How to Clean Your Smoker
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You might think cleaning a smoker is just common sense, but this question gets asked a lot, and there’s a difference between a cooker that looks well used and one that has too much ash, grease and loose buildup inside. You don’t need to make the inside look brand new after every meal, but you do need to keep the cooking surfaces clean and the fire, airflow and grease-handling systems working properly.
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I have a video below showing how I clean a pellet smoker, and much of the routine applies to other smokers as well. The details depend on the surfaces and components you’re cleaning, since an electric cabinet, a steel offset and a ceramic kamado shouldn’t all be washed or seasoned the same way.
Let the Smoker Shut Down and Cool First
Finish the cooker’s normal shutdown procedure before cleaning, including the complete cooldown cycle on a pellet grill. My guide to shutting down a smoker covers charcoal, pellet, gas and electric cookers.
For the ash and interior cleaning described here, wait until the cooker, fuel and ashes are completely cold. Hidden embers can remain underneath ash, so don’t rely on a low lid-thermometer reading or assume that waiting until the next morning automatically makes everything safe.
Disconnect electrical power before working inside a pellet or electric smoker, and turn off the gas supply before cleaning a propane smoker or gas grill. Leave the cooker in a safe outdoor location while it cools rather than moving it into a garage or shed with smoldering fuel inside.
How Often Should You Clean Your Smoker?
There isn’t one cleaning interval that fits every cooker and every meal. A long cook with several fatty pork butts can leave a lot more grease than a shorter cook with a pork tenderloin, so the condition of the smoker matters more than an arbitrary number of cooks.
Before each use, check the grates, grease collection system, fire area and air openings. After a cook, remove food residue and deal with the grease and ash once the parts are cool enough for the job. Periodically take out the removable components so you can clean underneath them and remove loose deposits from the lid and walls.
For a pellet grill, don’t use a general schedule as a reason to ignore ash in the fire pot or a drip tray covered with grease. Check those areas before cooking, and clean them as often as the condition of the grill requires, staying within any maintenance interval specified for the model.
Clean the Cooking Grates
Remove stuck-on food with a grate scraper, a suitable brush without wire bristles or a ball of foil held with tongs. Match the cleaning tool to the grate surface so you don’t scrape through a coating or damage porcelain enamel while trying to remove a little barbecue residue.
I don’t use wire brushes on cooking grates because loose wire bristles can remain behind and end up on the food. After scraping, wipe or wash the grate as appropriate and check that no cleaning debris is left on the cooking surface.
Warm water and mild dish soap work well for many removable grates, followed by rinsing and thorough drying. Cast iron and other surfaces that rely on an oil coating need the appropriate care afterward, while coated grates need a gentler approach than an abrasive metal pad.
The smaller grates you often find in electric smokers may fit in a dishwasher, which can make this part of the cleanup a whole lot easier. Use it for grates that are dishwasher safe, scrape off the heavy buildup first and dry the grates afterward. Stainless steel alone doesn’t tell you how every grate assembly should be washed, and cast iron belongs in the hand-washing routine.
Remove Cold Ash From the Fire Area
Once everything is fully extinguished and cold, remove the ash from the firebox, charcoal basket, chip tray or pellet fire pot as appropriate. Ash can block the air needed for the next fire, and damp ash left against metal encourages corrosion.
Don’t leave ash in the cooking chamber as a way to insulate the smoker for winter cooking. Keep it cleaned out and address cold-weather heat loss through the cooker’s normal fuel and temperature management instead.
I often use a small dedicated vacuum to remove cold ash and loose debris, using equipment and filtration suitable for fine ash. Never vacuum hot, warm or smoldering material, even if the vacuum has a metal canister, and empty it according to its instructions once the job is finished.
Keep removed ash in a metal container with a metal lid, outdoors on a noncombustible surface away from buildings and anything that can burn. Potentially hot ash doesn’t belong in a plastic bucket, household trash can or bag.
Clean the Grease Tray, Drain and Collection Container
Remove the cooled grease and food debris from the drip tray, grease channel and collection container rather than cleaning only the grate you can see from above. A blocked drain or a thick layer of grease can turn the next cook into a much bigger cleanup.
