ProQ BBQ Smoker Manual
The ultimate guide to your ProQ BBQ smoker, this manual has everything you need to know from lighting up the fire to dialling in for a low'n slow brisket.
If that fails, you can always get in touch with one of our experts, or visit our Facebook Group for advice from the pros.
You can also get this manual as a playlist on our YouTube Channel.
Safety First
- This unit is designed for outdoor use only. Do not use inside homes, vehicles, tents or enclosed spaces. Burning charcoal without adequate ventilation can cause fires, serious illness, injury or death.
- Burning charcoal creates carbon monoxide, which has no odour. Extinguish coals and ash after use and close all vents before leaving the smoker unattended. Even a smouldering fire can create carbon monoxide.
- All parts of the BBQ Smoker can get hot to the touch when the fire is lit – including the silicone and PVC handles. Always use suitable BBQ mitts for handling or making adjustments to your BBQ. Use extreme caution when adding charcoal or wood. Do not attempt to move the smoker when lit.
- Only use the smoker on a hard, level and non-combustible surface. Make sure there is at least 3’/ 1m clearance between the unit and any combustible materials such as bushes, trees, wooden decks and buildings.
- Do not leave the smoker unattended and keep children and pets away from the unit at all times. Use common sense and caution when using this smoker.
- Do not use instant lighting charcoal, or flammable liquids to light the smoker. We recommend using a chimney starter with natural lumpwood charcoal or high quality charcoal briquettes.
- To clean the smoker, a mild solution of warm, soapy water is all that is required. The use of abrasive cleaners or sharp objects can damage the coating, cause rust, reduce lifespan and can invalidate your warrantee.
What's In the Box?
On receiving your shiny new BBQ smoker in the box, you will find these components:
- Lid – Comes with a sturdy handle, temperature gauge & built-in hanging bar
- Grills – 2 Stainless steel grills. Rust and stain resistant
- Meat Hooks – 5 hooks included for use with the hanging bar
- Stackers – 2 Stackers with side handles, doors & probe holes
- Waterpan – Used for indirect cooking, the waterpan stabilises the smoker temperature
- Charcoal basket – Sturdy basket with built-in ProQ Flip’n Grate mounting bracket
- Base - Complete with 3 vents for accurate temperature control
- Legs – 3 Sturdy aluminium legs, plus brackets to attach to the base
Putting It Together
The only assembly required with your smoker is to attach the legs, follow these easy steps to attach them properly.
1. Make sure you have all the parts you need:
- 1x Base
- 3x Legs
- 3 x Leg Brackets (attached to the legs)
- 6 x Screws (also attached to the legs)
- 1 x Philips head screwdriver
2. Place your base onto a soft surface (carpet, grass or a folded cloth are all fine) and then separate the legs from the brackets by undoing the screws.
3. Take 1 leg and screw, positioning the leg on the outside of the base covering one pair of holes in the base. Ensure the part of the leg marked “TOP” is closest to the rim of the base.
4. Push a screw from the outside through the hole in the leg & base, and then attach to the threaded hole in the bracket on the inside of the base, with the tab of the bracket nearest the rim. Try not to overtighten at this point, you can just let it catch the thread.
5. Using the first screw to hold the leg & bracket in place, add your second screw from the outside of the base, again through the leg & base, and into the second threaded hole in the bracket. You may find you need to squeeze the leg at this point to get it aligned nicely.
6. Once these are lined up and both threads have caught, use your screwdriver to tighten them so there is no movement in the leg. Try not to overtighten as this can damage the porcelain. Repeat these steps for the other 2 legs.
Tips
Be aware that you may need to check these screws occasionally to make sure they haven’t come loose.
LIGHTING IT UP
Here are a couple of methods to get your fire going quickly on a ProQ BBQ Smoker:
Chimney Starter - The fastest way to get your fire going.
1. Open all the vents in the base. Take 2-3 fire lighters (or a couple sheets of scrunched up newspaper), place them in the charcoal basket light them.
2. Put your chimney starter above the fire lighters, fill with good quality lumpwood charcoal or briquettes and give it 10-15 minutes to get going.
