How to Clean an Offset Smoker
Offset smokers have a separate firebox from the cooking surface to smoke your food. A chamber allows smoke to draw across the cooking surface and flavor meats, then it vents out of the smoke stack. The fat in your meats drips down into the bottom of a smoker and makes a sticky residue. In addition, thick barbecue sauces drip down onto the greases and make a thick, sticky mess that needs to be cleaned. Keeping your smoker clean allows for more movement of air and smoke around foods so it works correctly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Long kitchen gloves
- Work clothes
- Small fireplace shovel
- Bucket
- Paper towels
- Plastic scraper
- Wire brush
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
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1
Allow your offset smoker to cool completely if it was recently in use.
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2
Put on long kitchen gloves and work clothes to protect your skin from ashes and grease. Place a bucket below the cleanout door in the firebox on your offset smoker.
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3
Remove the cooking surface, water pans and wood grates from the smoker. Scoop out all the ashes in the firebox with a small fireplace shovel and pour them into the bucket.
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4
Clean out any ashes and grease buildup in the main body of the smoker with a small fireplace shovel. Only clean the bottom of the main body and leave any light oily residue on the sides of the smoker.
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5
Wipe the buildup on the bottom of the firebox and the smoker with an ample amount of paper towels. If it has been an extended period of time since the last cleaning it may take almost an entire roll of paper towels. If the residue will not wipe out but is very thick, slide a plastic scraper through it and then wipe it on paper towels.
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Slide a wire brush over both sides of the cooking grates to remove any stuck-on food particles or sauces. Clean the wood grates in the same manner. Pour any water out of the water pans and wipe them dry with paper towels.
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7
Spray a light coating of non-stick cooking spray on the inside and outside of the smoker and on both sides of each grate. Replace all grates in the smoker.
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Tips & Warnings
Cooking spray keeps the smoker exterior lubricated so that water runs off when it rains. Using cooking spray inside the smoker helps to repel greases and sauces so they do not stick to the grill. This enables much less cleaning time when you clean your smoker again.
Lubrication on a smoker keeps it from rusting.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Christopher Robbins/Digital Vision/Getty Images
