New Bronco owner, arriving today - burn in question

[bmillin]

I don't seen anything in the manual about burn-in or seasoning. Do you apply oil for the first burn to season, or is it a two step process?

[Panhead John]

Congrats again on the new Bronco. Before my first cook, here’s what I and many others do. Spray all the INSIDE ONLY of the smoker with vegetable or canola oil. Grates, charcoal pan, hooks and hangers too. Then just let er rip with hot coals for a few hours. This would be a good time to practice your temperature management also. I don’t know if this helps or not, but I also do my burn in with wood chunks.

[Sid P]

Here’s a link to the Bronco FAQ’s, which includes instructions for seasoning. https://www.oklahomajoes.com/faqs

[Uncle Bob]

I'm going to toss out a different perspective based on having spent a fair part of my working career around industrial processes and materials. And the cautionary commentary doesn't only apply to Oklahoma Joe products, it's applicable to any cooker made from commercial materials and standard production processes. There are going to be chemical contaminants that may be harmful to health used in forming and fabricating metal cookers. The standard advice as noted in the attachments above calls for the first step in "seasoning" as applying a vegetable oil to cover the insides. To my way of thinking, that skips one or two important steps. Others will argue and that's their privilege, I just like the comfort of dealing with potential problems "just in case". My first step is to give the insides a thorough wipe down with a wax and grease remover, basically a solvent that will cut the lubricants likely present on the metal surface. In that wipe down any solid contaminants should be picked up as well. Then I do a burn in at high temp to further attempt to drive off any residual contaminant. Following that I'll do a second burn in with the vegetable oil coating as noted above. Is all that "absolutely" necessary? Since probably over 90% of users across the board don't do that much and are still alive to regale us with their cooking adventures not likely. But, better safe than sorry.

[Murdy]

In a similar vein, I have read (and practice) that one should always clean a new gun before you fire it because leftover material from the production process when exposed to heat/flame might have an ill effect upon the inside of the barrel or action.

[bkono]

Any particular grease remover you’re a fan of?

[Uncle Bob]

bkono, nothing fancy. I will make the call depending on how heavy the material is. The Bronco only has a light film so I would typically use 3M Adhesive remover, it's a good general purpose solvent. But acetone, lacquer thinner, and a variety of retail products like Goof Off and the like all work well. Probably a good scrub and rinse with Dawn dish soap would work. Just don't use gasoline, the potential for several issues from that aren't worth the risk.