I do what Doug D does with water and ashes - dump both into the same plastic trash bag and let them make a sludge, and then to the trash bin they go. I do occasionally use sand in the waterpan, but I've reverted back to water for most cooks these days because I don't like to fight the heat coming up off the sand/foil - I don't particularly like what it does to the bottom of the meat on my bottom rack. It's okay if you're only cooking on the top rack, but I always fill that puppy up, personally.
My main cleaning method on the racks - I bought a large plastic drain "dish" about 19" in diameter that would normally fit underneath a large potted plant to catch the excess water, and the racks then lay in it very nicely. I place the racks in the "drain dish", spray them down with Dawn De-greaser on both sides, and just let them sit for a while, till I get around to coming back to them. I'll come back a while later, add some Dawn dishwashing soap, and add very hot water to cover the racks and let'em soak for however long I happen to leave them - at least 45 minutes or longer. It takes very little with a plastic brush or pot scrubber then to hit the surfaces of the grates and rinse them clean. A quick spray from your WELL-LABLED bleach water squirt bottle (ratio of 1.5 teaspoons bleach to 2 quarts water) sanitizes the grates and kills most wee beasties that survived the soap and water. This is the best method I've found for easily and thoroughly cleaning the grates.
As an aside, there is a difference in sanitizing and disinfecting a surface. I quote here from Cleaning and Maintenance Magazine:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> There are differences between sanitizing and disinfecting a surface. Sanitizing is the lowest level of germ control, killing about half to three-quarters of the germs on a surface. The process involves using a mild sanitizer chemical during cleaning. The cleaning process itself removes the soil, which is also a germ’s food source.
Disinfection is a more effective level of germ control. Disinfectants kill at least 99,999 out of 100,000 microorganisms under controlled conditions.
The number of germs killed in an actual cleaning/disinfecting process will vary, depending on the disinfectant. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
After removing other residue on the surface, a solution of 1 Tbs bleach to 1 gallon water, left wet on the surface for two minutes and then allowed to air-dry without rinsing, will sanitize a non-porous surface. (I do this on the grates only, BTW). A solution of 3 Tbs bleach to 1 gallon water, left on the surface for two minutes then rinsed and air-dried, will sanitize a porous surface (ie a wood cutting board) and a solution of 3/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water, left wet on the surface for 2 minutes then rinsed and air-dried, will DISINFECT either a porous or non-porous surface (for those times when you left the grates on the smoker for several weeks and there are now things growing on them that you didn't cook).
Depends on how nasty the smoker is...
Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
(who continues to have a problem making a short post...)
