Restoring an old smoker

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JLinza

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Apr 24, 2021
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So I'm restoring an old off set that was left when we bought our new house. I have never restored a smoker before, but thought I would give it a go. I used the high heat paint (2000+ degree F paint) painted all of it. And now it's time for the the racks....?. Some of the racks have some rust. I wire brushed them, with a cup bush attached to my Dewalt drill. Got all the rust off . But I'm not sure I should paint the grates. I'm concerned it will affect flavor of meat. I think it might be hard to replace the grates on this and don't really want to spend the money. I plan on seasoning the smoker and going around with lots of oil and then seasoning again... any recommendations... thanks in advance.
 
Season the grates along with the rest of it, then run some cooks on it to season the grates further. Fatty stuff like pork butt should build up the seasoning on the grates nicely.
 
Season the grates along with the rest of it, then run some cooks on it to season the grates further. Fatty stuff like pork butt should build up the seasoning on the grates nicely.
Is that a " don't paint or after paint
 
Is that a " don't paint or after paint
Do not paint the cooking grates. Clean them as best you can and as has been noted, have them in the cook chamber when doing the burn-in. It doesn't hurt to spray or brush the grates with EVOO or avocado oil before starting the burn-in. Unless the current grates are totally shot, thee's no need to replace them. A good high heat burn will clean them for safe use.

Robert
 
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I agree with what is stated above... after a burn in, if you can control the heat, I would try and run the smoker at 350-375 and coat the crap out of the inside (grates and all inside surfaces) using Grapeseed, Vegetable, Avocado oil, etc.

- Jason
 
Thanks guys, I was definitely skeptical about painting inside. Glad I asked. Thanks again
 
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Post up your progress . Plenty of interest and I'd like to see what it is . Or maybe I missed that.
 
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