How to Clean an Electric Smoker – A Step by Step Guide

Are you holding yourself from barbecuing by looking at the black, untidy, and greasy grills? Does the smell of leftovers from previous smoking make you nauseous? Maybe it’s finally the time to clean your electric smoker.

Anyone who likes to cook would agree that the most tiring thing about cooking is cleaning after it. But the question is how to clean an electric smoker?

The best way to clean an electric smoker is to detach each part of the smoker and wash them all separately. And the good news is, you can easily clean an electric smoker at home.

However, there is one thing to keep in mind before cleaning an electric smoker and, that is, do not scrape off the dark walls of the smoker too harshly. Why is that? Well, you will find the answer later in the article.

Let’s not keep you waiting any longer and talk about how to clean an electric smoker at home.

How to Clean an Electric Smoker

You would come across a lot of ways to clean an electric smoker when scouring through the internet. However, the one with the simplest, easiest, and quickest technique wins the race.

And guess what? We have the perfect method of cleaning an electric smoker for you. Read on and learn how to clean an electric smoker.

Note: The darkness of the chamber walls is NOT a sign of your smoker withering away. In fact, it’s totally the opposite!

This darkening of the walls, though look dirty, but it’s the smoker’s way of preventing itself from rust in the future. And this, in turn, increases the lifespan of an electric smoker.

Things You Need to Clean an Electric Smoker

Before we proceed with our discussion on how to clean an electric smoker, there are a few cleaning tools you should buy beforehand. We have listed them down to save your time:

• A spray bottle
• Wiping cloth or a cleaning towel
• Trash can
• Newspaper
• A soft bristle brush or sponge
• Soap and water
• Will and energy to clean (it’s important)

How to Clean the Inside of an Electric Smoker

First things first, remember to take out all the removable parts before cleaning the electric smoker. It would be a lot easier for you to wash each part individually, though yes, it is time-consuming, but an easy way out!

Furthermore, a wise suggestion is, always clean the smoker when it is warm after cooking meat. It doesn’t need to be too hot, though. Just hot enough for you to easily brush off the debris.

This will help you to get rid of the stubborn oil and dirt as soon as possible. Plus, it will also halt the growth of mold in the electric smoker.

Cleaning Racks

Start with the racks and follow these steps:

• Take a damp cloth and wipe it on the grill to clean most of the dirt and grease.
• Then use a brush/scraper to clean off the remaining debris.
• Next, soak all the removable parts in soapy water to deep-clean them.
• Leave them to dry on their own or use a towel to clean the water off the racks.

Chamber walls

When it comes to the walls, never forget to clean the nook and corners, as that is from where the mold might start to grow.

• Spray the walls thoroughly.
• Wipe them using a cloth.
• Leave them to dry.

Chips tray

Now the chips-box deserves a special mention; Why? Because this is where all the smoke is formed. And so at the end of smoking meat, you would find the chips-tray full of ashes.

Your job is to throw the ash away into the bin (avoid throwing it away when it’s hot). And afterward, follow the same steps of cleaning the smoker.

How to Clean Electric Smoker from Outside

After you are done cleaning the electric smoker from the inside, your next step is to clean the outside of the smoker.

A small electric smoker will take less time and product to be cleaned due to the reduced size, of course. Whereas, if you own a huge-sized smoker, you want to prepare yourself with some extra soap and water solution to clean it properly.

Cleaning the Glassdoor

The best way to the glassdoor of an electric smoker is to first dip the cloth in the cleaning solution and then wipe the door thoroughly.

Plus, you can add rubbing alcohol and vinegar to the soapy water to make a homemade glass cleaner.

However, if you want, you can invest in the Separate cleaning sprays available that are solely made to clean the glassdoors.

Outer walls

Cleaning the outer walls is the same as cleaning the inner chamber. Only that a brush isn’t mandatory in this step unless rust or mold starts growing outside.

Pro tip: Try cleaning the walls with a dry cloth first to sweep away all the dust. This is to prevent the dust on the walls from reacting with the water because if that happens, it will only prolong the process of cleaning rather than making it easy and quick.

Note: While you are at it, don’t forget to clean the vent and prevent it from getting rotten by all the soot from smoking.

Once you have followed all the steps of cleaning an electric smoker, wait for a few hours to let it dry. You can use a newspaper to accelerate the process of drying. After that, you are all good to smoke meat in the smoker for the next gathering.

FAQs

Conclusion

So to sum up, do not forget to preheat before cleaning an electric smoker. Doing this will speed up your cleaning process and will save you from making extra efforts of scraping out the debris.

Plus, clean the smoker every time after using it to prevent rust and mold growth in the electric smoker.

Now that you know the little secret about how to clean an electric smoker, you might want to check if your smoker needs gentle or deep cleaning. Save your time and clean wisely!