Good, Clean Eatin': How to Take Care of Your BBQ Smoker

There's no doubt that barbecuing is a summertime staple. After all, approximately 28% of consumers feel the grilling area is an awesome entertainment space and 23% say it's a great place to relax -- both of which are essential in the summer season. But if you want to have the best-tasting, most tender smoked meats possible, you can't use subpar or dirty equipment. Of course, investing in custom smoker grills will help in that regard. But you also need to make sure those BBQ smoker grills are properly maintained. In today's post, we'll discuss some best cleaning practices to ensure your pit smoked meats are tasty and that your pit smokers last as long as they should.

Clean Before Every Use

Some amateur barbecue enthusiasts believe that the build-up from previous cooking sessions gives the meat an outstanding flavor. This is totally false. Clean grills always provide the best results. Not only does grease and carbon build-up give your food a bitter taste, but that build-up can even present a safety hazard if it should catch on fire. Before you start cooking, you should conduct a bit of cleanup. There are different methods preferred by grill masters and grill manufacturers alike (some say to use soap and water while others advise against it), but you can generally use a couple types of brushes, paper towels, a hose-attachment vacuum cleaner, a power washer, a putty knife, or other means to scrape off the sludge and get your grill into cooking shape. Of course, you won't need to go crazy if you follow the next step, which is...

Clean After Grilling, Too

You should cover your bases by making sure to maintain your smoker properly after you barbecue, as well. After each smoke, use a grill brush to clean the rack. After the smoker has cooled off, you can scrape off any grease and empty the drip pan. Once the smoker is totally cold, you'll be able to clean out the ash and scrape off any scale. The ash and grease removal component is especially important, as leaving them in the smoker can cause your smoked meats to taste awful and lead to much bigger problems. Which brings us to our next point...

Watch Out For Mold and Rust

You know those "bigger problems" we mentioned? If you don't clean your smoker regularly or properly, you could end up dealing with issues like rust or even mold. Unless you want either of those anywhere near your food, you've got to keep a sharp eye out for them. When you spot rust, you need to remove it immediately with a wire brush. You can even repaint the area with heat-resistant, high-quality paint. Leaving grease in your smoker can lead to mold growth, which is a pretty nasty sight. By super-heating your smoker after use, scraping off buildup regularly, and leaving the vents open can help. If mold still grows, you'll need to heat up the smoker on extremely high heat, let it cool down to scrape and scrub, wash it down with soap and water, rinse, and fire it up again to burn off anything left behind.

Undoubtedly, there's nothing better than pit smoked meats. But in order for those pit smoked meats to taste amazing and for your smoker to last for a long time, proper maintenance is a must. To find out more about how our equipment can take your grilling and smoking to the next level, get in touch with us today.