Do you clean your smoker?

[Bruce]

I am curious what everyone else does with their smoker?

 

[txav8r]

I do use the ash tool to knock whatever ash is in the firebox into the ash tray, and then scrape that out between cooks in my big green egg. But I don't take the egg apart and vacuum it out except before long, low and slow, cooks. I do it then so I know I have good airflow between all parts, so I don't end up with a fire going out half way through a cook. But for the 3 or 4 hour cooks, as I did for the prime rib I roasted for Christmas day, I just knock it out with the ash tool and get on with it. I clean my grates between cooks too, but some of my tools, such as the plate setter or indirect stone for my R&B combo rig, i just foil them every few times if the foil melts or the foil gets dirty. The rig itself I just let it smoke up and don't worry with it.

 

[MikeyL]

My Lang - (Offset Firebox, 1/4" steel, horizontal cooker) is designed, engineered and constructed to be washed out with a hose immediately after each cook.
There is a metal plate underneath the grates, which is the heart of the Reverse Flow smoking process. It is angled and includes a deep V groove as well all the way down the enter, so that as you HOSE out the cooking area with a hose, the spelled water is directed to 1 end and then emptied throughwa drain pipe and easy-to-open/close large valve. Kinda like stream cleaning your pit.

I empty the firebox of any and all ash AFTER the unit has been shut down for about 6+ hours. Ash is an extremely corrosive chemical and will eat away virtually any metal.

Bottom line: Each time I start a cook, I am beginning with a CLEAN, Fresh Smoker, exclusive of an old food or creosote. And my end "product" simply tastes better.

By the way, this "cleaning process" (including wire brushing the cooking grates, and large putty knife scraping the reverse flow plate takes me MAYBE an extra 8 to 10 mins after I am done cooking. It's a small price to pay for the benefit it provides me. I hope this helps someone else !

If someone would like to see the cleaning process, here ya go:
http://f.vimeocdn.com/p/flash/moogaloop/6.0.28/moogaloop.swf?autoplay=1&clip_id=33930716&server=vimeo.com&show_byline=1&show_title=1&controller=player2&view=moogaloop_swf&referrer=http://langbbqsmokers.com/news_media/videos/howToVideos.html&cdn_url=http://f.vimeocdn.com&player_url=player.vimeo.com&moogaloop_type=moogaloop

The LANG-DESIGNED Steam Cleaning process does NOT remove any of the "seasoning" I applied originally to the smoker/cooker. It simply keeps the grates and drip plate(s) clean for the next cook and removes any left over grease, drippings, skin, and meat - to keep things from turning rancid.

Best Wishes and Happy New Year - Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[Big Shasta]

Masterbuilt 40" stainless steel. I wipe it out any drippings and clean all the grates and drip tray in the sink but I don't scrub off all the smoke residue all over the inside. That's seasoning.

 

[txav8r]

@Bruce , I misread the poll or maybe it was confusing to me. Before you use it again, and soon after using are one in the same to me. Whether I do it right after or before I cook again, I will wait for all the coals to snuff and cool completely before I remove the ash. Like many will I am sure, I also will remove my pans, grids, and racks to the house to clean up, whether it be when I take off the meat or when the cooker has cooled. The grids are easier to clean while the food or grease on them is still fresh, but they are still hot too. And that depends on the cook. A roast at 400F heats the cooker up twice as hot as a low and slow. I don't worry about creosote, it gets cooked off when I preheat to do pizza at 800F.

 

[billyb]

I have an offset and love it. When done I remove all ash as that is the killer.

The only time I had to get under the grates to clean it was after I did a pig last year. Lots of stuff that would not drain. Other than that, just the ash.

I just got a load of hickory, oak and cherry delivered two weeks ago...can't wait to do a brisket.

 

[MikeyL]

@billyb : Always remember ........ "A CLEAN Smoker is KEY to a CLEAN LIFE !" ........... LOL !

It's so incrementally important to making great products, along with KEEPING it clean ... whether you "steam clean it" while it's hot, or pressure wash it regularly.
You CAN taste the difference.
Happy New Year to you !

 

[Lspeedss]

Never....only the grates get cleaned after every use.

 

[Zarrella]

Never! Only the grates get cleaned. I just keep adding layers to the flavor.

 

[steined]

I do. Usually the night before, which led to an interesting 1.5 hr diversion for me on the night before New Year's Eve. We had rain all week, and I have the nomex (thick) gasket on my BGE... I think you can see where this is going with > 25 degree air temps.... I couldn't open the damn BGE for the life of me! I tried torch, heating from below, 60K BTU propane burner, and finally, 1.7L of boiling water....

Needless to say adding more water to the situation required some different measures, so I fired up a slow burn of some lump for the night, then cleaned it in the morning. That made for a late night / early morning for the pulled pork smoke for NYE! Had I not tried to clean it the night before, I'd have been one pissed off camper at 6AM and in 18 degree weather!

Mine will from time to time get a mold in it in spots, to get rid of that I'll usually get it REALLY hot for a while and everything just turns to ash.