Cleaning and easoning your smoker

Pigasus

New member
I used good old fashioned bacon fat, just like I do for my initial seasoning with cast iron. (From now on I will probably use vegetable oil. Next UDS I make I will probably do a nice long burn after I assemble and paint and before I season. The problem I had was the fat leaked out from about every hole and reacted with the paint causing it not cure correctly.)
My question here is, how often do you season your drum, and how often do you clean it? What does cleaning consist of?
 

scooter

Moderator
Staff member
What BP said. Cooking food will season the inside. For cleaning, I put foil on the bottom of the barrel and use an ash catcher attached to the basket. I scrape the grate is all I do for the inside. I do clean the outside with Greased Lightning.
 

mboyenko

New member
I never season a drum...I just do a good burn in and then start cooking.

My drum was lined with an epoxy coating so I had the inside and outside sandblasted and had the outside powder coated. Is a burn in still recommended prior to final assembly? If so can you state the benefits of a burn in as well as provide directions of how to do a burn in (wood or charcoal, how long, what temperature, etc.)

Thanks
 

smokeasaurus

New member
When I had my drum, I would foil line the bottom of the barrel to easily get the ash out (there was no ash pan). I never cleaned the sides of the barrel. That is where all the flavor is. When the sides would build up, I would just wad up some HD foil and scrape lightly around the sides and that was that. I did have to watch the inside of the lid. Don't want know flakes falling down on my grub.......
 

richsilv

New member
How is that Powder Coat holding up?
What a wonderful idea, I thought... So (since I just purchased my Drum yesterday) I sent off a couple of notes to local Powder Coating companies... and I received two replies:
* Don't do it... Powder coating will not stand up to Hi Temps... (This one really surprised me...)
* (and) We have only one Hi-Temp coating, its textured and expensive... (Also surprised me)

So I am really curious...
 

DjPorkchop

New member
Guys have been powder coating drums for a uds for a while and no one has ever reported any issues. I don't see any issues with running a drum 250-350 or a tad higher with powder coating.
 

richsilv

New member
Both services I contacted told me to expect the finish to gray over time if it was exposed to heat over 300 degrees for an extended period, including tails of having to recoat projects just because they had left it in their own "cooker" (for want of a better term) too long...

But no arguing with Real(tm) results, is there?
 
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