Question about cleanup with the FlameZone

[kirkk]

I recently purchased a FlameZone for my 1-Star. Used it for the first time last weekend to smoke a brisket and it worked great. However, the next day after the cook I went to clean up and it was a disaster. I used to be able to just scrape out anything that had dropped down on the deflector and then clean the grates and that was it. Now, with all of the little dimples in the main plate it’s impossible to just scrape up the drippings. Just wondering if there is a trick to it. Should I just try to burn off the stuff that’s on there or what? Any tips/tricks/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wolverines]

I usually just crank it up to Grill mode & burn it. Then I just use my Grill brush & it brushes right off. After smoking, it’s always kind of gooey in there.

 

[kirkk]

Thanks for the reply. I’ll try that next time.

 

[BBQJUDGE]

I put aluminum foil over it and then just throw the foil away. If I want direct heat I still use foil, but poke holes in the foils where the holes in the dimples are.

 

[TentHunter]

I just crank the heat up as well, to burn the any crud off. It doesn't need to be spotless. I do a thorough cleaning a couple times per year by putting what fits in our self cleaning oven and running it through a cycle. What doesn't fit in the oven gets taken to a car wash for a good spray down & degreasing, followed by a thorough rinse.