, be happy.

Phil

 

[nsolo]

 
Chef Jimmy, I agree with you. At the end of a smoking weekend I wash the racks, water pan and the grease pan. If there is any excess grease on the interior I wipe that off. But that's about it. (My old MES does not have a glass door). The walls turn from gold to mahogany to black and that's a Good thing. Until my MES I've always had the (somewhat maligned due to it's price) Brinkman Smoke N Grill. Not only did I not wipe down the barrel and top, I left it uncovered outside all the time as it has no electronics. Never had a problem with mold.

Back to the MES. Simple, wash the racks and grease pan. Wipe up any left over grease or food stuff. (Heat if you wish, I guess) And don't worry, be happy.

Phil

This is pretty much what I do. The only difference is that I bought a large plastic tote and let the racks, grease pan and drip trays soak in it after the smoke. I fill the tote with hot water and Dawn. I always spray the racks with PAM prior to cooking. This greatly helps with clean up. Once the racks are soaking in the tote, I take a dish rag and wipe down any obvious grease. Then I add a pan of water, crank the smoker to 275 and let it rip for about two hours. Once the parts in the tote are clean, I reinstall them in the smoker. So far, no problems.

 

[smoker21]

I clean Racks & water bowl every time and walls & window every 3-5 times. Never had a prob.

 

[daricksta]

I never have mold problems with my MES but every spring when I bring my Weber kettle grill out of hibernation it has cotton-like mold all inside it. I do my best to clean the interior before mothballing it for the winter but I guess there's still enough grease and grime to supply food and nourishment to the nasties.

 

[ribwizzard]

I can let a pit sit dirty for months and have no mold, but if I steam clean it and spray it down with veg-oil, it will have mold in a few weeks.  I really think the mold come from the water from washing that is not dried out completely

 

[kennyp1114]

Hey guys,

I'm kind of at a loss on how to clean this thing. I just opened it up and there is mold all over the racks from sitting there for the past few months :S Cleaning the racks is easy enough, but how do I go about cleaning the inside of the box? I don't want to damage any electrical connections, but the thing is in need of a deep clean.

Thanks,

Jeremy

Wassup everyone!!! I called Masterbuilt about cleaning the walls inside smoker and they told me it doesn't need to be cleaned. I wanted to keep mine just like brand new and then i thought about all the people in Memphis never clean their smokers or grill. Just keep racks and water pan clean like everyone says.
Have a great day. Giddy up!!!!

 

[kennyp1114]

Okay I hate a dirty smoker.  Seasoning or not its going to be scrubbed down after every use as I am a neat freak and cannot stand soot and smoke smell everywhere.  Going to try the water in the smoker to hopefully loosen the stuff from the smoker so I can clean it

I tried using steam and it didn't help me at all. The aluminum walls are impossible to clean!!! I just clean the removable part, but i'll confess i like to keep my stuff looking brand new. I have an MES, but if i had Bradley with stainless steel walls i'm sure it would be a lot easier. Mine smokes great and takes no time to heat up and maintain temp even when it's in the twenties. I love it!! Good luck cleaning!

 

[geerock]

You're supposed to clean these things?? : )

 

[kennyp1114]

You're supposed to clean these things?? : )

I clean racks and all removable parts. I"ve tried everything to clean walls and nothing woorks.

 

[timberjet]

Poppycock! Clean smoker. I suppose some people scrub their fireplace out too. lol Crank up the heat, add wood, brush grates, cook.

 

[todbnla]

I clean all the racks, drip pan, water tray, etc and the glass after every use the sooner the easier I find, I then leave the vent open for a day or so with the cover off to kind of air out. By then all my racks and trays can be put back in and are cleaned and I then close her up and throw the cover on. It stays on my covered porch with our weber and our small patio fridge. No issues with mold yet.

YMMV

IMG_3591.JPG

• todbnla
• Jan 4, 2015

 

[daricksta]

 
I clean all the racks, drip pan, water tray, etc and the glass after every use the sooner the easier I find, I then leave the vent open for a day or so with the cover off to kind of air out. By then all my racks and trays can be put back in and are cleaned and I then close her up and throw the cover on. It stays on my covered porch with our weber and our small patio fridge. No issues with mold yet.

YMMV

IMG_3591.JPG

• todbnla
• Jan 4, 2015

I do pretty much the same thing but I primarily smoke in dry, warm weather with some exceptions. If I finish smoking too late in the day or evening I simply close the smoker and clean it the next day. I wash everything dirty and removable in the kitchen sink with hot water, soap, and a scrub sponge. For the interior of my MES 30, I wipe down the walls only where dried food particles have stuck or there's too much grease buildup. Sometimes I do a quick wipe of the walls and inside of the door just to thin out the residue buildup but not enough to remove it. I now wipe the ceiling thoroughly ever since I was cold smoking some cheese, brushed my wrist against the ceiling, and all this dark debris fell down onto the cheeses. That won't happen again.

I either let the racks and pans air dry in my kitchen or on warm sunny days I take them out to the smoker and let the sun dry them off before putting them all back inside. I've never had a mold problem inside my smoker. I also never leave any cooked food remnants on the racks because the food I'm currently smoking is likely to stick to them and leave their own remnants behind. That is, unless the remnants stick to the new food I'm cooking and get served along with it. I always clean my Weber kettle grill racks before grilling; it makes sense to also clean the Masterbuilt racks before using them again. 

I also clean out the hi temp limit switch (that round, dime-sized component on the left side of the rear wall) because if it gets clogged and dirty the controller will spike the temps up into the 300 degree area. Then I wipe off the temp sensor, which is the toggle switch-shaped metal thing on the right side of the rear wall just to make sure it continues to work properly.

 

[pdevoid]

I found that the best thing to use on the inside of the smoker (walls) is a 50-50 mixture of water & apple cider vinegar. Spray on and wipe off. I agree that you don't need to make it look new after every smoke, just need to get the excess grease off.

 

[olfred]

Same problem here in southern OH; comes from the inside being still wet when you put it away; cover the bottom with plastic so you don't ruin the electrical, i sprayed the walls and door with a vinegar dish soap solution( 1 drop soap/qt vinegar), let it set for some number of minutes then wiped it down.  Next time let it air out well before closing it up.  Good luck.

 

[daricksta]

 
Same problem here in southern OH; comes from the inside being still wet when you put it away; cover the bottom with plastic so you don't ruin the electrical, i sprayed the walls and door with a vinegar dish soap solution( 1 drop soap/qt vinegar), let it set for some number of minutes then wiped it down.  Next time let it air out well before closing it up.  Good luck.

I wipe the inside down with damp paper towels and leave the door open to dry it out. But I'm doing this primarily on dry and sunny days.

 

[alwaysbesmokin]

I don't own an MES but a smokin-it smoker and the best way to clean it in my opinion is Mr. Clean Magic erasers.  Things work like a charm