New to this game so its stupid question time. Don't find the instructions that came with the smoker that clear. When cleaning the main chamber, should you try and remove all smoke residue or is it ok to give a wipe leaving some residue - any suggestion/advice welcome
Hi Toffeeman,
Welcome to the forum, nice to see people on this side of the pond joining in.
The main chamber rarely needs cleaning at all, the smoke residue is what seasons the smoker and should be left alone. The better the seasoning the better the end product!
The only time the chamber really needs cleaning is if food is spilt or splattered in it, excessive spills or splatters should be cleaned off but if it is cleaned too much the unit will need re-seasoning as per the instructions you get in the BS pamphet.
It is a good idea to wipe the door seal with a damp cloth after use together with the corresponding area on the front of the chamber to ensure a good seal when smoking.I do this each time I use the smoker but others do it less frequently.
All the racks, drip pan, bowl and tray I just bung in the dishwasher. It is the drip pan that is most difficult to clean but there are several posts here on the forum giving advice on that score.
The heater element on the smoke generator benefits from a clean from time to time, I use a fine wire brush but again there are several posting on the forum if you do a search.
If you cannot find the information you require just post a question, there are a host of people only too willing to help.
And don't worry, there is no such thing as a stupid question! I and many others needed their hands held initially.
Have fun..........
Manxman.
Many thanks for that
Welcome, Mike! Manx' advice is spot-on. I'm a minimalist when it comes to cleaning except for the door/door seals and a quick wipe of the top vent to keep it from sticking. A quick brush-out of the smoke generator ramp also helps keep it operating smoothly. Spray your drip rack with Pam to reduce caking, and just throw everything in the dishwasher, as Manx says.
Just curious about your handle (Toffeeman)--are you an Everton fan living in Surrey?
John
Newton MA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">are you an Everton fan living in Surrey?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Are you a soccer fan John?
Manxman.
Don't get me started on soccer . . . I may never stop! But since you asked . . .
My wife still plays 3-4 time per week at age 54--her over-50 women's team represented Massachusetts at the US Championships last summer. My oldest boy was offered an apprenticeship with Sheffield Wednesday when he was 16 (he's 23 now) and Wednesday was still in the Premiership, but he turned it down to go to college on scholarship. My middle boy (21) has been a collegiate All-New England selection twice and will captain the Tufts team next year. My daughter is 15 (10th grade) and already being courted by a bunch of colleges. Alas, I'm the only one who doesn't play--spinal stenosis and several cervical spine fusions finally put me on the sidelines about 2 years ago. I still follow the Premiership (my favorite league) religiously, and watch 4-5 EPL matches per week on Fox Soccer Channel.
Better stop now, before I get carried away . . .
John
Newton MA
Wow, knew soccer was getting more popular in the US but never imagined it would be that popular with anyone. Very impressive family soccer credentials indeed![:D]
You must be in your element with all the Premiership games over the Christmas and New Year weekends, I am hoping to take my 8 year old to see Liverpool v Manchester City at the end of February as a treat... he is an avid Liverpool supporter and already plays football, field hockey, some tennis and cycling.
Manxman.
Thanks again JJC - yes I'm an Evertonian - I'm impressed. Born in Liverpool and lived in Warrington before moving down south many years ago. Once a Blue always a Blue - unless your name is Rooney!
Careful . . . we don't want to ingite a Reds vs. Blues war here [:D]
You must have been happy with today's result!
John
Newton MA
My son has been very happy with the Liverpool scores recently, particularly the recent Everton v Liverpool one.
However, I must admit to being a Manchester City supporter, suppose I must have a masochistic tendency!![:I] Its a rollercoaster ride to say the least!!
Manxman.
Had no disasters with my smoking so far. Wish I could say the same for my team, 1 step forward and then 3 backwards. Far more exciting down this end of the table though. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum so they say [;)]
Well, yesterday's results must have warmed your heart, Toffeeman!
John
Newton MA
Well, yesterday's results must have warmed your heart, Toffeeman!
John
Newton MA
I replaced the top vent screw with a longer screw and a half-inch weak spring. I put double nuts on the screw. I adjusted the pressure on the vent plate so that it sealed well but did not bind. Now the vent does not stick and I don't have to clean it very often. I can just wiggle it to break it loose and easily turn it.
Bingo pzimmerm. I did the same thing on a couple of bradleys only I used a nylok nut instead of double nutting. Sure works nice as far as not having to clean it so much.BTW welcome.
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d148/olepop/killer2.jpg)
Hey iceman and pzimmerm, question for you on your modification...
This sounds like a great idea cause I always have to go hunting for a screwdriver when I want to clean mine. What I'm having a tough time picturing is how you've setup. Since the smoker tower hole for the vent screw is threaded, are you guys using a smaller diameter screw, drilling out the female threaded area, putting the head of screw on on inside of the tower and placing the nut(s) on the outside? I'm confused. Thanks.
