Preventive maintenance and cleaning on 1100 series

[Formernuke]

I'm getting a pro 1100 series and I'm wondering about cleaning and preventive maintenance.

How should I clean it, or just as important is there anything I shouldn't do.

Example I've heard of seasoning the smoker/grill, etc.

 

[Cowboy1955]

I used sausage/ bacon grease on my 820
I clean it including the temperature sensor after each cook
Unplug it in case you get a power surge or lightning in the area
Hopefully this helps you

 

[Formernuke]

I used sausage/ bacon grease on my 820
I clean it including the temperature sensor after each cook
Unplug it in case you get a power surge or lightning in the area
Hopefully this helps you

What do you use to clean it?

 

[Cowboy1955]

What do you use to clean it?

Vacuum it out
Spray olive oil on the grates

 

[Freedbyjc]

I'm getting a pro 1100 series and I'm wondering about cleaning and preventive maintenance.

How should I clean it, or just as important is there anything I shouldn't do.

Example I've heard of seasoning the smoker/grill, etc.

To help protect your investment… IMMEDIATELY AFTER finishing your initial burnoff or any subsequent cleanup burnoff, WHILE THE DRIP TRAY AND SEAR PLATE ARE STILL HOT ....The raw steel of your flame broiler plate/heat diffuser/drip tray should be seasoned to prevent it from immediately rusting. And ... it’ll need to be reseasoned regularly to keep it from rusting and make it super slick and easy to clean. You do it ALMOST like you would season cast iron pans.



I seasoned mine with spray Pam canola oil right after the initial burn off. As it was still very hot (400-450-500°), I liberally sprayed the steel drip tray and sear plate with a vegetable spray oil (corn, canola or any oil will do BUT higher the smoke point the better) to coat all the surfaces, over and under. Slide your sear plate plate to one side, spray underneath it and then slide it back and forth to coat all those surfaces too.



Use any vegetable oil you choose but ensure your smoker temperature is hot enough to do the job and polymerize it to the steel or all you’ll do is greasing it up creating a firestarter.



If necessary, Run it up to 400-450° and then season it well and close and keep the lid closed... The steel temperature needs to be higher than the smoke point of the oil you are using. Ramp it down to 200° slowly and then turn the dial to off like a normal shutdown procedure. Let it cool completely.



As it cools, the oils will bond to the steel (polymerization) to keep it from rusting and making it easier to clean in the future. I also occasionally reseason after a periodic deep clean by doing a "burn off" and reapplying oil to all the steel surfaces.



Sure, the boo birds will tell It MIGHT season it self ... over time. That last bit is usually forgotten. Unless you do a lot of smoking and your meat drips, copiously, on every square inch of the steel, it will rust very quickly. And even then food oils will burn away and they do not bond to the steel.



That’s why your smoker was coated with machine oils at the factory...so you would not open the box and see very rusty steel plates. Once you burn off those oils, that steel is now completely exposed to the moisture in the air and it will start to rust immediately unless you season it quickly to seal out the moisture.



Simply ...

While it’s still extremely hot from the initial burnoff, spraying the steel with vegetable oil chemically bonds the oil to the steel (polymerization) and keeps the moisture from reaching the raw steel and thereby causing rust.



Please don’t use bacon or bacon grease on your initial seasoning of the raw steel ... due to its salt content it will CAUSE the steel to rust ... not prevent it.

 

[Formernuke]

I take it I don't need to remove the food grates just make sure I cover spray around them?

 

[Cowboy1955]

To help protect your investment… IMMEDIATELY AFTER finishing your initial burnoff or any subsequent cleanup burnoff, WHILE THE DRIP TRAY AND SEAR PLATE ARE STILL HOT ....The raw steel of your flame broiler plate/heat diffuser/drip tray should be seasoned to prevent it from immediately rusting. And ... it’ll need to be reseasoned regularly to keep it from rusting and make it super slick and easy to clean. You do it ALMOST like you would season cast iron pans.



I seasoned mine with spray Pam canola oil right after the initial burn off. As it was still very hot (400-450-500°), I liberally sprayed the steel drip tray and sear plate with a vegetable spray oil (corn, canola or any oil will do BUT higher the smoke point the better) to coat all the surfaces, over and under. Slide your sear plate plate to one side, spray underneath it and then slide it back and forth to coat all those surfaces too.



Use any vegetable oil you choose but ensure your smoker temperature is hot enough to do the job and polymerize it to the steel or all you’ll do is greasing it up creating a firestarter.



If necessary, Run it up to 400-450° and then season it well and close and keep the lid closed... The steel temperature needs to be higher than the smoke point of the oil you are using. Ramp it down to 200° slowly and then turn the dial to off like a normal shutdown procedure. Let it cool completely.



As it cools, the oils will bond to the steel (polymerization) to keep it from rusting and making it easier to clean in the future. I also occasionally reseason after a periodic deep clean by doing a "burn off" and reapplying oil to all the steel surfaces.



Sure, the boo birds will tell It MIGHT season it self ... over time. That last bit is usually forgotten. Unless you do a lot of smoking and your meat drips, copiously, on every square inch of the steel, it will rust very quickly. And even then food oils will burn away and they do not bond to the steel.



That’s why your smoker was coated with machine oils at the factory...so you would not open the box and see very rusty steel plates. Once you burn off those oils, that steel is now completely exposed to the moisture in the air and it will start to rust immediately unless you season it quickly to seal out the moisture.



Simply ...

While it’s still extremely hot from the initial burnoff, spraying the steel with vegetable oil chemically bonds the oil to the steel (polymerization) and keeps the moisture from reaching the raw steel and thereby causing rust.



Please don’t use bacon or bacon grease on your initial seasoning of the raw steel ... due to its salt content it will CAUSE the steel to rust ... not prevent it.

I did and have no issues with my grates on my 820 getting rusty. Of course I spray em with olive oil after each use. Anything will rust if you don’t keep it seasoned

 

[Cowboy1955]

I take it I don't need to remove the food grates just make sure I cover spray around them?

I spray mine after each use
You’ll be fine

 

[Freedbyjc]

I take it I don't need to remove the food grates just make sure I cover spray around them?

 

[Formernuke]

Thanks guys almost done assembling it. Of course I cut myself so it has already seen blood,

 

[Formernuke]

Burn in and seasoning done. Right when it cooled down had to cover it for rain reasons so it will get the ashes vacuumed out tomorrow.

If the weather is decent I'm thinking ribs this weekend.