Cleaning the little guy

[campcook]

A quick question. How clean do you clean the little guys racks, chip box and rack holder. In my old smoker I could clean the back to their original  shine. Do you all clean them back of don't worry. I was thinking the chip box should be cleaned as to not get mixed smoke using different wood. Don't know if that make any difference or not.  Just asken from a new user of the little guy.

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[DivotMaker]

Ray, here's a thread on cleaning:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=117.0

Quick and easy describes the process of cleaning!  If you foil the bottom of the box (remember to punch a hole for the drain hole!) and the top of the smoke box, the rest is easy.  You do NOT want to remove the seasoning from the inside of the box.  Pull the foil out, wipe excess grease from the bottom, and throw the racks and shelves in the dishwasher, and call it a day!  Just dump the ashes out of the smoke box - no need to clean it between different woods (makes no difference). 

[campcook]

Thanks I am a clean freek when it comes to food. I do put foil on the bottom and on top of the wood box. The inside of the wood box is black and I most likely put to much wood in it. (used to old smoker, learning curve)  I cleaned the bottom of all grease and the hole, although I did not have much on the bottom. I cleaned the racks by hand, did not want to mess up the wifes dishwasher. Does the residue stick to the dishwasher racks? Just wondering. Like to stay out of trouble but doesn't always happen.....lol

[DivotMaker]

I never have an issue with the racks messing up the dishwasher, and it gets them cleaner than by hand.  If you have a black interior, with a pretty new smoker, you're probably using too much wood.  It's creosote buildup.  I broke down, after about 6 months of 1-3 smokes per week, and cleaned the inside with E-Z Off.  I did have to re-season it, but it got rid of the big buildup.  Up to that point, I'd never cleaned the shelf racks, so they got a dose, too.  Now, I actually only run them through the dishwasher every 2-3 smokes.

[es1025]

I have had my smoker since June.  I wash the racks after every smoke, a little soap and water and a sponge.  I would recommend using Pam or some other non-stick spray, it helps cleanup.  I have not cleaned the inside of my smoker, besides the wiping off the grease off the bottom, I have not seen any buildup. Happy smoking

[Three Sons BBQ]

... I always take out the racks I'm not using ... Seems obvious but the first few times I was cleaning quite a few racks for no good reason!

[DivotMaker]

The only reason I had to do a "deep cleaning" with the EZ Off was due to some over-smoking early on, before I figured it out.  The inside of my #1, from that and all the smokes I did after, was pretty black with creosote!  I figured it wouldn't hurt to start fresh with a new seasoning.  Didn't affect the outcome afterwards, just looks a little nicer now.  I doubt I'll have to go to that extreme again, now that I understand how little wood to use.

[old sarge]

A nice dark mahogany patina is nice. It comes with time.  As for the racks, I clean with a green pad after each use.

[BHamel]

I clean everything in the dishwasher.  I have found that I need to clean the bottom of the smoke box by hand on occasion due to drippings creating a build up.  The nice thing about the stainless is that no way is a wrong way, just depends on how much work you want to do and if your OCD (OK my OCD  ) kicks in.

[DivotMaker]

Good point about your OCD, Ben!    One thing I've learned is to not wait to wipe that bottom clean when removing the foil!  If you let it get cold, the foil sticks and the grease seepage gets tough to get out!  Soon after the cook, I pull the foil and wipe down the bottom while it's still warm...SO much easier!  Learned the hard way on that one.