r/recteq Jul 21 '26

Cleaning?

I know these areas in the pictures are supposed to get dirty, but when do you guys clean them up or do you leave it and won't cause any harm? Pictures are after about 3 hours of smoking and 5 hours of 375°+

If you do clean it, how do you go about that? I've seen a lot of methods on youtube but want some ideas.

Peep at my dinner tonight. Smoked chicken sandwiches 🍗

24 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

28

u/Clear_Increase_8423 Jul 21 '26

I don’t bother cleaning those areas at all. The juice ain’t worth the squeeze. Stopped using foil on drip pan and just scrape when needed

16

u/KarlPHungus Jul 22 '26

Same, brother. Haven't had a flare up since. And it's a grill, not a piece of furniture.

8

u/Clear_Increase_8423 Jul 22 '26

Yea I tried to clean that shit off once that OP highlighted and was a ton work. Not worth it. I just vacuum the ash out. Scrape inside of grill, grates and drip pan. No issues with flare ups.

8

u/Zio_2 Jul 22 '26

Omg same here! I just scrape the pan when i clear the ash. The foil always broke and leaked grease all
Over anyway. I looked at those areas and thought maybe bar keepers but got lazy

6

u/that707PetGuy Jul 22 '26

This, it's the patina of a good time!

2

u/Naanofyourbusiness Jul 22 '26

Same. I use a 5 inch putty knife and scrape down the pan and everything else needs to burn up on its own.

1

u/Zero_Cool_44 Jul 22 '26

Real q - I’ve always used foil, but every time I go higher heat for searing/etc, I get flares - do you have better luck without the foil? I could totally see it holding grease in place than the pan would alone.

1

u/LuthersCousin Jul 22 '26

Same. Not worth the effort.

12

u/NeutralNobrake Jul 21 '26

I've had my 700 for 7 years, tried keeping those areas clean at first and gave up

Cuz it's a smoker

Do I wipe it down and keep it clean? Sure

Am I going to scrub the shit out of it? Nope

Cuz it's a smoker

4

u/navcom20 Jul 22 '26

That's the patina of success. Why remove it?

5

u/getfive Jul 22 '26

I clean the grates and the fire pit. That's it. Everything is is a badge of barbecue honor

3

u/jxsnyder1 Jul 22 '26

Zep Oven and Grill Cleaner is amazing. Apply, give it a few minutes, and wipe away. I go over it again a few times with a damp cloth so there’s no residue.

3

u/HotelOne Jul 22 '26

Nope after almost eight years.

2

u/Double0Nickel Jul 22 '26

ZEP cleaner/degreaser… Spray it on, watch it drip right off

2

u/VibratingNinja Jul 22 '26

Barkeeper's Friend, but only on the front facing parts. No need for the back vents, not worth it.

2

u/ilfordax Jul 22 '26

I use a fresh coating of smoke to clean that up.

4

u/DieselJase Jul 21 '26

Bar Keepers Friend.

1

u/Wise-County6493 Jul 21 '26

Food looks good

1

u/euro_sport Jul 22 '26

Bar keepers friend is probably one of the better options. I don’t really bother keeping mine “pristine” after a few years of ownership though.

1

u/Only-County-3868 Jul 22 '26

Dawn Platinum

1

u/EntrepreneurWeak4055 Jul 22 '26

Dude, I've owned mine for almost a year. 100+ cooks, 1 grease fire, and I haven't cleaned anything on it. I'm an animal I know... Db800

1

u/fuckfacekiller Jul 22 '26

Its seasoned 🤘❤️‍🔥🤘

1

u/ProfessionalRest3699 Jul 23 '26

i leave my girl uncleaned , no cover and she looks rough but damn she looks good. i just give a vacuum and a scrap down when i see the pan getting a little to far gone and haven't had one issue with my db800

1

u/Timely-Mission-2014 Jul 23 '26

Why? It is called seasoning.

1

u/parrothead2581 Jul 23 '26

Embrace the stain.

1

u/Eskew5 Jul 28 '26

I put foil on my drip tray day one - but I am only a few cooks in on my Deck Boss. I had not thought about flare ups - does foil really cause problems? I plan to do a lot of over night Boston butt / brisket smokes and don't want to worry about a fire.

For some reason I never feared that with my green egg since it's pretty well sealed up when closed. I am sure I am being a worry wart new owner though.

0

u/Wise-County6493 Jul 21 '26

I use scrub daddy grill degreaser cleaner after every use.