How do you clean your WSM ?


 
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Dave S.

TVWBB Fan
I'll clean the grates and charcoal bowl, otherwise I just brush off any loose debris from the center,top and water/sand bowl. I don't think you want to make the interior "sparkle" from trying to wipe off all the accumulated smoke and debris - right?

Dave - not a gator fan
 
Right. Soot build-up on the inside is your friend.

I brush the flakey stuff off the inside of the lid, but don't scrub it. The middle section and door: nothing. The bottom I brush out with a wood-handled bristle brush like you would clean auto wheels with.
 
I clean the grates after each cook with a wire grill brush to get the loose stuff off. Later it gets cleaned with soap and warm water. The charcoal bowl is emptied and brushed clean. The base of the lid and the groove it fits into are cleaned with a grease cutting agent and wiped clean with a paper towel. Make sure the lid vent is clean and can move freely. Periodically, the whole thing gets hosed down with soap and water, just to keep the outside looking nice. Only brush any loose flakes from the inside lid. I don't try to clean the inside of the lid or middle section. The soot, etc. do a lot to keep the temps under control.
 
I use sand in the water pan and a weedburner to cremate the grates. Cleanup takes less than three or four minutes. I only touch the inside when it starts to flak. I hit the outside before using them at a cookoff, otherwise it gets cleaned every time it rains.
 
I clean the grates with soap and water. I dump the ashes into a nearby drainage ditch and, if I think it needs it, I'll rinse out the charcoal bowl with the water hose. I'll also use the water hose on the top lid if I see flakes starting to peel off. 10-15 minutes tops.
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
I also double up two plastic grocery bags, and then put a paper one inside them. I pour the ash into the bag and then empty what's left in the water pan into it as well. The ashes and paper soak up the water and grease. Multiple benefits include:

1. No grease buildup in the sink trap.
2. No grease anywhere outside to attract ants.
3. Water pan water makes sure nothing left in the ashes to reignite.
4. No little chunks of briquets accumulating wherever ashes are dumped.
 
In so far as the water pan, I carefully remove it from the cooker and sit it in a flower bed off the carport. My dog, Scooter, then has a wonderful time of laping up the fat floating on top of the water. What he doesn't drink, I throw away. Scooter is now 13 yrs old, has a cholesterol problem, but otherwise is doing fine. That's 91 human years so maybe we should all drink from the water pan ? /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

PRG
 
I spray the inside of the lid,charcole bowel and charcloe grate and cooking grates with a pressure washer ( at a moderate setting).
The ashes and water I dump into a 3 gal. plastic bucket that has some 1/2 inch holes in the sides just bellow the lid . Put the lid on it and after 2 days empty what looks like wet concrete into a plastic trash bag.
 
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