Grate and Smoker Cleaning Question

[DiverDriver]

Honestly, I have yet to clean the interior cabinet of my smoker 12 years with bout 8 smokes a year. Grates, water pan, i get "fairly" clean. How big of a deal is it to make it "shine"? Am I OC? Am I a slob? Just wondering what you all do. Thanks.

[klflowers]

I clean all of my grates pretty thoroughly before every cook (I usually don't get to them after the cook), but the interior of my kettle gets wiped down when I think it is bad. Which is not often. I clean my wsm regularly though. Even covered, if there is moisture in it, I get mold.

[bbqLuv]

Pellet grill, clean grates before and burn off after each cook. about every 40lb of pellets, I scrape and vac. My grill has a window so keep it clean.

[DiverDriver]

Yes my grill is pretty darn clean. My smoker is another story.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I've been known to clean, and quite thoroughly. But then so would anyone with a gun held to their head!

[Old Glory]

I've had my cabinet smoker two years and have not cleaned it yet. I do a high heat burn every so often and also scrape grates every cook.

[RonB]

I clean my Kettle when it needs it. It's 10 years old and I am sure I cleaned it once - maybe twice. I do keep the cookin' grate clean.

[Dadof3Illinois]

I clean my kettles pretty much after every cook but I’ve never cleaned the inside of my PBC other than the grate.
My smoke vault cabinet has had one clean out in like 10 years. I just keep the grates clean.

[DiverDriver]

yup that is pretty much my routine.

[Ahumadora]

Ever notice when your cooking on your grill your friends are like blow flies honing in on the smell.
Grill cleaning time not so much. No one in sight..... Strange how that works....

[Raven Rock]

Ha, Crickets

[JGo37]

I have mostly Weber kettles, and stick to mesquite coals / chunks in one, oak hardwood with pecan chunks in the other, hickory in my smoker. So I like to season the grills for what they do most often.

That said, if you wait long enough the buildup on the inner grill / kettle lid will start to peel. The sweeps on a Weber kettle will gum up. When you get debris, or functionality impairment, power wash or something of an equivalent. Don't skimp on the hard work.

Now - grates. I always clean the grates and rub with grapeseed oil. My grates have cost a lot, are 'after market' or manufacturer's upgrades, and IMO food should come off the cooker 'PRISTINE'. That's a big part of the show, bragging rights, and becoming a legend.