I’ve owned my 18.5 for about 4 months and have had many great cooks. It is truly a great machine!
I’ve seen many opinions from not cleaning at all to power washing. For the vets out there; what are your tips, tricks, and lessons learned?
For me, I clean after every pork butt for sure, but also every few cooks. I consider it more of a maintenance cleaning at this point; I’ve never touched the inner walls with the exception of the base. For all the notes below, I use pop-up cleaning wipes and maybe a little 409 and paper towel.
LID
Clean the bottom flange thoroughly. If I don’t, I will eventually find the lid stuck onto the center flange of the body. I also use 409 or a degreaser to clean the top vent; that too will eventually get glued in place if I don’t.
BODY
Clean the top flange thoroughly, it is the dirtiest and stickiest spot. Also clean the outside rim of the bottom flange. I don’t clean between the door edges and the body since I believe that fats just help with that seal.
BOTTOM
Take a grill brush to the inside and gently scrape off any fat or dripping buildup into the bottom and then empty it out. Clean the top flange thoroughly. I don’t do any further cleaning of this area.
Then I just spray the exterior lightly with 409 and clean it off with paper towel.
I am curious to see how many of you do a serious interior cleaning and what method you use. Is it a good idea to clean off that beautiful, smoky patina from the inside?
EDIT; For sure, I foil the water pan, water or not, before every cook. Afterwards I dispose of the foil and scrub the pan with dish-soap and a 3m sponge-pad.
I’ve seen many opinions from not cleaning at all to power washing. For the vets out there; what are your tips, tricks, and lessons learned?
For me, I clean after every pork butt for sure, but also every few cooks. I consider it more of a maintenance cleaning at this point; I’ve never touched the inner walls with the exception of the base. For all the notes below, I use pop-up cleaning wipes and maybe a little 409 and paper towel.
LID
Clean the bottom flange thoroughly. If I don’t, I will eventually find the lid stuck onto the center flange of the body. I also use 409 or a degreaser to clean the top vent; that too will eventually get glued in place if I don’t.
BODY
Clean the top flange thoroughly, it is the dirtiest and stickiest spot. Also clean the outside rim of the bottom flange. I don’t clean between the door edges and the body since I believe that fats just help with that seal.
BOTTOM
Take a grill brush to the inside and gently scrape off any fat or dripping buildup into the bottom and then empty it out. Clean the top flange thoroughly. I don’t do any further cleaning of this area.
Then I just spray the exterior lightly with 409 and clean it off with paper towel.
I am curious to see how many of you do a serious interior cleaning and what method you use. Is it a good idea to clean off that beautiful, smoky patina from the inside?
EDIT; For sure, I foil the water pan, water or not, before every cook. Afterwards I dispose of the foil and scrub the pan with dish-soap and a 3m sponge-pad.
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