Cleaning masterbuilt electric smoker

[dragonsmoke]

Smoked commercially for two years. I would only scrub clean inside of smoker if wanting to loose seasoned smoker or definite smoke flavor change from one of the stronger wood chips such as mesquite. Smoking is the process of putting smoke flavors into foods not just slow cooking, otherwise why even bother with the expense of a smoker and not just a low temp. in your oven. Clean window with very light non-scouring pad and water while still warm every time. Inside walls as others have stated with credit card type item (putty knife) to get heavy layers and anything you can pull out place in dish washer for high heat clean. Racks are only place foods will be in contact and should be real clean every time ( don't forget to clean probe well otherwise placing bacteria directly into meat, this is why they also suggested to not put thermometer into meat until smoker reaches temp to kill bacteria ). Hope this helps someone. Dragonsmoke

 

[red dog]

 
I would think on this smoker that pulling the water pan, drip tray and racks out after smoking , washing and storing them inside in clean environment ( ready for next smoke) would be all that should be necessary.

I am going on 4 years with my gen 1. I clean the window every 3rd smoke or so, clean the racks, foil the water pan and remove dirty foil after a smoke(don't use water), and I think I have cleaned the bottom drip pan 3 times. I do run it at higher temps quite a bit and I don't use water. Mine is black as midnight but that's just well seasoned. I don't know how mold could grow on clean racks.

 

[oldmisterbill]

I just got a       " RETRACTABLE RAZOR BLADE SCRAPER W/ 10 PLASTIC BLADES"   on ebay - the plastic razoe blades clean the window nicely.Then finish cleaning the window &  A quick scrap on the wall and I'm done I got to check where to buy more plastic blades. The metal razor blades work best on the window but I don't want to change the bladesback & forth so I will order another one today. The plastic blades  work better than I expected.

      Bill

Razor Scraper.JPG

• oldmisterbill
• Jan 6, 2015

 

[BandCollector]

 
I just got a       " RETRACTABLE RAZOR BLADE SCRAPER W/ 10 PLASTIC BLADES"   on ebay - the plastic razoe blades clean the window nicely.Then finish cleaning the window &  A quick scrap on the wall and I'm done I got to check where to buy more plastic blades. The metal razor blades work best on the window but I don't want to change the bladesback & forth so I will order another one today. The plastic blades  work better than I expected.

      Bill

Razor Scraper.JPG

• oldmisterbill
• Jan 6, 2015

I like the idea of the plastic blades...Didn't even know that they existed...Thanks for sharing

John

 

[jted]

Cleaning a smoker. Answers range from wanting a sterile smoker to one with clean racks and a seasoned box. If you ever get a chance to look inside a commercial smoker in a restaurant you will see one that is very seasoned and about all they do to the racks is knock off the big pieces. I like the clean rack and seasoned box. I had to clean grease once and that taught me the value of foiling everything and using a disposable drip pan  I will check the bottom of the box when I re foil the factory drip pan and clean anything that got by the foil. Once in a while after a hot smoke I will find that the seasoning is flaking off the sides top and door I use a small blower to blow it out. If I feel I need to clean anything like the door seal I do as pdvoid suggested vinegar is a great cleaner. I use Brillo pads on my racks and can see in the near future a trip to the local car wash with a can of oven cleaner for my racks      . Jted 

 

[daricksta]

Smoked commercially for two years. I would only scrub clean inside of smoker if wanting to loose seasoned smoker or definite smoke flavor change from one of the stronger wood chips such as mesquite. Smoking is the process of putting smoke flavors into foods not just slow cooking, otherwise why even bother with the expense of a smoker and not just a low temp. in your oven. Clean window with very light non-scouring pad and water while still warm every time. Inside walls as others have stated with credit card type item (putty knife) to get heavy layers and anything you can pull out place in dish washer for high heat clean. Racks are only place foods will be in contact and should be real clean every time ( don't forget to clean probe well otherwise placing bacteria directly into meat, this is why they also suggested to not put thermometer into meat until smoker reaches temp to kill bacteria ). Hope this helps someone. Dragonsmoke

Really good cleaning suggestions. I'm a stickler for cleaning the racks and places where dried food stuck. I also always wait for the smoker to get to temp before I put the AMNPS in and then put the meat in and then insert the temp probe. I always clean the probes after use.

