Washing a flower pot base used in WSM


 
D

David Ward

TVWBB Fan
Ok,

Somebody is probably going to tell me this is a bad idea, but is there any reason not to try and wash a flower pot base I've been using in the WSM?

The foil apparently leaked and it's pretty greasy on the top. Thought about hitting it with some Dawn and then putting it in the dishwasher along with the racks for their usual cleanup. I have a dishwasher that does the high water temp sanitize cycle, but it should not be as hot as it gets in the WSM. If I take the top dishwasher rack out the grates will just fit.

Any reason *not* to try this? I would let it dry for at least several days before trying to use it. Just don't think I've heard of anyone running one through the washer on a high temp wash before.
 
Check this out. Since there's always more than one way to skin a cat I see no reason to not put it in the dishwasher. You could try the dry heat method to drive out as much as you can and then put it in the dishwasher or just do one of the methods. Let us know what you do and how it turns out.
 
OK, I don't know how to clean it but I do have a related question, why are using that in the first place? Is it in place of the water pan? Do you put water in it? Where do you put it? Forgive my newbie status...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ben Freshman:
OK, I don't know how to clean it but I do have a related question, why are using that in the first place? Is it in place of the water pan? Do you put water in it? Where do you put it? Forgive my newbie status... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ben, first - welcome to the forum.

Many people here, myself included, after cooking in a WSM with water in the water pan a few times have either gotten tired of having to dispose of a gallon-plus of nasty, greasy water, or they don't want to have to monitor and refill the water pan during long cooks.

What we have done is take a red clay flower pot base that fits into the WSM water pan and wrapped it with aluminum foil. This serves a few purposes, such as acting as a heat sink in the same way water does, but you don't have to refill it. The clay pot base does not replace the water pan, but replaces the water in the pan. There will always be a mostly friendly debate here over using water in the water pan vs. other methods, i.e. the clay flower pot base, empty foiled water pan or even no water pan/heat buffer at all. Most of these techniques can be found here by searching the forum and you will find great information on cooking and how to become a better cook using your WSM.

Back to the original post. The link to another post that Len provided sounds like a good idea to clean the clay pot base. I have a friend who doesn't wash his clay pot bases, except to give them a quick rinse after each cook and lets them air dry for the next time. Never had a problem AFAIK.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top