Use a scraper suited to the tray’s finish and wash removable washable components as needed, rinsing and drying them before reassembly. Don’t force debris into a narrow drain where it can create another blockage, and don’t wash electrical components or pour water into a pellet fire pot or auger.
If the grill uses disposable liners, replace them when needed and clean beneath them as well. Fit a liner or permitted foil covering neatly to the part it belongs on, keeping drainage and airflow passages open. Wrapping the grill floor or extending foil across air gaps creates problems that a little easier cleanup won’t make up for.
Wash the Water Pan and Drip Pans
Allow water and grease to cool before lifting or emptying a pan, then remove the contents and wash the pan with an appropriate cleaner. Don’t pour greasy water into the cooker or allow it to spill onto an element, burner or charcoal.
A pan that looks clean from above can have a heavy layer of grease around its sides or underneath, so check the entire part before putting it back. Rinse washable pans thoroughly, dry them and reinstall them in their normal supports.
My water-pan guide explains how to use and refill one during a cook, including why plain water is usually a better choice than juice or beer.
Remove Loose Buildup From the Lid and Walls
A thin, sound layer of seasoning on an appropriate steel surface is different from thick grease or brittle flakes that are ready to fall onto the food. Remove the loose material and excess grease without trying to grind every smoke stain off the cooker.
I like a plastic putty knife for suitable metal surfaces because it helps loosen buildup without being as aggressive as a metal scraper. Use a softer tool where the finish, glass or other component requires it, and collect the debris rather than pushing it into a burner or drain.
Keep the exhaust passages clear as well, removing accessible loose deposits with an appropriate brush or scraper. Wipe grease from door edges and clean seals gently, taking care not to soak, tear or scrape away the gasket.
Adjust the Cleaning Method for Your Smoker
On a pellet grill, pay particular attention to the fire pot, ash beneath the cooking components, drip tray and grease drain. Remove parts only as intended for cleaning, keep water out of the hopper and electrical system, and make sure the heat baffle and drip tray are correctly seated when you reassemble them.
For an electric cabinet, wash the removable racks and pans using their appropriate cleaning method, then use a damp cloth for suitable cabinet surfaces. Don’t hose out the cabinet or saturate the element, controls, wiring or insulation.
On a propane smoker or gas grill, keep grease, ash and insect debris away from the burner and air passages. Use the model’s burner-cleaning procedure without enlarging the ports or changing the gas fittings.
With charcoal cookers and offsets, remove cold ash and grease, keep the air openings clear and maintain the finish on exposed steel. Use the same principles for a drum or kettle while paying attention to the particular grate, basket and ash collection system.
A ceramic kamado needs a different approach to its porous interior. Don’t wash the ceramic cooking chamber with detergent or coat it with oil as though it were bare steel. Remove cold ash and loose debris, and use the cooker’s specific cleaning procedure if it needs more attention rather than improvising an excessively hot burn.
Do You Need to Re-Season After Cleaning?
A routine cleanup doesn’t mean the entire smoker needs another seasoning cycle. If the sound protective coating remains on the surfaces that use one, cleaning out ash, washing the grates and removing excess grease may be all that is needed.
If deep cleaning has exposed bare steel that normally needs an oil coating, dry it and restore that protection using a thin coat and the correct heating procedure. Don’t spray oil onto heating elements, sensors, burner parts or a ceramic interior, and don’t assume every coated surface needs to be oiled.
The guide to seasoning a smoker explains the differences between cooker types and when re-seasoning makes sense. It also covers the first-use burn-in, which is a separate job from normal cleanup.
Make the Next Cleanup Easier
A drip pan or a cooking pan with a rack can catch some of the mess before it reaches the cooker, provided it leaves the necessary airflow and grease drainage clear. I often cook pork butts and briskets in foil pans, which also lets me keep the drippings for the finished meat.
Use a fitted liner where the cooker is designed for one, and replace it before it becomes a container full of old grease. Those small jobs are usually easier than putting everything off until the smoker needs a major cleaning.
