Dining and Cooking
Do you guys always clean the shit out of your smoker after each use?
In Smoking

Do you guys always clean the shit out of your smoker after each use?


I scrub my smoker down lik

by 40oz_2freedom

46 Comments

  1. blue93g20

    No but I’d be interested in your method.
    Looks clean.

  3. Gizzle99

    Depends on how bad it gets.
    I may go every other.

  4. StevenG2757

    I open the vents when done and let the heat do the work and then all I need to do is hit the grate with a brush.

  5. paradigm_baggie

    I just let it build up until it becomes a fire hazard and buy a new one.

  6. theminiwheats

    Paintbrush to knock down the ash then a shop vac and away she goes again

  7. stonerninja

    What is this… cleaning the smoker you speak of..?

  9. Da_Funk

    Yes but since I clean it so often it’s not really “cleaning the shit out of” it but just an easy routine.

  10. Maverick_X9

    Looks good. I clean my traeger quite frequently, recently found out that the stack had accumulated a puddle of grease in the 90* elbow. Started making the food taste not so good, took it all apart and gave it a good clean. A clean grill is a safe grill, and doesn’t taint the flavor

  11. AllRightxNoLeft

    Treat it like a cast iron pan, that’s not burnt bbq sauce. It’s seasoning.

  13. sdotmill

    I have a pellet grill so I vacuum up the ash out of the bottom and leftover pellets out of the fire pot and give the grill a nice scrub down.

  14. DBD216

    Na. I’ve got a MB 1050, and put aluminum trays on the bottom grates to catch the drippings.

  15. BodaciousBen38

    Fixing to go work on mine after my 4th of July cookout.

  16. fredSanford6

    I got a roofing torch and blast the grates and stuff.

  17. dahuckinator

    Most of the time for fatty cooks I smoke with a pan underneath the meat. For example a pork butt on a higher rack and a drip pan on the bottom rack. It keeps it mostly clean and I just brush the grates.

  19. froman_og

    U got shit in ur smoker? U eat pieces of shit for breakfast?

  21. campbellrm

    I will give it a good clean after a long smoke like a brisket or pork butt, but not usually in-between others.

  22. Shakalei

    I never clean mine, aside from scraping off the grill part itself when it gets to temp. Some sludge is starting to build up at the bottom and I’m wondering if I should clean it or leave it… thoughts?

  23. herrij

    Lightly rake the grate, empty the grease bucket liner, that’s about it.

    Around 100-150 hours I’ll break it down, clean or change the liner on the grease pan, and vacuum out the ash.

    I’m a little picky about pellet dust from the bottom of the bag going in the hopper, but otherwise I’ll run any type of wood or brand of pellet with the occasional rare issue. Recently I’ve worked through about 500 lbs of Bear Mountain (among the least expensive) with great results.

    I’ve never cleaned the interior otherwise but do occasionally check the chimney vent for buildup and have never needed to clean the chimney in all these years.

  27. jaytothen1

    I’m afraid if I clean my grill/smoker at this point of buildup it’ll fall apart

  29. bigdknight157

    Nope. Have had my Weber kettle for years now and have never done a deep clean. I basically only clean the grates and empty the ash bucket. When I am smoking something I know will drip a lot like a pork butt or brisket, I have a drip pan on the bottom grate. No significant buildup other than a thin layer of ash on the bottom, which I am fine with. Been tempted to look at pellet smokers for more capacity, but they seem like a pain to maintain. Might just go WSM when I am ready.

  30. timkatt10

    I’m usually being pressured to get the food on the table so I tend to clean mine before the next smoke.

  32. Sgilde

    Brother, I haven’t cleaned my smoker in 10 years.

  33. denvergardener

    This seems unnecessary.

    Only cleaning I do is removing ash, scrubbing grates with a brush to remove excess gunk, and clearing out grease buildup if it didn’t find its way to the grease trap on its own.

  34. TropicalMapleRavioli

    I just don’t shit in my smoker at all. It makes things a lot easier.

  35. CappaccinoJay

    Nope. Unless there’s excessive grease somewhere

  36. gert_beefrobe

    Yes, I burn it off then oil the grates. My vessel is 100% cast iron and if I skip thorough cleanup, it will quickly rust.

  37. ironlocust79

    I try not to shit in my smoker, if at all possible.

    Hashtag dadjoke

  38. Sweaty_Block9848

    I scrape the gunk like once a year. Beyond that just vacuum and clean the firepot and scrape off the drip tray whatever you wanna call it on my pit boss whenever I vacuum the fire pot

  40. dewnmoutain

    … clean? I recognize the word, but do not understand the context it is used with my grills.

  41. Lyre

    I try not to put shit in my smoker to begin with…

  42. Own_Car4536

    No, because it doesn’t make a difference. Unless I just did a 16-hour brisket, I just do it once every 3 or 4 cooks to save myself some sanity and not be a robot

  43. andrewbenedict

    Nope, other than brushing the grates, vacuuming out ash after a few cooks and cleaning trapped grease that didn’t drain from the pit.

  44. jlo575

    Hell no

    Remove most of the gunk every few cooks and use the damn thing. Cleaning till actually clean is a gargantuan waste of time

  45. Designer_Character39

    Nah I just pull the grates out to clean and occasionally vacuum out the burned wood but heating it up kills everything.

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