Smoker Essentials: Barkeeper's Friend

[UWFSAE]

I paid my way through college and grad school as a combination of bartender, bouncer, and international man of mystery.  The first two required me to break down multiple bars at a place called Seville Quarter in Pensacola, FL ... the stainless ice wells, the stainless frozen drink machines, the stainless speed racks ... everything had to be cleaned for both sanitation and aesthetics on a nightly basis.

Barkeeper's Friend lived up to its name ... the owners had case after case of this stuff stashed away and we went through a ton of it nightly.  It not only dramatically sped up the process of cleaning stainless steel but it did a more thorough job with less elbow grease than any other product we were given.

Flash forward to my older, yet wiser, years.  Nowadays, I use this stuff on my good cutlery, my stainless pots/pans, and now ... the Smokin-It #3.  When my unit arrived, there was a light patina of rust/oxidation immediately beneath the second compression lock.  While I never heard back from the company about care recommendations, I threw caution to the wind and busted out a tried and true method.  The results?  Shiny perfection!

PROS:
1.  The stuff is CHEAP!  You can often find cans on sale or 2-for-1 but I've never paid more than $2.00 for a large can that will last for months.
2.  You can really speed up the cleaning process, whether it's the interior or exterior of the smoker.  While I have let the seasoning of my smoker progress "unmolested" with the exception of grease cleanup, I do like to keep the exterior "showroom new" for my guests when I point out the #3's merits like a gearhead with a '65 Mustang.
3.  Did I mention it's cheap?
4.  Food-safe use and water-soluable ... a very safe and effective method of cleaning up baked-on grease, stains, dirt, etc.

CONS:
1.  Hmm ... it doesn't do all the work itself?

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
Keeping our Smokin-Its clean and shipshape is probably something most of us take for granted.  Using Barkeeper's Fried allows this to be the least onerous process I've found and produces consistently superb results.

VENDOR RECOMMENDATION:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bar-Keepers-Friend-15-oz-All-Purpose-Cleaner-11584/202290251#.UdTx5m1CQQk

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[kymonopoly]

I LOVE my Barkeeper's Friend.  I have had pots and pans that I thought would take serious elbow grease to clean.  I soaked the pots with some BKF and came back later and it was so much easier to clean.  I've used it on just about everything as well.  Amazing stuff.

[es1025]

Joe, I agree this bkf is the best. Have you used on the racks and the outside of the smoker yet?
my racks could use a better cleaning than my elbow grease.

[UWFSAE]

I use Barkeeper's Friend on the outside of the smoker but I actually use Simple Green (it's USDA certified for this type of cleaning) on the racks; I get a 30-gallon garbage bag and put the racks inside and spray them heavily with a 2:1 degreaser/water mix.  Let them soak inside the bag for an hour or two, pull them out and thoroughly rinse them with water and they rarely even need any additional scrubbing.

That being said, if i had a Rubbermaid tub big enough for the #3's racks I imagine BKF would be quite effective ...

[Hardhead]

Works great for cleaning fiberglass boat hulls too.  Takes all stains right off-

[mnsmoker]

I was looking at my smoker yesterday and thinking it needs a good cleaning particularly around the hole on top, soap and water didn't do much, will have to try some BKF, I know from experience it does wonders on stainless steel sinks, excellent tip!!

[DiggingDogFarm]

Good stuff!
I like to use it with the blue non-scratching Scotch-Brite scrubbers.
http://www.scotch-brite.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotch-BriteBrand/Scotch-Brite/Products/Product-Catalog/~/Non-Scratch-Scour-Pad?N=3294631096+4337&rt=rud

[Pork Belly]

I haven't used the BKF, is it non abrasive?

[SuperDave]

I've got black tears running down the face of the door and the stainless steel cleaner I bought acts more like a polish than a cleaner.  Has anyone had good results with the BKF on creosote? 

[jcboxlot]

Eazy Off Oven? cleaner maybe? 

[paidin]

thanks for the BKF tip.  I will give it a try.  My wife keeps buying all this expensive stainless steel cleaner stuff for our appliances. 

[DivotMaker]

Eazy Off Oven? cleaner maybe?

There is a clear coat on the exterior, so I'd be careful with something as harsh as EZ Off.  I've had good success with the Mr Clean Magic Eraser, and have yet to try BKF.  I always thought it was just another cleanser, like Comet, and somewhat abrasive...I could be wrong.

[SuperDave]

I pick up some of the liquid version of the BKF tonight and will try it out tomorrow.  Tony, the clear coat you speak of comes off with Dawn dish soap.  Can you ask Steve if this is a true clear coat (a crappy one) or is it just a shipping film like we burn off on the inside?  I'm having a hard time believing that anyone would bother to put a clear coat on something that comes off with typical non commercial cleaners.  In any event, I'm interested to hear the response.  You can PM me if you'd like.

[DivotMaker]

Hmm...I'll check into it, Dave.  Mine has not come off, but I don't use any abrasive cleaners, either.

[Barrel99]

The clear coat came off using scrubbing bubbles Fantastic. I don't get it.