3. Once you see flames coming out the top of the chimney and your coals are turning white, carefully pour your lit fuel into the centre of the charcoal basket using some good quality BBQ mitts.
Under The Basket – Perfect in a pinch
1. Take 2-3 fire lighters (or a couple sheets of scrunched up newspaper), place them in the base of the BBQ beneath the charcoal basket & light them. Open all the vents in the base.
2. Add a big double handful of good quality lumpwood charcoal or briquettes to the basket above the firelighters and give it 15-20 minutes to get going.
3. Once you see flames and your coals are turning white, top up your charcoal basket with unlit fuel & give the fire 5 more minutes to catch before setting up the smoker to cook.
Tips
- Always open your bottom vents when lighting a fire, this will ensure the fire has as much oxygen as possible, and will reduce the smoke created.
- If your fire is lighting slowly, you can add a couple more fire lighters or sheets of newspaper once they’ve burned out.
Choosing Your Fuel
Using good quality lumpwood charcoal or briquettes is the key to a good fire. We recommend our premium Cocoshell Briquettes, restaurant grade lumpwood charcoal, or a combination of the two.
Lumpwood
Lumpwood charcoal comes in various forms, but for BBQ, we recommend “restaurant grade”. These usually come in bigger chunks that give you a better & more consistent burn. Avoid anything that’s labelled “instant light”, as these fuels are impregnated with accelerants like paraffin and other chemicals that can taint the flavour of your food.
- Lighting Time: 10-15 Minutes
- Burn Time: 2-10 Hours
- Burn Temp: Medium
Good lumpwood is 100% natural carbonized wood, it lights & burns faster than most briquettes, making it ideal for shorter cooks, but it works ok for longer ones too. During handling it can easily break down into small pieces and dust that can reduce airflow resulting in a slow burning fire. Sometimes these unevenly sized pieces can create spikes or drops in cooking temperature which can lead to varying results.
Briquettes
We highly recommend our ProQ Cocoshell Briquettes which are an all-natural, high-performance fuel suitable for all outdoor cooking. The quality of available briquettes can vary hugely, which can lead to varying results depending on brand. The same applies to lumpwood charcoal, we’d avoid anything that’s labelled “instant light” due to the accelerant chemicals used.
- Lighting Time: 15-20 Minutes
- Burn Time: 4-12 Hours
- Burn Temp: Hot
ProQ coconut charcoal is upcycled from coconut husks, a by-product of the coconut industry. It is widely acknowledged as being more sustainable and better for the environment than normal wood-based charcoal. It burns hotter, cooks cleaner & lasts longer than ordinary lumpwood charcoal and briquettes.
Smoking Woods
The basic rule of thumb is that wood chips are better for shorter cooks, whilst wood chunks are better for longer cooks. Fruit woods work well with more delicate dishes like fish or veggies, and other woods like oak or hickory work better with more robust flavours like beef – but don’t let that put you off experimenting! When choosing woods, it’s best to buy wood specifically sold for food smoking, this avoids any risk of impurities, like chainsaw oil for example.
Chips
Chips produce a lot of smoke in a short amount of time, making them perfect for quicker cooks or adding some smoke whilst you’re grilling. Use a smoker box (or make a foil pouch) to get the most out of your wood chips. We’d recommend no more than 1-2 handfuls of chips per cook, but you can add more if you prefer a heavier smoke.
Chunks
Chunks are a slow-release smoke source, perfect for longer BBQ or “Low’n Slow” cooks. 1-2 fist sized chunks will produce an ideal amount of smoke for around half an hour. After putting your food on the grill, add your chunks to the hottest part of the fire for the best results. Once your chunks have burned out, you can always add a couple more.
Tips
- Using the best features from different BBQ fuels can be advantageous, for example, you can light some lumpwood (faster lighting) and then add Cocoshell Briquettes as the main fuel for the fire (longer burn time).
- Think of smoke like a seasoning, you can always add more, but you can’t reduce it once it’s on. Try a lighter smoke and add more to taste on your next cook.
