How to "Sterilize" inside of smoker

[phillip p smith]

Very good!  Thanks?  I have had the MES 40 2nd gen about 2 weeks and really like this thing! Thanks to this forum I have learned a lot about how to use it properly.

 

[sprky]

While I do not have a MES 40 electric smoker, the same should apply.

Many moons ago when I first started smoking, I asked my local health inspector, this very question. Her response was; as long as you do not leave drip pans, or dirty racks in the smoker and allow mold to grow, no deep cleaning is required.  If mold has been allowed to grow in the smoker clean it with a bleach solution of 1 cup bleach to 1 gal of water, and rinse well. If no mold has been allowed to grow Heat the smoker to above 300 and hold for 30 min. 

I always heat my smoker to above 300 and hold for at least 30 min, even if I am cold smoking.  I have NEVER had any problems, following this advice.  The only time my smoker gets a bath is when I start seeing grease build up in the bottom, or it has set for a long period of time,  and then it’s off to the car wash for a bath.

 

[phillip p smith]

that is similar to what I have always done with my trailered smoker. keep the muck cleaned out and heat it up to around 330 deg. , spray some water in it and shut down. Let the steam do its job.  Ends up nice and fresh for next cooking.

That was my oriinal question about steaming the inside of the MES. According to what we have discussed here the same similar system works for keeping our smokers clean and fresh

 

[jarjarchef]

So here is my $0.02

Cleaning is the process of removing material from the surface.

Sanitizing is the process of reducing the number of organisms

Sterilizing is like sanitizing, but removing all bacteria.

In my 23+ years working in proffesional kitchens I have never been asked by a Health Inspector about our sterilizing process. I have been asked everytime about how we sanitize our equiptment.

As pointed out there is no real way to truely "sterilize" your smoker. You can however clean and sanitize your smoker if you choose. However if you sanitize the smoker you will remove the seasoning from it.

If you choose to sanitize with a chemical like bleach, iodine or another food approved chemical. Make sure you are using the proper delution of them as recomended by the manufacturer.

I just took my state certification and this is what they had listed for Florida....

Bleach  - 50 parts per million. It is something like 1.5 tsp to 1 gallon of water (the varible is the concentration of chlorene in your bleach, most are 5.25% range). We were told a good guide for that is 1 cap full per gallon, not a cup full. If you are smelling the bleach you run a chance of chemical contamination.

Or just use the premixed wipes.

Me personally how I do mine and the one we have at work is very similar to the way you already do yours. Get the temp up high for a minimum of 30 min with water to steam the inside to loosen the stuck on pieces. Wipe them off and continue to keep hot to dry it out. The grates and other removable interior items for our MES we will wash as we would any other pot or pan, dry then store inside the dry smoker.

Hope I did not muddy up ther already muddy water....

Jeramy

 

[phillip p smith]

Jeramy, Thanks. That will be my method>  Phillip P.