I know a guy with a CharGriller which he proudly showed me. I was shocked to see that his cooking grate was full of dried on scraps of meat. He said it added to the flavoring. I made a mental note to never eat BBQ at his place if offered the chance.

 

[red dog]

If you want your racks really clean put them in your home oven when you run on cleaning cycle.

 

[gary s]

Some pretty good cleaning ideas

gary

 

[beerking]

I just put the racks in my dishwasher. Come out sparkling!

 

[gary s]

Should have done a before and after shot

gary

 

[brewster]

John McLemore, CEO of Masterbuilt shows you how to clean the MES in this YouTube video...

 

[daricksta]

Interesting that he recommends spraying down the walls with a 50/50 mix of water and apple cider vinegar,which makes good sanitizing sense. However, most guys refuse to clean the inside of their MES because they feel it removes the seasoning. I give mine a quick wipe in selected spots with a wet paper towel and dry it off. I always wash the racks and other removal parts with hot soap and water. In the video, John is showing how to clean a Gen 2 MES; on my Gen 1 the rack guides don't just pop off the way they do on the new model. Not sure if they do on the new Bluetooth models but I don't own one of those either. I also never fill the water pan, which is different in the Gen 1 than in this video. I keep it foiled over.

 

[jted]

I just wonder  what his home smoker looks like ( if he has one ) . It is interesting he is cleaning a like new box. Does he really think it is going to stay in that condition. If you don't use it it will. In the real world it is clean racks, black sides and back. Clean you door gasket so it does not stick. Foil everything you can unless you like to clean grease. Smoking should be fun do what you can to keep it that way.  

 

[kennyp1114]

I just wonder  what his home smoker looks like ( if he has one ) . It is interesting he is cleaning a like new box. Does he really think it is going to stay in that condition. If you don't use it it will. In the real world it is clean racks, black sides and back. Clean you door gasket so it does not stick. Foil everything you can unless you like to clean grease. Smoking should be fun do what you can to keep it that way.  

You got that right jted!!! Gahaha

 

[daricksta]

I have a running joke with my wife that I can't have anything nice. After I used my MES and everything was darkened and stained inside I told her I needed to buy a new smoker because mine was no longer nice. That's when she says no and then hits me.

I agree: who uses a smoker and keeps it looking brand new? It's impossible unless you're totally anal about keeping it nice. Notice that on all those TV cooking shows all the stainless steel or anodized cookware are brand new, totally spotless. I've read reviews by a few people who claim they clean their stainless steel cookware after each use and it still looks brand new. We cook over a gas oven and the burners eventually stain the outside of the skillets and sauce pans. I clean excess grease buildup as best I can. But the point is that whatever you're using to cook with, if you use it a lot it won't ever look brand new again so why bother? Yeah, the video would have been better and more helpful if McLemore had demonstrated how to clean a seasoned and well-used model. But the purpose of the video was to sell new models and it's much easier to clean and to keep shiny and pretty one that hasn't been used.

 

[daricksta]

You got that right jted!!! Gahaha

I think it'd be fairly funny if John actually owns an offset reverse flow smoker which is his go-to smoker. I can't imagine a guy with his wealth would use even a 40" MES for smoking food for large parties and dinners. Maybe as a supplemental for vegies and things but I'd think that'd be it.

 

[daveomak]

I have seen "Southern Smokers" on the TV say, "A new smoker does not make BBQ with the same taste as an "old" smoker"..... Their old smokers are black with smoke residue and residue from the meat.....

That's my excuse for not cleaning my smoker..... any excuse is a good excuse......

 

[todbnla]

I bought some of this for my Weber but have not used it yet, anyone used it in their smoker?

416AlYZGTTL._SY300_.jpg

• todbnla
• Jan 10, 2015

 

[daveomak]

Check the health hazards of Goo Gone Grill Cleaner before you put it on a surface where food may be.....


https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=goo+gone+grill+cleaner+msds

 

[jted]

 
I think it'd be fairly funny if John actually owns an offset reverse flow smoker which is his go-to smoker. I can't imagine a guy with his wealth would use even a 40" MES for smoking food for large parties and dinners. Maybe as a supplemental for vegies and things but I'd think that'd be it.

Probably has a on call caterer.