Before and After Storage
Before putting a smoker away for a while, remove cold ash and accumulated grease, clean and dry the cooking parts and empty the pellet hopper when appropriate for storage. Protect the fully cooled, dry cooker with a suitable cover and keep the fuel dry as well.
When it comes back out, check for insects, nests, damaged seals, loose components and rust rather than simply lighting it and hoping the first fire takes care of everything. Wash the food-contact surfaces as needed, check the fire and grease systems and repair damaged parts before cooking.
Treat rust according to the material and location. Exterior paint repairs need the correct product for that surface, and exterior high-temperature paint shouldn’t be sprayed onto cooking grates or inside the cooking chamber.
Watch My Smoker Cleaning Video
Here’s the video I made showing how I clean a pellet smoker. Use the updated guidance above for the cleaning routine, particularly waiting for fully cold ash, keeping ash cleaned out and treating each surface according to its material.
Do you have a cleaning tool or a method that makes the job easier? Tell me about it in the comments below.
This article is part of my Ultimate Guide to Smokers, where you’ll find the operating instructions for the different cooker types along with fuel, setup and maintenance guides.
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I use Simple Green on the interior of my pellet smoker during its yearly deep clean. It cuts both grease and creosote with ease. I wrap the fire chamber with small plastic trash bags to prevent it from getting wet. Then rinse with water and dry.
I use coarse nylon pads to scrub the grates after cooking. When I wash the grates I spray them with DAWN Power Wash dish soap, let them soak, then wash with a nylon wash pad and warm water. Once clean, rinse with hot water then towel dry and store inside until the next cook. I also rinse the entire exterior before/after every cook. I use a Pit Boss cover made for the PB850PS2 smoker. The fire pot gets vacuumed after every use when the pellets are cool, usually the next day and I empty the pellet supply bin after every use. Almost two years in and no problems. Oh, cleaned the barrel temp probe with vinegar and one of the coarse nylon scrubber and I was surprised to see the amount of build up that was removed, the probe looks brand new!
Thanks Jeff, for the video. If the smokers are to be left outdoors in a MN type winter, I would recommend an additional step or two. The pellets should be removed from the hopper and using the vac, the auger cleaned out as well. Failure to do so might allow moisture from winter storms to turn that feed tube into a concrete like mess. I also take all removable parts inside and put the cleaned grates in a plastic trash bag for winter storage.
I have followed your advice and used foil lined baking pans with grills. It truly makes at great difference in clean-up with out much change in smoke quality or cooking. Thanks again!
Terry
In your smoker cleaning video you didn’t mention wiping down with vinegar the antenna like device that measure temperature that is located on the left hand wall inside the smoker . Camp Chef suggest doing this.
Jeff. I clean my pellet grill grates by placing them in my big gas Weber that goes up to 700 degrees. Burning off any organic material seems like it works great. Your thoughts?
All good.
Isee no one talks about GrillGrates and cleaning the back of them.
I find after 3-4 cooks that i get that gassy smell form the wood even after cleaning the rails,fire pot,hopper and inside the smoker itself(lid, body ect.
Thank you for putting your time and effort on the “how too” of smoker maintenance. Great job. :)
Thank you for the cleaning information.. I used Dawn deterrent to soak all the removable parts.. it worked great in cleaning…..
How and when should I clean my electric smoker?
I generally clean the interiror of my electric smoker once or twice a season with a mixture of apple cider. vinegar and water…..let it soak in for a while and it works great. If really stubbirn youmay have to do a second coating.
Great article. Followed you for 5+ years. Always good stuff!
on another note. Do you have any tricks for reading the older CampChef blue flat led display…way too low and flat on the hopper.
thanks
kwc
Hi Jeff, thanks for all the good stuff you post. I must apologize for a comment I made to you years back about your rub. I liked it but didn’t think it was bold enough as I like my rub more. I must say over the years, I have found your rub to be a great second rub and I don’t need to tone it down as I do mine on smaller pieces of meat. (I still like mine better even toned down but, of course I biased…) anyway I really like your original rub. Your BBQ sauce is the bomb!
