Cleaning my WSM


 
S

Stacy Hudson

TVWBB Member
I am certain that I am being a dork, but I love my cooker, and want to keep it cooking well. I have not been able to find much info about cleaning my WSM. Lots for the grates. Plenty for my OTS, but not for my smoker.

I clean my grates when warm, and bounce between a bottom foiled water pan and a fully foiled water pan depending on what I am cooking. The rest of the cooker gets what it gets for the cook and I am not messing with it. What should I be doing? I am getting some tasty Q but want to make sure to care for my baby!
 
Just keep feeding it meat and it will stay happy. When you see flakes building up, you can scrap those off with a foil ball so they don't fall on the food, but other than keeping your ash bowl cleaned out (grease if you have any) you are good to go.
 
I am looking to scrape the insides of my smoker out for the first time. The FAQ says to use a "stiff bristle brush", which I interpreted as something other than a steel wire brush because I assumed the metal bristles would damage the smoker's finish. But after reading about using a ball of foil to remove flakes, now I'm wondering if a steel wire brush would be ok. Any thoughts?
 
I keep my WSM in a storage shed out of the weather with the access door removed to prevent mold. We get that stuff in Florida. I use the foil ball on the lid when I get the brown gunk up there and clean the grates. I foil the water pan and wash it when I change the foil. Occasionally I wipe down the outside with a wet rag and kitchen cleaner if it needs it and I mean occasionally.
 
Thanks Chris. As I said, I've read the FAQ and saw that you recommend brushing down the insides of the cooker with a "stiff bristle brush", but I'm not sure if you mean a steel-bristle grill brush, or a brush with more hair-like bristles. Other places in the FAQ specifically mention a grill brush (e.g., for brushing off the grates), so I assumed that a "stiff-bristle brush" meant a brush with stiff bristles that are not steel.

But then I saw that people recommend using a foil ball for scraping off the flakes, and I started to wonder if a steel-bristle brush might be ok without ruining the cooker's finish.
 
Josh. You could use a plastic putty knife followed by a nylon grout brush.
I use an old 5 in 1 tool which is a metal scraper than my Weber brass grill brush. IMO the Porcelain Enamel finish is pretty bullet proof, and since it's on the inside it will get a new coating of protective seasoning.

Tim
 
And here I thought you were not supposed to clean the inside to season it as well as help keep the temps more consistent. Is this not the thinking anymore?
 
Jason.
Every-time you use the WSM you're adding another layer of smoke and grease. Occasionally the layers will start to peel away like old paint, and then it's best to scrape or brush away.

Tim
 
Originally posted by Jeff R:
Just keep feeding it meat and it will stay happy. When you see flakes building up, you can scrap those off with a foil ball so they don't fall on the food...
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that, Jeff.

I've been doing a lot of dry cooks with my new 22.5" and my friend who I bought it with warned me that I'm gonna have black flakes all over my pork butts on my next overnight cook if i go back to water.

Say it isn't so! No flakes visible yet, but it is quite glossy and looks like I've built up a pretty good smoke coat. I actually had the dreaded "black snowflakes" fall on pork butts once on my 18.5" and don't want that again. Any suggestions?
 
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