Good cleaning

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SmokingUPnorth

Master of the Pit
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Dec 7, 2017
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Michigan UP
after seeing another post on here it made me think my smoker was filthy. On the inside I mean. I clean the grates, drip and water pan after each use but never cleaned the walls on the inside. Do you all clean the inside if so how often and how do you do it. Here is a couple pics of how mine is
 

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Maybe once a year or after a particularly nasty cook, i take a putty knife and give the walls a good scraping. That does a sufficient job for me. No point in scrubbing the heck out of it. I think of it like a pizza or cast iron pan, I don't care to remove the seasoning, just the bits and pieces that form.
 
Purple Power is also great at cleaning grates. I fill the sink with a few inches of hot water pour in a glug of PP and drop in he grates t soak for a few minutes. Then run a a nylon brush over the grates rinse and they are like new.

I wish my sink was big enough to do this. I started smoking all my meats on a foil-lined half sheet pan with rack instead, keeps the interior of the smoker super clean of food residue and is easier cleanup.
 
My MES racks get cleaned before each use (Thanks Mrs Bear).
My water pan is covered with foil, and gets recovered when really bad.
The bottom pan is removed & the floor is covered with foil instead.
I clean around the two sensors on the back wall now & then.
And I clean my door window glass before every smoke.
Other than that, I check before every smoke if there is anything hanging loose from the walls or ceiling, that could possibly fall onto my food, and I knock such things off with a rag.

Bear
 
Knock off bits and flakes from roof and walls with a grill brush before replacing the foil that covers any flat surface that can be dripped on. Use paper towels to dry grease spots on walls especially if grease can run down the back wall onto the non heating element legs that go into the back wall.
 
Just finished up a smoke and cleaned mine. My bottom tray and the pizza stone over my element are covered with foil. Just strip it off and dispose of it. Pull the racks out and drop them in a plastic pan to soak and the bottom pan while i am at it. While the smoker is still warm wipe out the inside with paper towels. Might have taken 10 minutes. Tomorrow i will scrub the racks and bottom tray. Refoil and put it back together for the next smoke.
 
I just clean my grates, water pan(covered in foil) and bottom pan, scrape the walls and ceiling once in a while.
 
As stated in another post. Head to Walmart and get a jug of Purple Power. I use it on my Stick Burner. The best cleaner I have ever used and not harsh.
 
I hate cleaning these grates. Just if they aren't cleaned for months, then it is almost impossible to remove the plaque. If I had enough time to clean them, I would clean them every time after use.
 
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