Cleaning the Pit

[AlabamaGrillBillies]

I'd be interested in how everyone cleans there different pitts. I've tried a couple of differen't things and have recently started 'steam cleaning' the cooking chamber. I realize you wouldn't clean a spicewine the same way you clean a klose offset, so we should get some good, different advise for different style cookers. For reference I'm cooking on a custom built offset that uses a fisher woodstove for the firebox and a propane tank cooking chamber that is 24x54.

I try to clean every other time I cook or if I just really messed up the pit. I'll get it going really hot, like 350 or 400 degrees and get a waterhose with a jet spray nozzle on it ready to go. I quickly open the door and spray down grates trying to knock off any residue. I then quickly shut the door and let the temp build back up. This creates a steam bath inside the smoker and really loosens up any gunk. I let the smoker build back up to 350 or 400 (doesn't take long) and repeat the process using a grate scraper as needed.

Once this is done I'll leave it alone for an hour and letting the pitt gradually creep down to about 220 degrees at this point I open her back up (it should all be dry by now) and coat everything with spray on pam. I then let it cook for about an hour or two at 220 to reseason everything.

So far this is keeping everything really clean. When we bought the pit it was absolutely filthy, we had to take it to a car wash to clean it out. But now its easy to maintain cleaning it as we go in the driveway.

 

[tjus77]

On my offset, I burn off the grates with a weed burner and from time to time I burn out the insides before a cook. After a cook, I only scrap the bottom of the pit while it is still warm and empty the ashe out of the firebox. Never rusts on the inside because there is always a layer of grease inside. I spray Pam on the outside every cook when it is still warm.

 

[michiana mark]

I stop at the car wash late at night, and spray it out with water, and open the valve over their drain. I come home and light the log burner, and let her dry out. A generous spray of oil and you're good to go.

 

[acorette]

For a generous spray of oil, has anyone tried putting oil (canola, vegetable, etc) in a air paint sprayer?

I like the idea of coating with oil, but Pam is not the cheapest way to spray a coating of oil over a large metal surface. I can get one of these spray guns fairly cheap at Harbor Freight, already have a compressor. It should be able to atomize the oil into a spray.... Gotta be cheaper than buying cans of Pam, even at Sams/Costco.

Just a thought, haven't tried it yet, hoping for someone with experience.

 

[Cabntmkr1]

Acorette said: "For a generous spray of oil, has anyone tried putting oil (canola, vegetable, etc) in a air paint sprayer?"

I like the idea, Acorette. I would bet that it would work great. In my line of work though, I'd just have to make sure the gun was never used for anything else again.:shock:

 

[kickassbbq]

What? I put all my meats in pans and never have to clean the grease out of my pits!!!
I save all those wonderful juices for sauces and to put back on the meat before serving.
It ain't for everyone, but it sure works for me.
PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[acorette]

In my line of work though, I'd just have to make sure the gun was never used for anything else again.:shock:

Great point. My idea was to buy a gun dedicated for spraying oil in my pit. A cheapie gun is about $20; pays for itself after 5-7 cans of Pam. Not sure how long a can of Pam lasts, but with the size of my pit, it might take a can or two for a single coat....

 

[AlabamaGrillBillies]

Here are some pictures of our first clean out, a trip to the car wash. Boy I know the owners of that place sure appreciated us stopping by.

 

[The Giggler]

I have a Klose offset, and go with the powerwash @ the local establishment. Its best to always empty the grease after the cook, and scrape while still hot. When the mood strikes, I take it down to spray. Open the doors, take out the racks, spray it out with the drain open. Drive it home, light a hot fire, and let it burnout out. Clean as a whistle. A couple times a year, I take the tuning plates out and clean underneath.

Instead of spraying Pam, I have found that "painting" with canola or veggie oil works pretty good at keeping it looking new. Also, the grates get a painting of oil once it dries out.

The spray can could work well, but if the breeze was up the overspray could get messy.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Boy I know the owners of that place sure appreciated us stopping by.

Especially in the doctors outfits

 

[AlabamaGrillBillies]

Actually those are fire retardant clothes.

I wear them whenever I know I'm gonna get really dirty, then take them to a laundry mat to wash.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Actually those are fire retardant clothes.

I wear them whenever I know I'm gonna get really dirty, then take them to a laundry mat to wash.

Well, seeing how you clean the pit, do you remove the clothes, or just jump right into the machine?

:wink:

 

[MAsQue]

I have a 250 gallon propane tank offset. After each competition or catering job, I pull the grates out, scrape out the bottom with a grill scraper, then hook up the pressure washer to the outside hot-water faucet and spray the inside of the pit and the grates. If the grates are unusually caked with grease/carbon, I'll spray them with Easy-Off and let them sit a bit before using the pressure washer on them. Water goes down an outside drain. I dip a rag in oil and wipe the inside of the pit with it before heating to season it. Anything that doesn't yield to that treatment gets hit with the wire brush, or the wire wheel attachment to the angle grinder if I'm feeling particularly vicious.

The Cimmaron gets lined with foil before I use it, so it's only the grills that need cleaning and those I do in the sink. I scrub and season it twice a year, Fall and Spring.

 

[Porky]

In my Backwoods Party I used Easy-off oven cleaner and water from my garden hose. A little elbow grease with a piece of steel wool took care of the caked on spots. Afterwards I lit some lump and ran it up to about 300 to completely dry it out. Then some Pam and burn it in for about 45 minutes. Worked great.

 

[Mitch]

Pressure wash the outside with a Hotsy 4 times a year(5 minutes), and scrape the junk off the tuning plates every 34 or 5 cooks (10 minutes) . The major portion of the grease goes out the bottom while cooking, so I only do the bottom of the cooking chambers about 2 or 3 times a year. Oil the firebox up with lard or crisco every cook. Do the rest of the pit with a light coat of pam about 4 times a year. She looks sweet!

 

[big blue bbq]

I just gave my Brinkman smoke n pit a deep clean this weekend. The firebox had gotten rusty even though it spent most of the time under cover. Used a electic sander and naval jelly (not the same as toe jam) to get the rest of the rust off. Re-hit with 1500 degree black paint. I had bought some ceramic high heat blue to make it match our team name, but that spray paint did not come out right. Had to re-hit with the black again to cover it up. Used easy off in the chamber and on the grates before this. Usually I will take the grates to the carwash, but have not tried that with the whole smoker. Waiting for it to quit raining so I can season. I have a bunch of turkeys to do the next couple days. Hope it stops raining soon!

 

[The_Kapn]

I know y'all don't want to hear this, but:

I cook the "greasy" meats like Brisket, Butts, Fatties, etc in pans.
About the only meat cooked without pans is Jerky and Ribs.

When I am done, I brush the grates if they need it. I remove the two HD Aluminum foil liners in the bottom. I vacuum loose ashes, the fire pot, and the auger.

A bit of 409 and Stainless Cleaner/Polish tidies up the outside.

Then I re-line bottom two places with foil and close her up.

Easey-Peasey :lol:

I do remember the days of scraping and pressure washing though :lol:

Back to my room now.

TIM