Here's my problem and Weber's responses. Their first didn't address the problem. Take it for what you think it is worth.
Hello Marta,again, thanks for the prompt response. Weber service has always been great.
Just to let you and Weber know, here is what I did this morning that
resulted in a good cleaning.
1. Sprayed Dawn Power Dissolve on the lip of the lid and on the rim of the
cooking section and let it sit on each for 30 minutes.
2. Using a few cheap white towels, I wiped that down, cleaning off a bunch
of the goo.
3. Poured some boiled water over the lid lip and the rim of the cooking
section. Toweled again and rinsed with plain water.
4. Using a grill scraper with a "V" shaped notch at its end, I gently went
over the lid lip and the rim of the cooking section and scraped off much of
the remaining material. Rinsed again.
5. When all was dry, I used one more towel going over all that I had just
cleaned. More stuff came off, but I could see that was the end of it.
Looks good now if I do say so myself. So as long as I know that this sort of
thing is normal and to be expected, I'll be even more diligent about
cleaning up those dirty areas after every cook to prevent lid lock.
Maybe a note about this should be made in the owners manual? Just a thought.
----- Original Message -----
From: <support@weberstephen.com>
To: "David Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 11:04 AM
Subject: Ticket: EB43F71483611 Re: Smokey Mountain Cooker
Hello David,
Thank you for your response.
That is a build up of grease. It’s going to occur with the amount of cooking
you do. It is something that you’re going to want to scrap off with a putty
knife. You can always take a damp rag and a mild soapy water solution to
wipe off and remaining residue. This is part of the cleaning that needs to
be done with the grill. It is something you want to do after almost every
use to prolong the build up from getting worse.
If you have additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to
contact us. If replying via email, please leave this message intact as it
will help us to respond faster. We are open from 7am to 11pm CST.
Thank you for choosing Weber.
If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Marta
Weber/Ducane Customer Service
1890 North Roselle Road Ste. 308
Schaumburg, IL. 60195.
Phone 800-446-1071
Fax 847-407-8900
Website:
www.Weber.com
Website:
www.ducane.com
Canadian Customer Service 1-800-265-2150
Canadian E-mail
info@omcbbq.com
-----------------------------
Hello Marta,
Thank you for your quick reply, however your reply doesn't address my
problem. Please review my email. I am talking about a tarry, gooey build up
along the lip of the middle section of my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker on
which the lid rests. This material softens during cooking, and since the lid
sits on it the lid ends up picking it up along its edge. The material on the
lip of the lid adheres to the same material on the middle section lip making
it impossible to lift up the lid without prying it open with a screwdriver.
When I get the lid off, it has this substance hanging along its edge like so
many thin black strings. After cooking, I have always tried to clean both
the lid edge and the rim of the middle section on which the lid rests. This
hasn't been good enough. I smoked two pork butts Sunday on my WSM after
which I had to try to scrape this material off with a putty knife. I didn't
get very far.
----- Original Message -----
From: <support@weberstephen.com>
To: "David
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 5:58 PM
Subject: Ticket: EB43F71483611 Re: Smokey Mountain Cooker
Hello David,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the peeling you have observed on the
inside of the lid of your Weber grill.
The peeling you have noticed is not paint, because the inside surfaces of
our grill lids are not painted. The metal shrouds on our gas grills (the
middle section of the lid cover) and the lids of our charcoal units are
finished with porcelain-on-steel. This porcelain finish covers both the
outside and inside of the middle section. We do not paint the inside of the
lid simply because this is very toxic.
However, during normal cooking, grease and smoke vapors slowly oxidize into
carbon, which collects on the inside of your lid. This deposit will
eventually peel from the inside of the lid, and looks very similar to paint.
The peeling normally starts in the center of the lid and spreads outward. It
may come off in sheets or flakes, and is shiny on one side and dull on the
other. We have found that given the higher cooking temperatures of grilling,
this occurs frequently and is part of the normal operation of the barbecue.
These carbon deposits are non-toxic.
We recommend that you clean the lid when the grill is cool. To clean the
lid, take your brass grill brush or a crumpled piece of aluminum foil, and
brush away the loose carbon. Wipe the inside of the lid with a warm soapy
water solution using a sponge or cloth. If needed, use a soapy metal wool
pad with a light touch. When the grill is cooling down after cooking, wipe
the grill lid with a paper towel. This will prevent rapid reappearance of
the flaking.
Clean the grill lid, as described above, as needed. This will depend on your
particular cooking frequency and the foods prepared.
If you have additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to
contact us. If replying via email, please leave this message intact as it
will help us to respond faster. We are open from 7am to 11pm CST.
Thank you for choosing Weber.
If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Marta
Weber/Ducane Customer Service
1890 North Roselle Road Ste. 308
Schaumburg, IL. 60195.