A two part question about cleaning your smoker, mine’s a CookShack electric. In the beginning, 15+ years ago I painstakingly cleaned out my smoker after every couple batches, now not so much. Sometimes I wait until spring and then scrape and scrub and pressure wash every nook and cranny and use oven cleaner on the grates. I would be interested in others methods of both, especially if you are in the food service and/or inspection business.

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/topic/1902/how-clean-is-cleanRSS for NodeFri, 11 Sep 2026 00:16:40 GMTSun, 05 Jan 2020 13:50:29 GMT60Jonathon I clean and reseason my smoker every fall but the grates get washed every use

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10737https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10737Sun, 05 Jan 2020 23:52:50 GMTMT Elk Hunter With our big 500T commercial it gets washed very often, this is because it is in our test kitchen we we sometimes use to show how to use and why to buy equipment to commercial customers. Our Pk100 never gets the inside washed though the grates and anything else get washed almost every time.

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10726https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10726Sun, 05 Jan 2020 23:29:43 GMTMT Elk Hunter At the shop we will wash the grates per use and scrape the floor of the cookshack on a weekly basis. We don’t mess with the walls much but will wipe down the grate slots and knock down any debris we can find with a damp cloth.

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10700https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10700Mon, 06 Jan 2020 01:00:19 GMTtwilliams MT Elk Hunter During my sentence in the restaurant business the health dept doesn’t like anything that can fall into, or onto your product. So scraping the top and sides are regular maintenance after each run. I also throw my racks into the dishwasher after each run. I do deep clean with oven cleaner and hot water pressure washer on an as needed basis. But taking all the seasoning off the sides and top would be like using dishsoap on your cast iron pans, completely unnecessary.

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10699https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10699Sun, 05 Jan 2020 20:29:44 GMTMT Elk Hunter good to know if that is truly fact. Lets hope others will chime in on this

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10689https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10689Sun, 05 Jan 2020 19:36:02 GMTtwilliams Lately, I have been more in your camp but now see articles about build-up on the walls, grates, and element cover which can become rancid, produce acrid smoke, and/or possibly become a health hazard. I take most ideas with a grain-of-salt, but do soak my grates in hot soapy water made from Dawn after each batch and then deep clean them with oven cleaner in the spring.

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10684https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10684Sun, 05 Jan 2020 17:59:08 GMTMT Elk Hunter i was told not to clean the walls. That is your seasoning of the smoker. I do clean the screens with dish soap and wire brush or scratch pad. If i get any grease drippings on the burner elements i also take dish soap and rag to them. I do clean the bottom where the electric heat elements are

]]>https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10683https://waltonsdev.nodebb.com/post/10683Sun, 05 Jan 2020 17:35:01 GMT