Whats the inside of my FEC supposed to look like??

"Buildup" is good. The inside walls of my 2008 FEC have never been cleaned, and it's seen hundreds of cooks. Every once in a while I'll brush off some of the ash buildup I get on the door.

I do keep the bottom very shiny and free of grease to avoid fires. I use foil on the bottom, the deflector directly above the firepot and on drip shield. One of these days I might scrape some of the buildup off with a credit card, but only on the flaking buildup.

Git'er dirty!

Like Don said, get it black and leave it black,it will hold temps a little better when you get it dark. I do like to use a little vinegar to clean the internal temp probe once in a while.

The inside of my 020 looks like a coal mine at midnight. Once in a while I use a putty knife and scrape off built-up residue from the walls,ceiling,and inside of the door. I replace the foil on the floor and woodbox roof after each smoke after wiping up the stray fat/grease drippings here and there. NEVER use any kind of spray cleaner on the inside of the smoker. CAL's point about cleaning the probe occasionally is a good one. Enjoy your FEC & happy smoking!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Thanks, I would have forgotten about the temp probe!!!!!!