Cleaning the interior of my PBC: does it matter?

[Citizenoftheworld]

Having found this sub-forum a few months after I bought my PBC, I didn't read the great advice here until after multiple smokes. About a year later, the outside of the PBC still looks great, the interior not so much. I have a nice grease seal on the lid, but the grease coats the walls, there's mesquite sawdust everywhere, compacted ash on the bottom, and the bottom of the ash catcher has a crusty ash and grease concrete stuck to it. Does any of this matter? Or should I follow my OCD impulses and buy a variety of cleaners to scrub out the inside of my PBC? If so, which cleaners? Thanks in advance for your advice on this.

[Jerod Broussard]

If I see flakes so big they might fall off onto the meat I'll scrape them off, and this goes for the lid and sides of the barrel. Other than that, SEASON AWAY MON FRERE!!

[MBMorgan]

+1

[UncleFester]

Yeah I usually don't recommend much cleaning on the interior either. All of the greases, fats, sauces, etc baked into the walls just give you a nice seasoning. Sometimes it looks gross, but it's not a problem. When I cook, I just give the inside a quick once-over when I am finished just to make sure anything big isn't going to break off onto food during a future cook. Maybe throw some pics up on here just to be sure, but I'd imagine you're fine

[jecucolo]

Um..no cleaning needed

[Polarbear777]

I’d scrape the big hunks off the bottom and the ash catcher just to make sure you have good airflow for the coal basket.

[HawkerXP]

+1

[fzxdoc]

My complaint with the ashcatcher is that it's good for ash but bad for grease, which runs under the catcher. So I still use my double thickness of heavy duty aluminum foil under the basket for each cook. The ashcatcher looks mournfully on from its place behind the gasser.

I don't mess with cleaning the insides of the PBC because it sort of takes care of itself. But the inside of the lid can get gunky stalactites hanging on it which can drip the condensed vapors onto the meat while it cooks. So ever now and then, as needed, after I pull the meat out of the PBC at the end of a cook, I put the lid on, slightly cracked opening, for about 10 or 15 minutes. The high heat really softens the gunk there. I scrape it off with a putty knife and the lid is good to go for another dozen or so cooks.

Kathryn

[JimLinebarger]

After cleaning the gunk on the bottom of mine and then using your foil method I haven't had the funky smell or taste on anything anymore. I do try to keep the bottom as clean as possible and if there is scale on the sides or lid I scrape it off. The key for mine was keeping the bottom free of large amounts of grease and the foil is doing the trick. Thanks for the advice.

[fzxdoc]

You're welcome, JimLinebarger . I agree that the rancid gunk in the bottom of any cooker, not just the PBC, can lead to off tastes. It's good to hear that keeping the bottom of the PBC grease free has had a good effect on your cooks as well.

Kathryn

[Nate]

What they all said!

[N227GB]

Occasionally I'll shoot the ash catcher with a pressure hose after it's cooled to knock off any little mound of grease build up from a cook.
I do need to come up with a way of keeping the probe wires from getting gummed up when I feed them through the rebar holes. Maybe make little temporary aluminium foil "sleeves".

[Spinaker]

I dump the barrel over after each cook. I never use an ash catcher or anything like that. I just don't see the need. Both of my PBCs stay nice and clean. I might wipe the inside down, from time to time.

[hogdog6]

Ditto

[N227GB]

Last weekend I did six chicken halves in my PBC Jr. In the last hour of the cook some gunky condensation leaked out of the vent, about an ounce. The Jr was maxed out but performed like a champ.

The other day I did a pair of thick cut baby backs, and I noticed that the gunk provided a nice lid seal. I'm about eight months into being a PBC owner, so I'm not sure when I'll need to clean it. I think everything I've read says not to clean the interior other than ash and crusty drippings.

I usually wear long sleeved shirts when outside, so I need to be careful when dropping and pulling the basket. That is messy stuff!

[ColonialDawg]

I bought the ash catcher and I’m not sure I like it. Grease gets into the brackets that hold the basket and gets under the catcher. I’m thinking double foil might be the better way to go, as suggested by fzxdoc - just fold the ashes up when done and dispose.

[fzxdoc]

Yes, I wasn't happy with the PBC ash catcher either because of the grease running under it onto the bottom of the barrel. Yuck. I like to keep congealed grease out of my PBC. So I removed the ash catcher and went back to using the double layer heavy duty aluminum foil.

Kathryn

[gabulldog]

Pizza pan! $6 at Dollar Tree! I cover it with foil and change out every 3 or 4 cooks. Lip on pan keeps grease contained. Works great!

[archer2010]

Amen. You can get an even cheaper one ($3.82) at Walmart! Nice not to have to pick the barrel up anymore to dump the ash and accumulated grease.

[New2Cue]

Not sure I’ve ever gotten the kind of grease you guys are getting. Is it mostly from chicken? I usually do pork and beef in the PBC.

[fzxdoc]

New2Cue , Brisket is the big offender. When I do a load of 3 chickens and a couple of sausage racks, I get a lot of grease as well. Not so much with pork butts or chuckies.

It doesn't take much grease, though, to run off the ash pan and collect underneath, I found.

[New2Cue]

Hmm I guess I haven’t done enough briskets to notice. I did one a couple of weekends ago but had probably cut off too much of the fat cap. I’ll keep an eye out though, thanks!