The Texas BBQ Forum

I have a problem and sure could use some help.
I was doing temperature checks on my smoker, trying to get the baffle and tuning plates adjusted, and put some cedar in it. Did not realize it had gotten mixed with the oak I was using. Now I have a tar build up I need to get clean out. Any suggestion of the best way to do this. I was going to use oven cleaning but read the can and it Do Not use it internally on a grill/smoker.
Appreciate any suggestion you all may have.


Thanks
Gary

Take it to a local car wash at night ... ...and power wash the daylights out of it ......then let air dry and do a little re-season on it with a small fire of good wood.....problem solved..

Thanks,
Would a pressure washer do the same thing?

k9paws wrote:Thanks,
Would a pressure washer do the same thing?

Yes it sure will...

Great, I'll do it this coming weekend.
Thanks

Pressure washer worked.
Thanks for the help

Gary

Your not in garland are you? Some one power washed out a smoker up the way from my folks house and there was nasty water running down the alley. Sad part was some jerk raced up the alley splashing the fences now they got big black stains on the fence.

sparetimetoys wrote:Your not in garland are you? Some one power washed out a smoker up the way from my folks house and there was nasty water running down the alley. Sad part was some jerk raced up the alley splashing the fences now they got big black stains on the fence.

so if you cant take it a car wash, and you dont have a pressure washer, whats the next best thing to wash a smoker out with. i have been seeing the tar build up, i thought by burning the shoot out of it, it would burn out the tar. help

Sparetimetoys

No, I'm no where near Garland
But after cleaning mine I can see how it would leave a big mess.

smokingoodbbq wrote:so if you cant take it a car wash, and you dont have a pressure washer, whats the next best thing to wash a smoker out with. i have been seeing the tar build up, i thought by burning the shoot out of it, it would burn out the tar. help

paint srcaper and water hose ....just dont use any kind of cleanig fluid.....

Well before cookin each time we hit the cooker with a 500,000 btu red dragon weed burner. If your pit is creosoted, the weed burner will catch the cresote on fire and it will burn off. Sometimes it looks like black styrofoam and can then be removed with wire brush. If creosoted you got bigger problems IMHO with yer fire management!

Every 4 or 5 cooks, we take the cooker to the carwash and pressure clean with water only. When I asked the carwash owner if it would be OK to wash the cooker there he said sure. The carwashes have grease traps in them. Think about it...you can set them on degreaser and wash engines! Oil & engine grease are not nearly as environmental friendly as animal fat.

The carwash owner did say his biggest problem was with 4 x 4 folks who wash there and leave all kinds of mud in the stalls. The mud clogs up the drains and grease traps and he didn't like that. But just grease was not a problem. The grease traps are specifically built to handle grease.

I have a griddle scraper, about 5 inches wide that works pretty good. I have also started a fire in the firebox, and let it get real hot, and sprayed down the cooking chamber(toward the drain hole) with my garden hose. This works fairly well. When bored, I've used charcoal-lighter fluid to fire up the whole smoker, from burn box down the to drip pan. Once the fluid burnt off, I just hosed it down and kept a hot fire burning for a bit before cooking. It's pretty basic really. It's a lot easier(though bigger) to clean than a cast iron skillet.