De-mousing a kettle?

[Nate52]

So I acquired a Weber 22" kettle almost 13 years ago. My girlfriend (now wife) had just graduated from college the day before and we were moving her out of her apartment. Her neighbor was also moving out and was about to throw out his grill. I'm a hoarder, so I grabbed it and threw it in the uhaul. At the time, I had no interest in a charcoal grill. Didn't realize it was worth the hassle.

Fast forward to now, and I realize that I was wrong. I pulled it out of the garage about a month ago to make some wings. As soon as it warmed up, I noticed that distinct mouse pee smell. I obviously should have realized that would be the case after 13 years in various garages and storage units. But I must have been to excited to think about it.

Anyone have experience getting rid of the smell? My plan is to use a flexible putty knife and scrape out the inside and then build a little bonfire on the inside. Once that gets going, I'll just close the lid and let it cook itself clean.

Anyone see any issues with this? Or maybe something that might work better? I probably won't have access to a thawed garden hose for at least another month.

 

[DougE]

Scrape /wire brush it out as best as you can, then build a big fire in it to burn out whatever is left

 

[WV_Crusader]

Agreed, get a good bed of coals, probably extra and burn it out!

 

[bauchjw]

Definitely a lot of fire! For a long time! I remember your wing thread, oh man, didn’t you have to do an audible to the gas grill last minute? Wings looked good though!

 

[bigfurmn]

Smoke the mouse too. Never know, might be alright???

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Like others said burn it off. But if it was me I’d replace the cooking grate just for peace of mind. You can get them for around $25

 

[Nate52]

Definitely a lot of fire! For a long time! I remember your wing thread, oh man, didn’t you have to do an audible to the gas grill last minute? Wings looked good though!

They were actually so good that I did it on purpose the next weekend for the super bowl.

 

[Nate52]

Smoke the mouse too. Never know, might be alright???

They're not very meaty. I'll have catch a bunch of them.

 

[Nate52]

Like others said burn it off. But if it was me I’d replace the cooking grate just for peace of mind. You can get them for around $25

The original grate was very well used and not very well taken care of. It gave me a good excuse to upgrade to a hinged grate.

 

[gmc2003]

Personally I wouldn't use a wire bristle brush on your kettle(the steel bristles could damage the porcelain). If it were mine, I'd scrape off as much gunk as I could with a plastic putty scraper, After give it a good soaking/brushing with a cleaner like Simply Green and a softer plastic bristle brush. Then a good rinse and dry. When the kettle looks clean then give it a good burn-out.

Chris

 

[JLeonard]

Agree with the above. My gas grill needs the same treatment. It hasnt been turned on in over a year!

Jim

 

[Fueling Around]

I read that vinegar neutralizes urine.

Personally I wouldn't use a wire bristle brush on your kettle(the steel bristles could damage the porcelain). If it were mine, I'd scrape off as much gunk as I could with a plastic putty scraper, After give it a good soaking/brushing with a cleaner like Simply Green and a softer plastic bristle brush. Then a good rinse and dry. When the kettle looks clean then give it a good burn-out.

Chris

That's how I PM my kettle.

 

[Nate52]

I like the vinegar idea. I know Simple Green is supposed to be safe, but something in the back of my mind just doesn't like the chemical smell.

 

[TNJAKE]

After you get it cleaned make sure to shut all your vents after each cook and you won't have to worry about this in the future