Cleaning the lid

My OTG 22 1/2" will celebrate it´s 2nd "birthday" next month. So, I now want to clean-up the Inside of the lid which has built-up some gook. How do you clean yours and how often???

Richard

WSM(old), OTG 22 1/2" with Smokenator

i use a full chimney lit and dump it in my kettle then offset the lid with all vents open. i let the lid ofset the bowl by about a inch or so this promotes very hot temps and can melt the plastic handle on the lid if your not careful. use a mitt or something when you need to lift the lid. this will turn all the gunk to ash. i let it burn like that for about 5 minutes or until it stops smoking then close the vents and place the lid on correctly. once it cools the ash can be brushed off and you have a nice clean kettle.

i do this about two times a year and my kettle is going on its 4th year. it is a cheapy from wal-mart so i really dont care if this method ruins the finish but it doesnt seem to have harmed it yet. the only thing i had to do was replace the original grill with a ceramic version. but then i am not sure if it was rust from living outside in the ice and snow all winter or from that technique.

if you choose to do that the kettle gets extremely hot do not stand over it to manipulate the lid. my kettle is a one touch silver.

John - where did you find the ceramic replacement grill?

Pat

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pat Smith:
John - where did you find the ceramic replacement grill?

Pat </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes I'd like to know also!

soft gook is easier to clean. i use oven cleaner and a plastic scraper. repeat if necessary. finish with very fine steel wool if needed.