- Ideally you should be aiming for less smoke over a longer time, this will avoid acrid flavours and give you better results.
BBQ CONFIGURATIONS
Setting Up For Grilling
Grilling is a timeless method of cooking – just food & fire. It’s defined really by direct heat as there is no baffle or barrier between the fire & the food.
Grilling can be done at a lot of different temperatures so consider the thickness of what you’re cooking and adjust accordingly. Thinner, faster cooking food like seafood can take a higher temperature, whilst things like bone in chicken may need a lower grilling temperature to ensure they cook through completely.
1. Light your fire using one of the fire lighting methods we described above, adding unlit fuel to top up the charcoal basket & open all the vents in the base of the smoker.
2. Once the charcoal or briquettes are lit & turning grey, add a single stacker with a grill & the lid with that vent open too. You can cook without a stacker but adding it will give you more control over the temperature.
3. After 10 minutes, check the temperature on the lid gauge. You’re aiming for between 350-480°F/180-250°C. To bring the temperature down, close the vents in the base slightly, try a quarter closed, then a half if needed.
Other ways to setup your BBQ smoker as a grill include lighting a smaller fire in one half of the charcoal basket with a grill directly on top and the lid. This allows you to have a hot and a cool zone for cooking and makes the BBQ a bit more portable. By adding 2 stackers and cooking on the top level only, you can grill a whole spatchcock chicken in around 45 minutes.
Tips
- After each vent adjustment, give the smoker around 10 minutes to react to the change.
- Use the lid when grilling – this helps to keep the fire under control, adds convectional heat for even cooking and will reduce any flare-ups.
- Similar to indoor cooking, grilling is great when you need to sear something quickly without drying out the food.
Setting Up For Roasting
BBQ-Roasting is a game changer, you can cook anything you’d normally cook in the oven on our smokers but with the added flavour of cooking over a fire.
1. Light your fire using one of the fire lighting methods we described above, adding unlit fuel to top the charcoal basket up & open all the vents in the base of the smoker. Give the fire 10 minutes or so to catch.
2. Tightly foil over an empty waterpan, or see Video 12 for options on dry baffles and place it in a stacker over the fire. You can add a second stacker & grill if needed and then the lid with the vent open.
3. After 10 minutes, check the temperature on the lid gauge. You’re aiming for between 350-400°F/180-200°C. To bring the temperature down, close the vents in the base slightly, try a quarter closed, then a half if needed.
Roasting on a BBQ is a fantastic way to cook anything you’d normally cook indoors. Try pies, large cuts of meat or even desserts!
Tips
After each vent adjustment, give the smoker around 10 minutes to react to the change.
Setting Up For BBQ Smoking
The classic American BBQ setup, perfect for cooking cuts like pork shoulder, brisket & ribs low’n slow style. This method allows meat to become perfectly tender and some real smoky flavours to develop.
1. Light your fire using one of the fire lighting methods we describe above, adding unlit fuel to top the charcoal basket up & open all the vents in the base of the smoker. Give the fire 10 minutes or so to catch.
2. Place a stacker over the fire, with the water pan in place, pour in 4L of very hot water and add a grill above the pan. Add a second stacker & grill if needed and then the lid with the vent open.
3. After 15 minutes, check the temperature on the lid gauge, you’re aiming for between 220-250°F/104-120°C. With water in the pan, the smoker won’t overheat so there’s no need to worry.
4. Once your food is on the BBQ, add some smoky flavour with some wood chunks or chips.
Low’n Slow is a traditional method that helps to break down connective tissue & render fat for beautiful results from usually tough cuts of meat. Similar results can be achieved at higher temperatures (Hot & Fast BBQ) - you can follow the setup guide for roasting to do that. Aim for 300-350°F /150-175°C and spritz your meat with water or fruit juice every couple of hours to make up for the lack of moisture.
Tips
- After each vent adjustment, give the smoker around 10 minutes to react to the change.
- The water in the pan will act as a heat sink, and as long as there is water in the pan, it will stop the temperature rising much over 110°C/225°F.
- The same temperatures can be achieved without water in the pan. If you prefer not to use water, see the Waterpan Theory section for options on dry baffles.
