Using a pellet smoker isn't all fun and delicious games. That thing needs some maintenance. So each spring brings another must-do task regardless of my feelings toward it.
Typically I only do 10-15 cooks a year, and still it gets really gross in there. Years ago I let it go too long and had to an uncontrolled fire inside (whoops). Since then it gets an annual cleaning. Even 'clean' it continues to sweat grease on the driveway underneath (or the cardboard that I use to catch it). It seems I can't prevent this from happening, and I accept it with an older and well-used machine, but I can do my best to minimize it by removing the build up inside. Doing the cleaning is neither overly difficult or time consuming (couple hours at most), it's just really dirty. In fact, cleaning out a big smoker was an episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, though sadly there doesn't appear to be a Youtube video.
What I used:
Shop vac
Trash bags
Something to scrape (metal putty knife)
Lots of rags/old t-shirts
A spray bottle with some soap and water
First, pull everything out. For my grill (a Green Mountain Daniel Boone) this is two grates on top, a big metal ramp-like piece which I'll call a sluice, and three more metal pieces surrounding the firebox. I spread these on some trash bags to prevent unnecessary grease from getting on the driveway, though cardboard or whatever else would work too. I also took out all the pellets from the hopper, by hand, and put them in a bucket.
Before shots:
Then start cleaning out the inside. There's a lot of ash/dust which comes out easily, including inside the pellet hopper. There's also a lot of dried char and grease caked to the bottom, the sides, everywhere in there. The number of surfaces gets to be annoying. After vacuuming out the already loose stuff, work on scraping out the big chucks and vacuuming that out too. Repeat. Eventually moisten the surfaces inside with some (very lightly) soapy water and wipe them with the rags. I went through several torn up t-shirts that just go straight into the trash (definitely do not try to wash them). By no means do you want to spend the time and effort to get the inside spotless, but it is ideal to get as much as possible and this time I was relatively thorough.
Once satisfied with the main grill, start working on the removed pieces. These are easier since you're no longer awkwardly looking and reaching inside a dark and enclosed area. Scrape off into a trash bag, then spray and wipe as necessary. Going forward I'm stealing the idea (first seen at my sister-in-laws place) to cover the sluice with heavy duty tin foil and make future cleanings easier. Finally, when everything is ready, reassemble and dump the pellets back in.
During and after shots:
The last part is the worst. When fluids come off the meat inside and run down the sluice, much of that ends up in a little bucket outside the grill. Needless to say this bucket is horrid, and it may make sense to empty it more than once per year. That gets dumped and wiped out too. I'm possibly jealous of a friend of mine who, randomly, had a possum discover his grease-trap (for a grill that lives outside) and repeatedly cleans it out for him. But that's disgusting in a completely different way.
Anyway the grill's now put away and ready for another season. We're looking forward to trying (and writing about) some new ideas. Bye!
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