Getting your pellet cooker ready for the season!

[Big Poppa]

Ok Spring cleaning applies to many things and your pellet smoker can use a little love before cranking out great food all summer long.

Some cleaning tips that are really good Important...give the inside lid a good wire brushing...You would be surprised that a thin and black flake that looks just like paint will drop onto the grate...
Scrape and clean your deflector plate
Really give you grates a good cleaning
Clean the exhaust vents...believe it or not they can become closed to due heavy use
Vacuum all the bits and piece from the lid, deflector plate, flame zone, grates, ashfrom the bottom of the cooker
Polish and clean all outer surfaces
clean your grease trays or buckets....

Good as new and ready to rock!

 

[TentHunter]

After the winter we've had (and it's trying its best to stick around), our grills are ready for a super heavy duty cleaning for sure!

 

[fishingbouchman]

Just spent yesterday scrapping degreasing and so on. Had to rip it appart anyway to replace the igniter. Not easly to replace on the one star, ok was too easy so figured with all the time saved I could clean. Took the lid off and tried to get everything. Looks pretty now.

How do you clean the back deflector plate and vents they are riveted on from what I saw.

 

[scooter]

I live in CA, there is no such thing as BBQ "season"!

 

[Big Poppa]

some of you wont cook if it dips below 40...nor cal ers.

 

[soupyjones]

I am taking the first day of my long weekend to clean off the smoking rig. I have a great plan for the weekend but my Traeger needs to be squeaky clean to do it right.

 

[hank858SD]

Educate a novice on cleaning. I’ve only had 4 cooks thus far and already my MAK looks like it’s a unit in the low 100’s. What solutions and tools are best for removing the burn, grease and smoke discoloration?

Thanks

 

[Big Poppa]

stainless wipes are great Greased Lightening cleaner works good too

A good hint is to stay on top of cleaning it....if you make a smear on it wipe it right away....waiting months to get it off is tough.

 

[MAK DADDY]

Bar keepers friend liquid is a great stainless cleaner.
Use a plastic knife on the louvers to clean the inside of them.
Be sure to clean your thermocouples (measures the pit temp) too, they should be metal color at least on the tip.

Do not use oven cleaner!

 

[HogSmoker]

Glad too see all the hints on cleaning I sure like keeping my 1 star clean. One thing I found that works like a Charm while using your grill. After you take food off the grates and your in shut down mode.. I have a alum brush and in the handle it has a take off cap you can put water in. The water drips through the brush onto the HOT grates becoming steam. Its not messy either just enough too make your grates look new again.