Pits... to scrape clean or let build up

I use a wire brush and clean the top and sides so I don't get "flaking black dust" on my yummies.

As for the grease buildup, I clean it out after each cook.

got14u said:

Once a year I scrap off the big stuff and then heat it up and spray water in it....pretty much steam cleans it

Click to expand...

Ditto plus I scrape the reverse flow plate after every cook.

If it attracts flies it most likely will attract critters and needs to be cleaned.

I never bothered much with mine. Figured it wasn't gonna hurt anything. Then about a month ago I had a pretty scary pit fire in the UDS while doing a HOT cook of 30 chicken quarters.

The next day, I used a 6" drywall knife to scrape the heavy stuff off into the ash at the bottom before I dumped the ash. I'll be doing this every so often now. I still don't think I'll "CLEAN", but at least scrape the big stuff off.

The grates on my WSM are definitely cleaned after every use. I usually rinse out the charcoal bowl with plain water and a scrub pad after every use too. I don't want the ash to eat through the metal.

I knock off any loose debris before starting a cook and I do a more thorough cleaning once or twice a year with oven cleaner.

Just took the weed burner to the beast yesterday. hit the grates just hard enough to carbonize anything that would even consider turning into something nasty then brushed away. Most of the drippings hit the coals or barrels and burn away during the cook.

If it touches food, clean it...leave the inside of the smoker unless it's dropping crap on your meat.