Clean smokers


 
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"Keep your smoker clean. I take mine to the car wash before every contest. I can smoke a chicken on a clean smoker and on a dirty smoker and there's a big difference in taste. Also the color of the meat will be different. A clean smoker gives a cleaner taste. Night and day."
This is a quote from Karen Putman. One of the best cookers out there. I've also talked to a two time KCBS champion who uses WSMs about this, and he says the same thing. He always makes his bullits shine like new before a cook. I mention this because I see that some folks advise that you should leave the crud on for temp control. I haven't done a comparison myself but it might be fun to try. Has anyone noticed a change in flavor as the crud builds up? Just throwing it up for discussion.
 
Dave,

I don't know from personal experience if there's a difference in taste or color. I've cooked with my WSM clean and dirty, but I haven't paid attention to these things. I don't think it's important to the average backyard barbecue enthusiast.

However, when it comes to competition barbecue, the difference between a winning entry and a losing one can be very small, so I'm not surprised to hear that a hard-core competitor would do something like this to gain an edge. I seem to recall that the great Mike Scrutchfield also cleaned his WSMs before competition. Perhaps that's the other person you were referring to in your post.

Regards,
Chris

[This message has been edited by Chris Allingham (edited 07-28-2001).]
 
Rather than clean it each time maybe line the center section with heavy duty aluminum foil(vertical lengths)--
 
I'm thinking this calls for a taste test. If I can't tell the difference, them I won't be worth the effort. The only problem is finding a dirty bullit.
 
I once cleaned mine,section by section, in the dishwasher.(top rack removed in d/washer}

It came out like new.
 
I took mine to the car wash a week or so ago, as my son was helping me to disassemble it after smoking some ribs... He spilt the water pan into the charcoal and ash went EVERYWHERE... Stuck to everything... So we took it to the wash... Came out looking like new... Smoked in it later and could tell no difference... Anyway, may take it every couple uses just to keep it looking new !!
Gary in Searcy, AR
 
I just cleaned up after my first time smoking. I dumped the residue from the water pan into a plastic bag and then put the ashes from the bottom into the bag. I washed the water pan and both the cooking serfaces in the kitchen sink. Looks pretty good...

Ken
 
Yah... I always do mine in the dishwasher. Guess I'm a clean-freak. It really looks good though... and impresses people when they see that gleaming black monolith shining in the backyard sun......

I never thought about the car wash approach... that's interesting. You could probably do the same thing with a homeowners' pressure washer.

Cheers,

Scott.

[This message has been edited by ScottM (edited 08-05-2001).]

[This message has been edited by ScottM (edited 08-05-2001).]
 
ScottM

I tried mine in the dishwasher and it took a couple of months to get the residue out of the dishwasher. How do you keep this from happening?
 
As a precursor to the following I must confess that despite constant chiding from my lovely wife, I never clean-up my WSM until the next smoke. With this in mind, you can imagine my brashness as I told her about this topic and explained my theory about crud buildup, its merits and swore that I never had and never would wash the good flavor from my WSM. Saturday morning came with big brisket, WSM smoking plans and having overslept, I began scurrying around and raced to the WSM to do my day-of-smoke clean-up. Removing the cover and opening the top I was met with a most incredible looking and smelling mold, mildew and maggot display ever, all alive and moving covering every part of the smoker! Realizing my "Oath of Crud" mental anguish but fearing for her children's health, the wife stepped in making the command decision to break down the smoker and scrub. With a spotlessly clean WSM, I experienced a most erratic smoking session with the dome temps immediately soaring to between 350-375 and despite ice in the water pan and removing the lid many times it took hours to drop. The remainder of the smoke was equally frustrating, adding charcoal many more times than usual and tending to the vents much, much more. Does anyone know if this was caused by a clean smoker or were the "Crud Gods" just angry at my breaking the Oath?
 
Brian:

Hmmmm... I dunno. It didn't happen to me. Have you been using the WSM to catch the used motor oil out of your car?
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Seriously, maybe it's a soap thing. I have a Maytag JetClean model (with a white lexan plastic liner). I use the 'Clout' detergent from Costco. If the WSM is real dirty sometimes I will let it run through the prewash stage, let it drain, add a second dose of soap, then restart it. It's pretty friggen' amazing to see the color of the water that gets pumped out.

Good luck,

Scott.
 
John:

The Oath of Crud is not a trivial issue.

The heretical transgression that you have committed can be undone by reciting, directly into the freshly cleaned smoker, with great, sonorous voice (such that it echoes in its innards), as Cicero would have addressed the Romans:

An Address to the Smoker:

?O Smoker, many successful fests having past, and a cathartic purging of thy innards having been conducted, we look to the future with renewed vigor and a desire to pursue our cause with virtue and good faith and diligence. I beseech you, O Smoker, in order that you may be able to understand the singular nature of this most important duty. Look to it, O Smoker, for I shall expect nothing less than a divinely-inspired and singular acuteness in the execution of said duty.

Bear witness, O ye immortal Gods of combustion, that I, <state your name>, have cleansed said smoker, and I do now accuse myself of remissness and culpable inactivity in this regard. I therefore pledge to carry forth to the future, to take upon myself this burden of labor and duty, such that together we shall confer a greater gastric benefit on the assemblages that come before us.

This In the name of the patron Saints of Barbecue, St. Nitrate of the Myoglobin, St. Pancreas of the Gastric, and St. Uvula the Spleen. Amen.
 
ScottM:
You're a riot and an excellent writer. Thanks for adding humor to what has been a most traumatic smoking event but especially for sharing 'The Oath". This is priceless! Please rest assured that this afternoon shall not pass before I lift my (now clean)WSM dome and with my entire being make the pledge to Crudhood and renew my vows to the Crud Gods! I hope you don't mind if I share this with some friends? Have a great week!
....John
 
John:

Glad you liked the address to Ye Olde Smoker. I always address my smoker in the manner of Cicero, in hope of a better product (kidding). For some reason, I ended up web-surfing into some of Cicero?s orations this morning and figured a Ciceroian address to a recalcitrant smoker was in order, given your situation. I like parody. Cicero was, of course, a great lawyer and orator, and a master of charisma, presentation, and political astuteness. I aspire to very little of this, but nonetheless find it interesting.

Check out this site, if you?re interested:
http://www.ancientlanguages.org/claslattexts/cicero.html

IMHO, Cicero affirms that:
- Nothing much has changed in human nature in 2000 years.
- Avarice, deception, violence, personal and national agendas continue to be central issues in our existence.
- Everything tends to be magnified by self-centered lawyers in judicial situations; and interpretative filters are essential in determining truth.
- It is refreshing to read, from time to time, some clearheaded and articulate thought.

I hope this Cicero stuff doesn?t violate some sort of BBQ forum content edict. Chris? Whaddya think? Would Cicero have liked Southern Style Pulled Pork? Vinegar or tomato sauce? LOL!!!

Cheers,

Scott.

Disclaimer: This is not a personal agenda. I have never written about Cicero before, on the Web or anywhere else. I like Barbecue.
 
I have no idea what style of barbecue Cicero would have liked, but I have no doubt he would have been a WSM owner!
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Regards,
Chris
 
I'm sure the "Q" in the Roman legions' "SPQR" had something to do with bbq! Was it Julius Caesar who said "Veni, vidi, WSM" ("I came, I saw, I barbecued"?

(With all due respect to those who hold, on valid and respectable grounds, that barbecue is only ever a noun. Mea culpa.)

Jocus
 
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