Cleaning WSM 18"


 
T

TraeLivingston

New member
Hello All,

I have owned my 18” WSM for about 4 years now. Up until recently, I never really did much cleaning other than the water pan and grates after each cook. I noticed last time I cooked I was getting some flakes from the lid on my meat. I got a nylon brush, a scraper and some Citrus Safe BBQ Grill Cleaner and went to work. I used the grill cleaner on the grates, water pan and basically the full interior of the grill.

Upon doing further research, I found a lot of people saying not to use any products on the interior as the buildup is good for the grill. Did I mess up? Will the grill still work correctly? Any safety concerns with using it on the interior?
 
I use a stainless brush when it starts to flake - no reason to use cleaner inside IMO. I also use a plastic putty knife like Karl uses.
 
I have one of these, I don't recall paying that much at the time, reminds of brass knuckles, lol!

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TraeLivingston said:
Did I mess up? Will the grill still work correctly? Any safety concerns with using it on the interior?
Click to expand...
The lid situation is explained here. I use plain water, but a citrus-based cleaner would be fine. I don't bother cleaning the middle cooking section or charcoal bowl, just brush them out.


And more general cleaning information from yours truly:

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Tips on cleaning your Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker before and after cooking, periodic maintenance items, how to burn-out the cooker, and tips on storage.
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I use a puddy knife that scrapes drywall mud out of a 5 gallon bucket for ash removal.
It’s about the same size and radius as the plastic ones posted it’s just that I had it in stock.
For flaking I use a straw handheld whisk broom and or a small puddy knife.
The wisk broom gets it pretty good and is very fast.
It works great in tight areas like vent ports for wsm’s and kettles.
I keep one in my bbq area.
 
Occasionally water gets in mind because it rains..... And if it stays there you get mold all over the inside grease. Then I break out the pressure washer.... It removes most stuff without using cleaners..... In fact I had to pressure wash mine just yesterday due to this.... I had been putting it off for months because I haven't smoked anything in a while
 
MartinB said:
Occasionally water gets in mind because it rains..... And if it stays there you get mold all over the inside grease. Then I break out the pressure washer.... It removes most stuff without using cleaners..... In fact I had to pressure wash mine just yesterday due to this.... I had been putting it off for months because I haven't smoked anything in a while
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I used to have that problem at least once each year. I’d remove the thermometer from the lid, open the vents, load the charcoal ring with coals, and let smoker roll.
I now keep the smokers in the garage.
 
Jeff Boudman said:
I used to have that problem at least once each year. I’d remove the thermometer from the lid, open the vents, load the charcoal ring with coals, and let smoker roll.
I now keep the smokers in the garage.
Click to expand...
Yeah it happens to every now and then when it rains before I get a chance to put it away. I keep it on covered porch... But I curse that Webber design that lets the water in every time it happens.
 
MartinB said:
Yeah it happens to every now and then when it rains before I get a chance to put it away. I keep it on covered porch... But I curse that Webber design that lets the water in every time it happens.
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Yep, I had issues with it in winter / snow and the melted snow runs right in the cooker and couldn't keep heat in it. One reason I know own a WSK in addition to the WSM.
 
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