Another "Sticky Lid" Thread!


 
S

Scott in SoCal

TVWBB Member
Friends:

I have a WSM 18.5", and in just about every cook the lid gets so sticky that it's almost impossible to open. I regularly clean the lip of the smoker center section and also the lip of the lid with a steam cleaner, and when I'm done they are as clean as new. What I suspect is happening is that even though the lid and body lips are clean at the beginning of a cook, grease is sliding down out of the dome when it gets hot and is causing the lid to stick to the body. I generally cook brisket, so I'm sure it generates a pretty good amount of grease/fat during the cooking process.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? If so, other than steam cleaning the entire lid (and getting rid of all the "good stuff" that's up there), has anyone found a good solution?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
I have had the same problem. I did the garage door handle mod on mine. I have some old fireman gloves that I can touch anything with and feel nothing. I just grab one of the handles, lift up on the lid, and the seal is easily broken. I think lifting from an angle instead Of straight up is the key. Otherwise, on some butt cooks I can literally lift te lid, middle section comes up also when I lift.

It's one seasoned cooker. I can't imagine how it would be if I did the gasket mod.
 
I've never experienced this during a cooking session, Scott, I've only experienced it after cooking. I would assume the lid wouldn't stick while the grease and fat are still hot. I'm wondering if the tolerance between your lid and middle cooking section is such that the parts are expanding when heated and binding together. It would be interesting to clean as you do with the steam cleaner, then run the cooker empty and see if the heat alone is binding the parts. Just an idea...
 
I have the same issue on my 18, clean off with vinegar around the rim before putting it away.

Pork butts then cause the black sticky mess which can require some force to remove the lid.

Tried an empty cook & no binding issues.
 
Just a guess, but are you using water in the pan? If so that and the steam-cleaning of the lip after every use might lead to a sticky situation.
Try going water-less for a few cooks, or do a burn with the lid set-up on a few skewers or metal spatulas so that the mating edges have a chance to season like a CI pan.

Tim
 
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