cleaning

[mikeinctown]

I seasoned my smoker without any foil in the bottom, or anywhere else for that matter. i now find that whenever I use it, my foil sticks to the bottom, apparently to the "seasoning". I've tried cleaning just the bottom so that the foil doesn't stick, but nothing seems to work. Anyone know what will cut through the smoke seasoning and clean it so that I can line the bottom with foil and actually be able to remove it when done?

 

[Braai]

:-\
Uh oh, I just seasoned it without aluminum also (yesterday). I placed the foil on today using the smoker for the first time (Pork). Does that mean I too am going to have the same problem? Can we use "Greased Lightening" ? That takes everything off. I'll see tomorrow how this works- didn't think the seasoning would make such a mess. Hope someone comes up with a solution.

 

[swthorpe]

I was not aware that we needed to season with foil on the bottom...seems counterproductive to me.  On the first couple of smokes after seasoning, the foil on the bottom was a bit sticky to remove, but now it comes right off.  I also don't press the foil down hard on the bottom surface but rather just lay it in easy, and make sure to angle toward the center with the a hole for draining.  Seems to work fine.

 

[mikeinctown]

Well maybe I'll let it sit loose in the bottom then. I normally form fit it so that everything flows toward the holes. Since I also place the water pans in there sometimes, they also press the foil down.

 

[kujobie]

Mine stuck a little but was able to get it out in one piece.  I use heavy duty foil.  Maybe that makes a difference.

 

[afratki]

Mine sticks a little also but if I peel it slowly it comes right off

 

[UWFSAE]

ABSOLUTELY use the heavy duty foil; the extra-wide rolls from Reynold's is perfect for this, though I do use the shorter rolls for covering the smoker box (to cut down on waste).

On my second smoke I tried to use the regular tin foil and had the exact same issue with sticking and tearing; since then I've only used the heavy duty stuff with nary a problem.

 

[es1025]

I had some sticking as well even with heavy duty foil. I did press the foil down in the corners and side. Plan on leaving loose next week.

 

[afratki]

I've noticed my #1 is getting less sticky the more I use it.

 

[swthorpe]

I agree--I have a #2, with maybe 15 smokes under the belt so far.  The foil on the bottom comes right out when I am done.  I also don't press the foil down hard, but lay it in gently on the bottom and press through the hole so the juices run out.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I practically never clean mine! 8)

 

[es1025]

I tried something a little different yesterday, i put the hd foil in the smoker and gently pressed into the corners. This made a world of difference when cleaning up after the smoke no sticking.  I also put some non-stick spray on the racks and that helped clean-up as well. Clean up time was less than 5 minutes.

 

[swthorpe]

Do you ever clean the side racks or run them through the dishwasher?  I wiped them down but have not yet taken them out of the smoker...so I am wondering if they should be dish washed or left alone.

 

[DivotMaker]

Now that I have about 15 smokes under ol' #1's belt, I am also wondering about cleaning methods.  On my Friday night cook of a pork butt, I found something I haven't seen before.  When I went to remove the wood box, it was stuck to the foil in the bottom!  I pulled it all out, and found a giant clump of black creosote had grown on the bottom of the smoker box!  I had never had this happen before, and I know the bottom of the box was clean when I put it in for the smoke. 

This was the first pork butt I used injection on, so it must have produced a lot more dripping than normal.  I also noticed foil on the top of the smoke box was also completely covered with black char. 

Just wondering if anyone else has seen this...

 

[BHamel]

Do you ever clean the side racks or run them through the dishwasher?  I wiped them down but have not yet taken them out of the smoker...so I am wondering if they should be dish washed or left alone.

I put my side racks and shelves in the dishwasher after every smoke.  If I don't, my shelves start sticking to the side racks when I slide them in.

 

[swthorpe]

Thanks, Ben.  I think I am due to run the side racks through the dishwasher, but I wasn't sure if there might be an advantage to leaving them seasoned over time. 

 

[DivotMaker]

I dishwash or hand-wash my shelves, but I just leave the side racks in.  I've never taken them out, or washed them, and haven't had any problems getting the shelves in and out - it's a pretty big slot.  Just me, though; I clean as little as possible.

 

[pigsmoke]

I think the "seasoning" is a good thing in general, you want it on the inside walls and door of the smoker but not really on the bottom, or on the racks and rack rails, chip box, etc. A good degreaser or oven cleaner should take care of this. I really think he should update his seasoning instructions to warn owners not to season the entire insides of the smoker. It's not really obvious to new users.

An alternative to using foil to line the bottom might be using one of those Kevlar oven liners. They're cheap and you can cut one down to size to fit the bottom of your smoker perfectly. Grease and crap doesn't stick to them so they wipe clean with a damp cloth and last a lifetime. You'd still need a small piece of foil to cover the top of the chip box.

I think the smoker should be cleaned regularly. I scrub mine out with hot soap and water after each use, it removes the grease and food scraps but leaves the seasoning intact.

mike...

 

[DivotMaker]

Good info, Mike - thanks!

 

[Smokster]

DM: I have experience the same where the top of the smoke box and the bottom of the smoker had a black char on it after a long smoke. The smoker box was stuck to the bottom foil and the char even plugged the bottom drip hole.  It took a good cleaning, but I eventually got it clean.