Creosote Cleaning

I notice creosote building up in my MAK pellet smoker. Can it get to the point of causing a fire? If it can become a problem, what is the best way to clean it?

gcs said:

If it's really creosote you need to run the stove/cooker at a high temperature once in a while before you turn it down, that will burn off small accumulations before it builds up to a fire hazard, for now you need to scrape/brush off what you can.

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Thanks, This is a hard, shiny black crust-like build-up inside the cook chamber. I cannot get to it in some parts of the underside of the lid that is not exposed when it is open. I guess I will scrape off what I can and move it out into the open lawn area and crank it up and see if that will clean what I cannot reach.

It is concerning to me because I typically use it more during bad weather/rain. It is then used on our patio, under our deck, which is 9' above, and it is covered by the roof, another 10' up. If it ever had a creosote or grease fire, it would be bad. Many times, I will have it cooking and I will go do chores around the property, work in the barn, etc., and would not know I had a fire. I always cook on the top shelf with an aluminum pan below to catch drippings to help minimize the risk, plus easy clean up. But that creosote scares me. It took a heck of a lot of cooks over the years for it to start building up. I hope I can get it under control.

Thanks for the help.

Vision said:

Why do you think it would cause a fire?

In my Mak there's a small leak from the grease vent into the chamber. If left uncleaned for a long time that might cause a fire.

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Here is a link to cleaning creosote that I just found. I only knew that creosote in chimneys from burning green wood and certain types of wood that don't burn hot can cause very hot chimney fires that catch houses on fire.

I wonder if MAK grills are more susceptible to this because they do not have a stack on top like most pellet smokers. They have vent slots low in the rear which I think allows smoke to linger longer in the chamber which gives more of a smoke flavor to the meat than many pellet smokers types. I have read where people have said something along the lines of, the controller of the MAK grills fluctuates temperatures or stops and starts the flow of pellets so that they produce more smoke than one that delivers a steady flow of pellets that would produce a more stable, even heat, but does not produce as much smoke. (I am going by memory here so I may not have that exactly correct) I wonder, if this is correct, that it could lead to higher amounts of creosote build-up due to more of an instance of a bit of a smoldering fire than a continuous, hot fire that burns more completely, hence, cleaner.

https://carnivorestyle.com/how-to-clean-creosote-from-smoker

I will do a thorough cleaning to get as much of it off, but I still don't know how to do the lid's underside. I guess I will take it out in the yard in case it drips, get it up to high heat, and let her rip for a couple of hours. There doesn't seem to be any other solution.