How do you clean your smoker?

[Nightram]

I want to get off to a good start cleaning my grill. For starters in australia if i damage my grill plates i dont think ill get a replacement.

The manual says to use a grill brush, but the grills are enamal and i worry the stainless will scratch it. Which will lead to rust.

What do you do?

[Rambo]

let's see it

[Nightram]

See what exactly?

[OldUsedParts]

Here's what Char-Broil says about it:
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When cleaning porcelain grill grates, don't use metal or wire brushes. Use a soft bristle or a nylon grill brush. Burn off any food leftover on the grates. Then let the grates cool and scrub them with the nylon cleaning brush.

[astrohip]

Cleaning grates with any sort of metal bristles has fallen out of flavor (pun intended). Little pieces of bristle can break off, unseen and unknown, and then end up in your cook. There have been several cases of people finding metal bristles in their cooked food, sometimes with serious side effects.

While that info OldUsedParts shared refers to porcelain grates, it applies to ALL grates. Don't use metal bristle brushes to clean grates or grills or smokers.

[spacetrucker]

for grill grate cleaning, since the grill brush is not in favor due to the bristles breaking off and getting into the food... I use a piece of aluminum foil loosely waded up into a ball then a pair of tongs to hold it, and scrub / wipe the grill once it is at cooking temperature....
Here we are manly men... we dont need no stinkin structions to manly men roadmaps and struction books dont get used.....
but seriously let your conscience guide you as far as the cleaning goes, that is just how I go about it

[Nightram]

I ended up pulling them out and washing in hot water and soap. Came out remarkably clean. Beforehand i used a costco cleaning tool (hardwood tool that looks like a sex paddle) to get the flakes off

[astrohip]

I ended up pulling them out and washing in hot water and soap. Came out remarkably clean. Beforehand i used a costco cleaning tool (hardwood tool that looks like a sex paddle) to get the flakes off

I did a brisket smoke this past weekend, and it was an exceptionally fatty piece of meat*. I realized after that my various parts (grates, smoke panels, etc) really needed cleaning, most of them are caked with residue of prior smokes.

So do I clean them, because they literally have a half-inch of "stuff" on them? Or do I leave it, because it probably adds to the flavor?



* This was by far the fattest, greasiest brisket I've ever smoked. Really had to trim, before & after. OTOH, the flavor was amazing!

[Boots]

Running yer cooker really hot for a while is a good sanitary way of burning them off and turning the remains into pretty much ash. For regular steel grates, you can buy pumice stones or squares and use them for a final scrub off tool, then just wash thoroughly. Very safe, very effective. Wadded up foil also works but JMHO, not as well.

For porcelain, you might just use Easy Off oven cleaner as a first stage (though the stuff just flat stinks). Then wipe down with a stiff sponge, soap and water and then rinse.

[astrohip]

Running yer cooker really hot for a while is a good sanitary way of burning them off and turning the remains into pretty much ash. For regular steel grates, you can buy pumice stones or squares and use them for a final scrub off tool, then just wash thoroughly. Very safe, very effective. Wadded up foil also works but JMHO, not as well.

For porcelain, you might just use Easy Off oven cleaner as a first stage (though the stuff just flat stinks). Then wipe down with a stiff sponge, soap and water and then rinse.

Thanks Boots, good info. Is it even worth doing? Any pros or cons?

[OldUsedParts]

When last months leftovers start sticking to today's Meal, I would say Probably So

[woodenvisions]

700 degree burn always works for me followed by a good spraying of Pam. Not a fan of any brushing but this may just be me.

[Md80max]

I just finished cleaning out my PitBoss 1100. I had cleaned a few times already after 2 or 3 cooks. This time I decided to give the ceramic cooking grates a little more attention besides just scraping the cooking surface with the non-metallic bristled brush. So I brought the cooking grates into the house where we have some deep stainless sinks in the kitchen and what a mess. I don't think I will do that again with the cooking grates.

On my Weber grill, there are cast iron grates and I have never cleaned them, just scraped them after each cook for years and never had a problem and I consider them well " seasoned ". Anything wrong with having the same attitude for my smoker? This is my first smoker and only had it about a month and cooked on it maybe 6 times.

Any input appreciated!

[GRailsback]

I periodically take my grates to the car wash and pressure wash them. Then i spray them down real good with Pam. But if you keep up with brushing them regularly then you are good.

[decherdt]

I was a bit disappointed mine are porcelain instead of stainless. The day may come when I change them. For now,
I soak them in a wheelbarrow, then scrub them with a nylon brush + a Dobie pad with Dawn