Cleaning a Crusty Water Pan


 
P

Peter Friedrichs

New member
I mistakenly left my vents open with the water pan in the smoker after I took my ribs off yesterday. Of course, all the water boiled off and now the pan is coated with a thick, black crust that I can't scour off. Any hints on how to clean it? Could I use a spray overn cleaner, or will that damage the porcelain? Thanks!
Peter
 
Mine has usually come relatively clean simply by soaking in soapy water for a while. I scrape out what grease and gunk I can then soak. The gunk will loosen up and I can usually get the worst of it off with a spoon or my hand.
 
Oven cleaner should work. Most oven interiors are porcelain.

I usually spray mine with Greased Lightning then let it soak a while.

Try foiling your pan the next time (Reynolds Heavy Duty)

MikeZ
 
We've all been there...well at least I have on several occasions. Definately foil, but you already know that, oven cleaner works but you have the fumes.

I throw it in the dishwasher without a drying cycle, take it out while still hot and scrub any remaining gunk with an SOS pad.
 
Happens to me often. I soak w/ hot soapy water, scrub what I can, empty it and then let it sit in the sun for several hours. That stuff gets brittle as could be and w/ a gentle tap, it all just falls out in big flakes, clean as new.
 
I've had good luck with foil but when I've forgot it, a pressure washer works well not only to clean the water pan but all the other parts of the WSM. Works "grate" on the grates too!!!!
 
I threw mine on the gas grill and laid a couple sheets of foil to cover the interior of the grill. Turned everything to ash. Pan now looks like new!
 
Try foiling your pan the next time (Reynolds Heavy Duty)

MikeZ[/QUOTE]

I thought you only foiled the outside when using water and in and out when empty.
 
I had the same problem this weekend, forgot to foil, and did a 20 hr smoke, and had a bunch of hard crud. I scraped out most of it with a metal spatula, then put it in the dishwasher with the grate on pots/pans cycle. Came out extremely well. The few remaining spots I soaked in hot water for ten minutes and a little elbow grease.

I put the cooking grates in the dishwasher every time. They come out clean, sometimes some brownish stuff still on them, but a quick wipe with a kitchen scrubber and warm water and they come out shiny clean. Works better than anything else I tried.

-gbeck
 
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