Ok, just got a used 008 from the Bargain Cave at Cabelas in Kansas City. Looks great, just real dirty and wanted to start out clean since I don't know what the previous owner did in it. So far, even without cooking anything, I am really impressed with the construction of this thing. I had been considering the Bradley Smoker and am really glad I got the 008 instead.
Now for the problem. I got some Greased Lightning and started cleaning. That stuff is great! But nobody in those posts mentioned that I should have worn gloves. Duh.....
So, any ideas how to clean my hands off now? Seems like I transferred all the greasy dirt from the stainless steel to my hands! Learned a new lesson today....

Any hand cleaner like Goop or Gojo will work great, especially combined with a hand brush. I usually use the orange stuff that has a brush clipped right on the bottle. Also useful for getting grease spots off your shirt.

Thanks. I will get some tonight, none in the house. I tried about everything else I could find in the house though. If all else fails, it will probably crack off after all the chemicals from last night. I will be getting some gloves too at the hardware store!

I thought I was just going to try test cleaning a little spot and that Greased Lightning worked so well I couldn't stop!

Looks brand new now. There's not a scratch on it. One wheel flops around but I will take the back off tonight and work on that. I have no idea why they returned this cooker unless it was that floppy wheel. Guess they didn't own any tools.....

so you need to remember to rinse that bad boy off real well... get all the chems out of the unit... and then run it for a few hours with just a few small pieces of wood to season it...

you cleaned it up, now you gotta blacken it back up again!!

I finished up the cleaning tonight (after getting a nice pair of gloves). I hosed the unit out to make sure all the Greased Lightning is out of there for sure. No smell at all. That stuff is great! Everything is cleaned out and it looks brand new. I took the back off to let it dry as I noticed that some water and gunk gets through the seams and leaks into the bottom. Also, fixed the loose wheel.

I really got a deal on this thing from the Bargain Cave at Cabelas. It was in there for 300bux and I got a little more off as am employee. The only thing that appears wrong was that one wheel was flopping around but I have already fixed it. Not even a scratch in the thing.

I had been thinking about a smoker for about 3 months and began focusing on the Smokette after talking to several Cabela's employees and customers that had done their homework. The Bradley is really cool and can cold smoke very well but I just believe the Smokette is longer lasting, more robust. I am wondering if you can't buy the Bradley smoke generator, drill a whole in the side of the Smokette and attach the generator to cold smoke. Best of both worlds. Maybe that new pellet dispenser from Cookshack is adaptable?

Had to buy one of the smokers eventually as it gets really, really hard working around all the good cooking gear at Cabela's and not jumping in.

Got some really good brats and bison from a meat market south of Hermann MO that will go in first!

quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner:
[qb] Thanks. ...

I thought I was just going to try test cleaning a little spot and that Greased Lightning worked so well I couldn't stop!

Looks brand new now. There's not a scratch on it. One wheel flops around but I will take the back off tonight and work on that. I have no idea why they returned this cooker unless it was that floppy wheel. Guess they didn't own any tools..... [/qb]

Bladerunner
I know yours is an old post, but... did you ever take the back off and how hard was it? I would like to take the back of mine and grind a little clearance for my wheels on my 009. When I lean the unit back to roll it both wheels rub, signficantly, on the bottom edge of the back.

Anybody else have a suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

Mike C

Another good cleaner for the SS is Barkeeper's Friend. It's a powder, like Ajax, but will not scratch the SS (that's what it's designed for).

After using the cleaner I'd re-season it.

A good thing to clean the goo off your hands if you forget the gloves is lemon juice. Soak your hands in it and scrub gently with a soft brush, like a nail brush or a tooth brush. It helps get the stuff out of your cuticles.
Peggy

I bought latex exam gloves at Costco for just that purpose. You get 300 pair for about ten bucks. I use them for cleaning, pulling pork, putting jerky on the rods, etc. Amazing how much you use them if you have them.

Hhmmm......

Think I must do a little profit sharing exercise......

use crisco

How often should I clean my cookshack?

Brown
I scrape the sides ,door, shelf brackets and wipe the bottom after each cook. i also clean the rack by soakin in some greased lightning. Dont think you need more than that. Too much cleaning means too much work and you have to put back all the seasoning you washed away. More work

RT

I just wipe mine out with paper towels after each cook and put the firebox, racks, and grills in the dishwasher. I wipe down the outside with 409 or similar. I am considering cleaning out the smoke hole with a stiff wire doodad and a drill. It gets smaller and smaller from baked on hard creosote.

Hippie

Speaking of cleaning the smoke hole. Someone suggested the copper? wire bore brush for cleaning a 10ga shotgun. Granted that's an odd guage shotgun where I live, but the idea was brilliant. I bought both the 12 and 20 ga brushes, and have not consumed enough coffee this morning to remember which worked better. (though off hand I would have thought a .410/410ga brush would be a better fit) You might give that a try in your cordless drill.

Mike C