Clean up Post SMoke

[SmokedLoon]

1. The best tip was line the bottom with foil. Glad I caught that one before my first smoke.
2. Next best would be remove unused racks for less clean up. I removed 2 and used 2 in my first #3 smoke.

The only downside of a SI3 is the racks do not fit in my dishwasher...killed a Dobie pad cleaning them in the sink.

I have been thinking about buying chain mail scrubber for my cast iron.  Knapp has two forms.

Smaller rings 7MM or 7mm
http://amzn.com/B00LQT58QK

Big "original" rings
http://amzn.com/B0087UYR1S

Has anyone used this on the SI racks?  I think the smaller rings would have an advantage scrubbing the wires.  Either way Knapp seems to be the only one that claims 316 stainless.

Other tips for post BBQ clean up would be appreciated. I know not to scrub the seasoning off the walls.

Tips for cleaning the racks would be most appreciated

Matt.

 

[jcboxlot]

These work well for me on SI racks and cast iron pans after a cook.

http://www.amazon.com/Scratch-Free-Scrub-Daddy-Pack/dp/B009UHTGT0/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1427051400&sr=1-1&keywords=scrub+daddy


QVC has them too in large packages I think. 

 

[SmokedLoon]

Gentlemen,

I took a chance on the chainmail scrubber with the smaller rings to wrap around the wire.  Traditional Dobie pad took 4 minutes. This took  30 seconds for a bigger job.

Worked great on the side rails while protecting the fingers from the sheet metal edges.

Steve should offer this as an option to pack in but they are easy enough to acquire through Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Knapp-Made-trade-Chainmail-Scrubber/dp/B00LQT58QK/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1427910564&sr=1-2

 

[paidin]

Gentlemen,

I took a chance on the chainmail scrubber with the smaller rings to wrap around the wire.  Traditional Dobie pad took 4 minutes. This took  30 seconds for a bigger job.

Worked great on the side rails while protecting the fingers from the sheet metal edges.

Steve should offer this as an option to pack in but they are easy enough to acquire through Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Knapp-Made-trade-Chainmail-Scrubber/dp/B00LQT58QK/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1427910564&sr=1-2

you just cost me $13.99

 

[tnlyne]

I use that chain mail on cast iron camp cooking. They work great. I'll have to dig it out for smoker use!

 

[Barrel99]

My rails haven't looked that way since the day I got it. Now they are as black as the inside of the smoker. They are just beginning to get seasoned. I try to clean my racks right after I finish smoking and they clean up easy. I do like the scrubber though.

 

[Durangosmoker]

I agree.  On my last smoke I cleaned the racks right after I finished smoking, and they cleaned really easily. Other times I left them overnight before cleaning, and it was much more work.

 

[Limey]

The prevailing wisdom around here is that if you use drip pans inside the box then bad things happen. I use drip pans with "beer can chicken" and they turn out great but have no experience with drip pans on anything else. Could those who have tried drip pans with Boston butts, for example, please let us know the downside of doing so. I have just finished cleaning up after smoking a nine pound butt and about ninety percent of the cleanup could have been avoided if there had been a drip pan in place.

 

[DivotMaker]

Roger, your small drip pans, you use under beer can chicken, are certainly no problem - and probably save lots of cleanup.  What we're talking about with large drip pans, like under a brisket or Boston butt, are large, flat pans.  These can cause big problems with heating in the smoker.  When you put a large flat pan between the meat and the smoke box, you channel the rising heat around the meat, and up the sides and back of the smoker.  This causes the thermostat to think the smoker is much hotter than it really is, and you end up with a box running at a much lower temperature than you think it is. 

This took us awhile to figure out, but there have been enough cases of this happening to support the theory that a large drip pan is bad.  Just foil the top of the smoke box, and the floor of the smoker, and you'll be good.  Those little chicken pans are apples and oranges from what we've talked about so many times.  This thread is really focusing on how to clean the shelves and guides of the smoke residue, not the bottom of the smoker.

 

[Limey]

Tony, sorry, did not mean to hijack the thread-will start another one.

 

[DivotMaker]

No problem, Roger!  Your question dovetailed into the cleaning question well, so no harm!

 

[pargolfr2003]

After I pull out the meat I remove the racks and throw them in a Rubbermaid tub with hot water and dish soap and let them soak while we eat. It's usually a good 30 to 45 minutes until we get done eating and cleaning up the kitchen so they get to soak for awhile. Hit 'em with a SOS soap pad and they clean right up.

 

[swthorpe]

Great idea, Tim!