Bottom foil

Yeah, Dave...lol!  I guess that's one area that I always thought fell into the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" category.
 
Since we are on this subject sort of how do you all feel about using a power washer to clean the bottom occasionally? And then drying really good.
 
elkins20 said:
Since we are on this subject sort of how do you all feel about using a power washer to clean the bottom occasionally? And then drying really good.
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Wouldn't hurt a thing, but I'd consider it overkill (I have a power washer).  Just a simple wipe down, with paper towels, is good enough for me.  About once a year, when the buildup just gets to bad, I strip the inside with EZ Off and re-season!
 
I'm not going to clean and or reseason mine unless it gets so bad that the door won't shut! I've had to smoke a lot of fat and greasy pork butts to get just the right patina on my little buddy. I don't even consider it dirty, only encrusted with all the delicious tastes and smells that keep me coming back again and again to the magical land of LazyQ.  ;)
 
Ok OK I just on the Lazy side, and the power washer is in the garage. I thought hmmmmm maybe. I like the easy off idea also. And Dale I was letting mine go until the foil started sticking to the floor. The sides and door yes have not touched it. But, the floor is another matter. lol
 
Even though i foil the bottom some seems to always get underneath and i just wipe it out when i change the foil. Nothing to it.
 
+1.  I have some old dishrags that I keep out with the smoker (and run through the dishwasher with the racks and such instead of the washing machine to keep grease out of there) that I use with hot water to wipe off and sorta scrub the smoker before I put it away.  Keeps the grease down to a minimum for health and fire safety issues and keeps my seasoning intact.
 
I tried large foil pans from Rest depot when I first got my #3, it had an adverse effect of the evenness of cooking. I also tried covering the floor of the cooker with foil, total waste off foil and time. After that I only foil the lid of the wood house, NOTHING else ever. I have an old wood spatula I run across the bottom to get any standing liquid or chunks out, other than that it is all seasoning. I have never understood why some people clean their pits. Dozens and dozens of cooks later, I am still producing wonderful food with this thing.
 
The advantage of the foil is it will contour to the slope of the bottom of the smoker. In this way the liquid will go to the hole and drip pan. But it would be interesting to know how the lid works.  However using a couple of feet of HD foil would be less expensive.

I pulled mine out last night (first smoke run with food) when it was still warm. It was a little sticky but came out, it might have really stuck if I had let it cool down all the way. 
 
Reynolds makes a foil that is one notch heavier than Heavy Duty. It is called "Super Strength". That's what I use for lining the bottom. Grease is going to get under there no matter what, but the heavier foil lifts off easier. As far as cleaning the bottom, I don't obsess about it. I use an old plastic credit card to scrape off any loose gunk. Then wipe it out with paper towels. There is no need to get it perfect. Considering all the dripping fat and smoke that goes on inside these things, I consider them really easy to clean and maintain. I also thought I read somewhere on this forum that you should not put any sort of drip pan on a rack beneath your meat as it messes with the temperature reading, even cooking, smoke flow, or something...
 
Just went out to clean the #2 in preparation for use tonight and found, for the first time, that the foil came right out.  My wife is cheap and rather than throwing away old foil she'll clean and re-use it if it's not really dirty.  I used a couple of those pieces for the bottom of the smoker and it seems like the wrinkles and creases held most of it a little bit off the bottom and did a great job off catching the grease.  Very little grease had gone underneath it either.
 
I reuse the throw away drip pans, but never the foil from inside.

If it works, go for it, my wife does not even like to clean the grates :)

Greg
 
damnfingers said:
Just went out to clean the #2 in preparation for use tonight and found, for the first time, that the foil came right out.  My wife is cheap and rather than throwing away old foil she'll clean and re-use it if it's not really dirty.  I used a couple of those pieces for the bottom of the smoker and it seems like the wrinkles and creases held most of it a little bit off the bottom and did a great job off catching the grease.  Very little grease had gone underneath it either.
Click to expand...

Why use any foil at all?  I foil the top to the wood house and that is it, and even then I wonder why I do it. I have an old wooden wok spatula I use to move along any thing on the floor of the smoker to the hole, other than that my beautifully seasoned number 3 now has well over 200 smokes on it with no odd or off flavors detected, even with beef Jerky or fish.

Ever see a seasoned pit? THAT is what a smoker should look like.
 
I have been using the lids from a full sized foil serving aluminum pan. I bought a pack of 15 for $7 at Sam's Club.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/bakers-chefs-steam-table-aluminum-foil-lid-full-size-15-ct/prod3210002.ip?navAction=push

I have a big roll of HD Foil from Sam's too, but for the bottom this lids fit just perfect in my #3 and don't tear like the foil does. There is about an inch or so from the sides, but I always get oil under my foil anyhow, so I figured why worry about it.
 
smokeasaurus said:
I use HD foil and it sticks from time to time....might try the pan and forget about foiling..............
Click to expand...
I'd love to see a poll of #3 owners that use the pan with no ill effects.  In my #4, it works great because I have a lot of vertical separation.  The pan and meat aren't anywhere near my probe, so, I get accurate readings.  With many of the other model owners there has been complaints about pan interference with keeping accurate temps. 
 
smokeasaurus said:
I use HD foil and it sticks from time to time....might try the pan and forget about foiling..............
Click to expand...

Reynolds makes a foil that is one step stronger than Heavy-Duty called "Super-Strength". Available in the wide rolls. That's what I use on the bottom, and have had no trouble with sticking.
 
I work for Reynolds so I pay almost nothing for the large industrial rolls. I don't have sticking issues at all. I often wonder if heating would work better for the top of the wood box as not foiled. It works well as is so I see no need to change.
 
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