Do You Guys Clean Your WSM?

[adam d]

Do you guys clean the insides of your weber smokey moutnains? Or do you just leave it so that it seals in those little holes?

I'll routinely run a sponge on the outside to clean it up and i'll clean the cooking grates,but what about the walls inside?

 

[timberjet]

That there is seasoning. You can knock the chunks off once in a while but no need to clean anything but the grates.

 

[b-one]

I scrape lose stuff out other than that just the grates! Just mainly some build up on the lid and I just brush it off with a semi stiff brush.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Occasionally I will clean the lip of the lid. After a while it gets so seasoned it won't come off.

 

[timstalltaletav]

I have mine over 6 months and haven't cleaned anything on the insides except the grates. Always foil the water bowl to make clean up easy.

 

[noboundaries]

After it rains things can grow inside the WSM on the walls if it gets wet, especially if the water pools in the ash bowl.  I just scrape it down with a wire brush to knock off anything that doesn't look like it belongs there.  I clean the scrapings out of the ash bowl.  Then when I light it up the next time I let the temp get hot (300F+) to kill anything then choke it down to where I want it. 

 

[adam d]

I usually have a bit of water in my ash pan due to the cover design that weber supplies... but always throw everything in the ash bowl, scraping it down, into the trash bag (well a metal can, then when its cool a trash bag).

What about the water bowl... what do you guys do with your water? I have a small fire pit I built so I've been emptying my water pan in there... ive yet to put tinfoil in and theres a solid mass in there i have to really knock off... and it gets slimy as well... maybe i'll clean it and than use tinfoil going forward

 

[dirtsailor2003]

What about the water bowl... what do you guys do with your water? I have a small fire pit I built so I've been emptying my water pan in there... ive yet to put tinfoil in and theres a solid mass in there i have to really knock off... and it gets slimy as well... maybe i'll clean it and than use tinfoil going forward

All of my water pans are filled with sand and covered with two layers of foil. After a few cooks I remove the outer layer of foil and replace.

 

[adam d]

I think i'm going to try the sand method... but what about moisture... don't I  need some moisture in there or not really? Sand seems easier/cleaner to work with, and I don't have to keep refilling it during a long cook.

 

[timberjet]

Water pans in smokers are for thermal mass temperature regulation and heat recovery not for moisture in the meat. No need for water. In fact steam can cause problems in your smoker. The meat has it's own built in moisture. 

 

[adam d]

I'll try some playground sand next time than... i'll put the foil down first, as I've heard it can become "solid" after a few cooks

 

[timberjet]

double wrap the whole shebang. Then when the outer layer gets nasty you can just replace it. You don't need to dump the sand or anything.