*********
I do have a question: What do you recommend for how to dispose of the grease drippings and the water container that also gets grease in it from the meat? I live in a city and don’t have a grease trap at my house, nor do I want to run it down the drain, plus the city will fine if they find out I put grease in the trash, in the amount I would put in from my smoker. I have poured grease into kitty litter and pitched it but I don’t have a cat (other than the mountain lion in my freezer) and was told the city still has an issue with that. Any recommendations?
Buchanan, it’s important to love your own homemade rub. If you don’t love it, it may need more tweaking😉
I appreciate the kind words!
Regarding grease disposal, I have a couple of methods that I use. My favorite method is to pour it over my in-ground fire pit and burn it.
Another option, is to save already used paper towels and soak up the grease that way. I can’t imagine local ordinance having an issue with paper towels as those tend to get greasy anyway with basic cleanup and use. Once the paper towels have completely absorbed the grease, they go into the trash.
Hello,Thank you for this information about cleaning smokers. I’ve received your smoking recipes for many years which I enjoyed also. When I first signed up to receive the recipes, you offered Ad-free recipes if we purchased the recipes for Jeff’s rub and BBQ sauce. Does that purchase no longer apply? Or is the Newsletter something different?
Carol, I offered full recipes without ads in the email newsletter for years and years, but in the last year or two, they’ve been hitting the spam/junk folders way too often.
As a result I had to shorten my emails greatly and remove a lot of the images.
I had to change to sending everyone the same email, however, I had a lot of people wanting the ad-free experience. It’s not free, but I did make it a really great price at only $19/year, and that removes all of the popups and third party ads/videos on the entire website.
Let me know if you have further questions about this.
I have the Recteq 340 since it is my wife and i at home, to keep my Recteq clean I wrap the heat shield in heavy duty aluminum foil, wash the SS grates in the dishwasher, I shop vac all the ash out and will also handwash the burn box cover, I will do this when the foil on the heat shield looks bad usually between 2-3 cooks short cooks, or after a long cook, always use pam on grates before cooking they clean up sooo easy.
Keep your grill clean no one likes to eat the last cook on their present cook
I put my grates on the grates of my gas grill and burn them off. Easy and works great.
When storing my WSM between cooks I put a roll of paper towels on the top rack to act as wick to adsorb moisture.
Jeff, you are my go-to site for all things smoking related. Thanks for the great work you do!
I use a spray oven cleaner on the grates before putting them in the dishwasher. Then when I put them back into the smoker I run the heat up to 500 degrees to burn off any residue that might remain. I does an amazing job on them and they still look like new after 5 years.
I usually deep clean my pellet smoker twice a year – once in the fall (in preparation for my fall-winter grilling season) and again in the spring (for my spring-fall grilling season). I use an old toothbrush to remove any buildup of creosote and/or grease/soot from the vents inside the grill leading to the chimney. Do this BEFORE taking off your chimney so that any particles fall into the chimney and can then be cleaned out while the chimney is pre-soaking before cleaning it out. Also, I use a hand-held vacuum to clean out the ash from the smoker after several cooks – works like a charm!
A couple years ago I purchased a Snow Joe Ash Vacuum. It’s been an amazing tool for cleaning out all the ash inside my Yoder and other grills. I’ve also found that Zip 505 Fast Degreaser works very well on the grates. I let the spray sit on the grates for a few minutes to do its thing. I wear rubber gloves when cleaning the grates which keeps the grease off my hands making cleanup much easier.
I clean several commercial smokers and have found a couple of tablespoons of lye (household drain cleaner)desolved in a 1/2 gallon of water in a pump up sprayer works best. Spray on leave sit 10 minutes and rinse with water.
I would like to know how to clean up the creosote at the top of my Masterbuilt gravity smoker. I’ve tried: WD-40 degreaser, paint thinner, acetone and pure grain alcohol. Nothing, nada. These items either don’t work or they make a sticky gooey mess that even a putty knife can’t handle. I know a stem cleaner would work but I’m concerned about the electronics below, i.e. the fan. I hate to keep spending 10 bucks here and there on products that don’t work. Thanks!!!