Can you post pick of this set up.Ice or pzimmerm thanks my vent is all screwed up.But from what i see out here the vent should be open at all time so ya dont have problems with the generator.Boy am i tired.
I've got a mod I wanted to do to my vent too. I found a piece of 1/8" thick non-stick and I'm going to duplicate the vent holes and stick it to the vent cover to see if that'll stop the da*n thing from sticking. >:( Man that cresote is hell to clean off anyway.
Could just make a rotary damper like an old wood stove too. Only have to stick up like 1 to 1-3/4" above top of smoker.. May have to do some engineering on that and see.. ???
Love tinkering with the Bradley, Already got fan installed to keep temperature equal inside from top to bottom and circulate the smoke. No More rack changing when it's full.. ;D
Quote from: ChefBill on April 09, 2006, 09:16:57 AM
I've got a mod I wanted to do to my vent too. I found a piece of 1/8" thick non-stick and I'm going to duplicate the vent holes and stick it to the vent cover to see if that'll stop the da*n thing from sticking. >:( Man that cresote is hell to clean off anyway.
If you use alcohol it will dissolve the creosote fairly easily. Just make sure that your smoker has cooled off, unless you need to create a flash fire ;D
thanks habsmo...
if i ever get black lung ill inhale some tequilla...
you gotta eat...
owrstrich
Sorry I didn't catch your question earlier. I just drilled the hole out and went all the way through with a small bolt and nyloc nut.
Quote from: gary_CO on April 07, 2006, 09:09:33 PM
Hey iceman and pzimmerm, question for you on your modification...
This sounds like a great idea cause I always have to go hunting for a screwdriver when I want to clean mine. What I'm having a tough time picturing is how you've setup. Since the smoker tower hole for the vent screw is threaded, are you guys using a smaller diameter screw, drilling out the female threaded area, putting the head of screw on on inside of the tower and placing the nut(s) on the outside? I'm confused. Thanks.
The last time I went out with a bottle of alcohol I forgot what I was doing so I had to sit down and drink it while I was trying to remember what I was doing. Then I had to go back inside and reload the bottle. I'll be danged if I forgot what for and It started all over again. I hate it when that happens! ::) :o ;D
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on April 09, 2006, 11:13:07 AM
Quote from: ChefBill on April 09, 2006, 09:16:57 AM
I've got a mod I wanted to do to my vent too. I found a piece of 1/8" thick non-stick and I'm going to duplicate the vent holes and stick it to the vent cover to see if that'll stop the da*n thing from sticking. >:( Man that cresote is hell to clean off anyway.
If you use alcohol it will dissolve the creosote fairly easily. Just make sure that your smoker has cooled off, unless you need to create a flash fire ;D
Quote from: owrstrich on April 09, 2006, 01:45:15 PM
thanks habsmo...
if i ever get black lung ill inhale some tequilla...
you gotta eat...
owrstrich
Well that was way above and beyond what I was thinking, but that's gotta work. ;D
On another note. After getting my BS out of storage, I noticed a lot of flaking inside the cabinet so I decided to "reseason" it. After seasoning I was wiping down the door seal (with alcohol) and I notice at the bottom the seal was sagging (not from the alcohol). When I inspected it, I learned there are two aluminum tabs that should be bent at a 90 degree angle to hold the seal up. One of the tabs had straighten out, or was never installed properly to begin with. It was easy to bend, so I bent it up and now the seal is almost as straight as when I first got it. So that may be another thing you may want to check if the bottom seal appears to be sagging.
QuoteSo that may be another thing you may want to check if the bottom seal appears to be sagging.
Quite a few women on this side of the pond may be interested in this advice, I think they are "butts" in the US but backsides, bums etc are also called bottoms over here as well and I know of quite a lot of sagging ones!! ;D
Joking apart my bottom is also sagging (on my BS!) so thanks for the advice Habs.
I didn't use my BS for a couple of months over the worst of the winter and also found flaking when I came to use it, I used a (new) paintbrush to brush over the inside of the smoker to break them off then blew them all away with some canned air, got rid of the flaky bits a treat. It was not that bad that I had to reseason, my main concern was bits flaking off when smoking and landing on the food.
I thought it was safe to post, because Kirk was on vacation, but you seem to be filling in his role quite nicely. ;D
Flaking onto the food was my main concern also. It seems that the coating must get dried out if not used on a regular basis. I wished I had thought about using a brush. I used crumbled newspaper and lightly "scrubbed" the sides.
QuoteI thought it was safe to post, because Kirk was on vacation, but you seem to be filling in his role quite nicely
Mmmmm..... not sure whether that is a good or bad thing! ;D
Just nice to have a laugh to brighten up the day, sort of a universal language in a way.