Drip pans?

You must like your smoker cleaner than mine. I just put foil in the bottom, foil on the heat sheild, and foil in the grease trough in my FEC. Afterwards, just pull the dirty foil out and refoil for the next time. BTW, if you foil the smoker, make sure you poke holes in the foil at the drain holes in the FEC.

Regarding the sides, I just scrape them down something starts to flake off. Usually about every 6-9 months. Otherwise, I like the sides to stay seasoned and dark.

The only drip pan I use is the grease pan on the bottom of the FEC.

But this is just me.

Like Ribdog says,if you foiled the three surfaces,and only leave the one shelf inside to cook 2-4 butts,put a disposable Al pan inside the bottom drain pan,you could cook several times a week and maybe use a plastic windshield scraper, annually on the walls.

Even the rack can go into a soak pan over night with some hot water and Simple Green,and rinse the next day.

Unless they cook comps,some folks don't even clean the racks between cooks.

Been using a pressure washer about once a month on my FEC since new in July 2005. Never had an issue with starter. I clean out fire pot with pressure and knock chunks off sides and bottom.

Don't shoot up slide and cover pellet hopper and electronics with a plastic bag prior to pressure washing the outside.

Mack

Thanks for the feedback.

I foil everything currently (except the grates) and punch the hole in the bottom as I read about that warning before.

I was worried about the walls being black though since I can wipe them with a paper towel and pull off residue. Given I'm not real familiar with the unit yet I've been worried about that being a fire hazard. The last thing I want is for it to catch fire on the inside. I guess it's not one.

The problem I've had with the grates is that they are slightly too big to fit in my dishwasher and have required hand-washing. They get seriously caked up and require several minutes each to clean. I tried a pressure washer but even that couldn't do the trick without some hand scrubbing. I'll try the soaking method.

If you have access to a Sam's, get the oven cleaner in a spray bottle. Spray the grates and allow them to sit for 30 minutes, then pressure wash off. It will also take the seasoning on the walls down to new looking stainless steel if you desire.

Speaking from experience, when using the oven cleaner use thick rubber gloves or double glove at a minimum. The stuff will pull the protein out of the nails, turn them yellow and cause them to curl. They take a long time to recover (like a month or two)

Mack

Lots of options.

Me,

Keep it simple, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

I wouldn't use a pressure washer, do much chance on water or pressure causing problems. Mack obviously knows what he's doing, but me, I don't

I just cover most surfaces with foil, change them out daily as needed.

I scrape down the sides.

I think leaving the sides covered with seasoning is a good thing. That black you're wiping off is seasoning, not sure why you want to wipe it off, but I don't think you need to.

I also never use oven cleaner, ever.

I use simple green or other food degradable type cleaners if I HAVE to, but I haven't had to in my four FE's.

I keep the outside spotless, but the inside I keep looking clean, get rid of chunks but that's about it.

It's all about the Health Department and their inspection. They like to see clean grates and food free insides. They don't really understand the black flaking stuff is seasoning and won't hurt anyone. That is why I hit the inside to knock off the flakes and really clean the grates. It just prevents them looking even closer.

By the way my health inspector was all-american from NTS (the Green Machine) and offensive lineman of the year in 1981 and 1982 in the CFL and wears a nice grey cup ring. I like to keep him happy.

Mack

I'm with Smokin Okie.... Scrape the inside as needed. As for the racks, I soak them in dish washer detergent and they seem to clean up easily.

quote:

Originally posted by Smoke'n Ice:
It's all about the Health Department and their inspection. Mack

Oh, so the caveat is you do it because of the HD.

Well that's different.

But since the HD doesn't come by my house, I don't clean it like that.

Hey HD, it's a SMOKER!

I try to keep my cleaning chores simple.

Inside - Every few months, as needed, I scrape all surfaces with a 4" plastic putty knife to remove any residue. Around once a year when I'm pressure washing the deck the smoker sits on, I'll hit the inside of the unit with light pressure.

Racks - Following each smoke, I put them in my gas grill and crank the heat all the way up (tops out around 650F). Ten minutes later, all residue has burnt off. I let them cool, and rinse. Simple and quick.