Doesn’t covering the drip pan and all the vents in it with foil adversely effect the amount of smoke getting to the meat?
I also have Camp Chief Woodwind pellet smoker. I love it! Never fails to produce fantastic smoked food.
I just got a Char-Cgriller Gravity fed 980 and my 1st cook was not that great. Any hints would be good help. I have been smoking on a offset stick pit for over 35 + years, and that is what I have been use to.
Thank you
John from Texas
To comment I suggest a bit more info than “not that great”. What meat, how long, cook temp, meat temp when pulled…was it tough, not done, burnt? Anything like that would help.
Sorry, Cook was beef country style ribs, 5 hours long, pit temp 225*, meat temp about 145* to 150*, and was very tough and bad taste.
John, Not nearly high enough finish temp. I would suggest some sort of wrap and take it to around 200* to fully render fat and dissolve collagen and connective tissue
John treat the ribs like brisket, slow to 150*, then wrap in foil or butcher paper and bring up to 200* or 205*. Will be pull-apart tender and still juicy. PS: A little trick that you can do (and this works for any meat that you finish off wrapped) is to slather it with herb-butter before wrapping. My grand-daddy once told me the proof of GOOD BBQ or smoked meat is. If it ain’t from chin to forehead, and finger-tip to elbow, something ain’t right. LOL. He had a BBQ restaurant in Mississippi for over 30 years, and had a bunch of Wet-Nap packs on every table. And I used many of them every time I went to visit.
Thanks for the info, Jeff. Do you ever clean the chimney? It seems like there’s a build up in mine. Hasn’t affected the cooking yet, though.
I don’t clean the chimney as often as I do other parts of the smoker but it does need to be cleaned now and then. For smaller, shorter chimneys, a bottle brush will knock off the main stuff and that’s usually good enough. If the chimney is longer than 6 or 8 inches, you can wrap a shop towel real tight around a piece of broom handle or something similar and give it a few swiped up and down with that to knock off the creosote.
I also like to do this if the smoker has not been used for a while in case there are critters up in there. Beware of wasps, hornets, etc.!
One recommendation… hit the internal temperature probe with a fine steel wool to knock off any smoke and ash debris to keep the probe reading correctly.
It’s very easy to remove the SG Heat Deflector. Just remove the knob and it’ll lift right out.
Simply Green makes a spray grill cleaner. Spray on wipe off. Works great on lids and sides. Q-swipe pads are excellent for stainless grates, not good on cast iron grates. Thanks for all your great tips!
Good words Jeff! Some common sense and some good pointers as well. My smoker lives outside so I bought a cover for it. Did not know about the caustic effects of wet ash. Good to know!
Thank for the cleaning help. This is really so helpful! I enjoy your recipes and ideas . Thank you for all the info you send out. I for one really appreciate you!
I use a cheap wet vac to clean out the ash. Do you use anything different?
Jim, I also use a small shop vac to vacuum up ash and other loose debris.
I use my propane torch to start my fires and clean my cooking surfaces,,, This carbonizes the left over cooking debris and makes for easy removal with a brush. I then give a good coating of spray Canola oil and start the fire…
BEWARE of shedding wire brushes… I ingested a “hair” that attached itself to the meat and ended up with a major operation to remove it. The hair penetrated the stomach walls and produced what appeared to be a tumor.
Joe, thank you for the suggestion on using the propane torch to help remove debris. I’ll have to try that.
I have updated the page to include a warning about wire brushes.
I do not know where my brother got it, but he uses a piece of brass plate shaped like a octagon on a handle. The brass has one flat side, and several different sizes of notches and grooves in it for different grills. It works great on both his grill and his smoker.
To clean the grates I have found that Easy-Off non fuming oven cleaner (blue can) works great. Just spray it on both sides of the grate, let it sit for a few hours then use a sponge and warm water to breakaway all the particles, smoke residue, etc. Low effort and it works every time!