Cleaning?

[Kevin]

Hi All,

I just finished smoking my third cut of meat and am loving my model 2. My question is, how much cleaning do you do after each smoke? Is it necessary to wash the racks, smoke box, and wipe down the interior every time? I find that even when lining the bottom and smoke box with aluminum there is still a good amount of drippings that find's it's way all over. My thought was that I want to prevent mold from occurring. Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks!
-Kevin

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[swthorpe]

I don't clean the inside very often - maybe once every three or four months.  I put the side racks in the dishwasher once a month; otherwise, the just stay in the smoker.   When I am finished smoking, I remove the foil from the bottom and wipe down the bottom, and clean up the smoke box.  The racks used for the meat are cleaned after each smoke.  Hope this helps.

[Pork Belly]

My clean-up routine is:
Remove and brush my grates then wipe them with paper-towels.
Take the foil of the firebox while it is still in the smoker, leaving foil in smoker.
Remove fire box, dump ash, scrub bottom with grill brush and wipe with paper towel.
Fold foil covering bottom of smoker onto its self to prevent any drips, remove and throw away.
Wipe bottom of smoker with paper towels.
Remove drip pan and, discard contents, wipe with paper towels, clean in dishwasher.

*However on the occasion that what I smoked did not produce a large amount of drippings, all I do is dump the ash from the firebox and wash the drip pan.

[DivotMaker]

Hi Kevin!  I put my shelves in the dishwasher after each use, and the side racks (shelf holders) get a ride in the dishwasher about every 4 smokes.  Like Brian, I pull the foil off the smoke box, remove it and dump the ashes.  I remove the drip pan and discard the grease in a grease can, then remove the foil from the bottom of the smoker and put it in the drip pan (so I can carry it to the trash can without it dripping).  I wipe the excess grease out of the bottom with paper towels and call it a day.  Close the door, cover on - done.

[es1025]

Same here, I wash the racks the are used after every smoke.  I wipe down the bottom with some paper towels. I also clean the outside with stainless steel cleaner once a month.  I always clean both holes top and bottom with a paper towel.

Beside that were good to go!

[bigbassnutt]

What kind of stainless cleaner do you use? I would like to get some but want to get something that works well.

[Smokster]

I pretty much do the same, where I wash the rack after each smoke, remove the foil from the top of the smoker box, dump the ashes and rinse out the box, then discard the foil on the bottom of the smoker.

The side rails will occasionally go into the dishwasher including the racks if needed.  As well, if I start seeing a build up of grease or juices on the bottom of the smoker, I will wipe down with paper towels to pick up the bulk of it, then wet the bottom and wipe with dish soap (using paper towels to easily discard) and a quick rinse with the garden hose.  I will only do this on the bottom of the smoker, not the sides and only when needed.  I will sometime put the tray under the smoker to easily discard to water or move the smoker onto the lawn. This works well for me.