Cleaning Smoker

[bluecatpride]

Have had my smoker for two years and have not touched the inside of it at all.  How much, if any, of the gunk inside can I remove without removing all of the seasoning flavor?  Sure do not want to mess up my smoking flavor.

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[EFGM]

All I ever do for the walls, and ceiling anyway is just use a 3 or 4 in putty knife, either plastic or metal and run it over and get all the loose crude off.
With the depth of these things I also will use a long handled spatula for the deep reaches. You are right, you don't want to lose all the Goodness, just the loose stuff.

[swthorpe]

I use a putty knife as well, probably once every 6 months or so.

[old sarge]

I only remove the "gunk" when it alligators, or starts cracking and flaking. A stiff brush (no metal bristles) or a Dobie pad works well.  No heavy scrubbing; if it is loose, it will come off.  If you want to re-season, you could use a grill cleaner/oven cleaner.

[AlinMA]

I only remove the "gunk" when it alligators, or starts cracking and flaking. A stiff brush (no metal bristles) or a Dobie pad works well.  No heavy scrubbing; if it is loose, it will come off.  If you want to re-season, you could use a grill cleaner/oven cleaner.

+1

[SmokinSusie-Q]

All I ever do for the walls, and ceiling anyway is just use a 3 or 4 in putty knife, either plastic or metal and run it over and get all the loose crude off.
With the depth of these things I also will use a long handled spatula for the deep reaches. You are right, you don't want to lose all the Goodness, just the loose stuff.

I'd like to get DM's take on this.  I got my smoker in Jan. and haven't touched it.

[SconnieQ]

It's kind of a personal thing. DM Tony seems to like to re-establish the seasoning every so often. I don't think you ever need to totally remove the seasoning, just the loose stuff and gunk. A plastic scraper (old credit card or plastic scraper from a home center) is best for between smoke maintenance in my opinion. Then a light rub down with paper towels. If you are the kind of person who just needs to take it all the way back every so often, then you can use oven cleaner, etc. Just re-season it like you did when it was new, and it should be right back on track after a couple smokes.

[DivotMaker]

All I ever do for the walls, and ceiling anyway is just use a 3 or 4 in putty knife, either plastic or metal and run it over and get all the loose crude off.
With the depth of these things I also will use a long handled spatula for the deep reaches. You are right, you don't want to lose all the Goodness, just the loose stuff.

I'd like to get DM's take on this.  I got my smoker in Jan. and haven't touched it.

Kari, and Dave, nailed it.  If you just want to scrape the loose stuff off, and press on, no problem!  It's just a personal preference, but every year or so (depending on the buildup), I like to start fresh and take it down to the metal and re-season.  It seasons as quickly as it does when it's new, and just works for me.  Everyone has their own preference, and there's no "right or wrong!"

[SuperDave]

Tried something new for me today with my shelves.  The dried on food bits are always the toughest part of cleaning the shelves for me.  I put a rack with the dried on meat on my gas grill and turned it on full.  It burned the food bits which knocked off very easily after that with a brush. 

[DivotMaker]

Good idea, Dave!

[NDKoze]

Tried something new for me today with my shelves.  The dried on food bits are always the toughest part of cleaning the shelves for me.  I put a rack with the dried on meat on my gas grill and turned it on full.  It burned the food bits which knocked off very easily after that with a brush.

I do this quite regularly and t works quite well. My only problem its that it is hard to hold the tray in place while using the grill brush on it.

[RG]

Mine is due for another cleaning. Not sure why but if I don't clean it, it starts to make a funky smoke that alters the taste of the food. Not good!

[DivotMaker]

Mine is due for another cleaning. Not sure why but if I don't clean it, it starts to make a funky smoke that alters the taste of the food. Not good!

I don't notice a taste difference, but when that creosote coating gets so thick it's flaky and totally black, I can't stand it!  EZ-Off time, and re-season!    Just like a new smoker!