- Improve fuel efficiency by starting with all 4 vents open and just closing off the bottom vent below the door once you’ve reached your desired temperature - this will also give you longer smoke from your wood chunks.
- Once your food is on the BBQ, add some smoky flavour with some wood chunks or chips.
FIRST COOKS
Grilling Sausages
Starting simple, delicious sausages are a great way to get a first cook under your belt and start to understand how your smoker works.
Light your fire
1. Open all the vents in the base. Take 2-3 fire lighters (or a couple sheets of scrunched up newspaper), place them in the base of the BBQ, beneath the charcoal basket & light them.
2. Add a big double handful of good quality lumpwood charcoal or briquettes to the basket above the firelighters and give it 15-20 minutes to get going.
3. Once you see flames and your coals are turning white, top up your charcoal basket with unlit fuel & give the fire 10 more minutes to catch before setting up the smoker to cook.
4. Add a single stacker with a grill & the lid with that vent open too – this stacker will give you more control over the temperature.
5. After 10 minutes, check the temperature on the lid gauge, you’re aiming for around 350°F/180°C. To bring the temperature down, close the vents in the base slightly, try a quarter closed, then a half if needed.
Cooking
1. Add your sausages to the grill and put the lid on, giving them 15-20 minutes before turning them and checking their internal temperature using a probe thermometer.
2. Replace the lid for 5 minutes and check the temperature again. Repeat this until you reach an internal temperature of 165°F / 74°C, then remove, rest for 5 minutes & serve.
3. Pop the lid back on the smoker & close all your vents down to put the fire out.
Tips
- If you don’t have a temperature probe, you can take a sausage off the grill & cut it in half, it should be firm & juicy, and the colour should be brown all the way through. It shouldn’t be soft and there should be no pinkness in the centre.
- You can cook without a stacker, but you’ll need to set a fire on one side of the charcoal basket and cook on the other side – this will allow you to have some control of the temperature.
- Once your food is on the grill, you can add some smoking wood – a handful of chips or 1-2 chunks will give you a kick of smoky flavour.
- When you’re finished cooking, you can put out the fire by putting the lid on and closing all 4 vents on the smoker – you can reuse the charcoal that’s left for your next cook.
BBQ Roasting Cauliflower
A stunning Moroccan style recipe inspired by Berber&Q, this incredible smoky roasted cauliflower will really wow your guests.
Light your fire
Open all the vents in the base, take 2-3 fire lighters (or a couple sheets of scrunched up newspaper), place them in the base of the BBQ, beneath the charcoal basket & light them.
2. Add a big double handful of good quality lumpwood charcoal or briquettes to the basket above the firelighters and give it 15-20 minutes to get going.
3. Once you see flames and your coals are turning white, top up your charcoal basket with unlit fuel & give the fire 10 more minutes to catch before setting up the smoker to cook.
4. Tightly foil over an empty waterpan, and place it in a stacker over the fire with a grill on top, and then the lid with the top vent open.
5. After 10 minutes, check the temperature on the lid gauge, you’re aiming for between 350-400°F /180-200°C. To bring the temperature down, close the vents in the base slightly, try a quarter closed, then a half if needed.
Cooking
Ingredients:
- 1 whole head of cauliflower
- 100g pomegranate seeds (optional)
Marinade:
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp masala spice
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
Sauce:
- 6 tbsp Greek/Vegan Yoghurt
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
Method:
1. Remove a few of the outer leaves of the cauliflower & trim the stalk with a knife – you want to level it off so the cauliflower will sit flat on the grill.
2 . Add 1”/2.5cm of water to the bottom of a deep pot and steam the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes with the lid on. Drain well on a wire rack and cool slightly.
3. For the marinade: mix the harissa paste, olive oil & masala spices in a bowl, then use to evenly coat the cauliflower. You can double the recipe depending on the size of the cauliflower.
4. Transfer the cauliflower to the BBQ, sprinkle with sea salt, put your lid on and add a couple of fist sized wood chunks for smoky flavour. Let it cook for 40 mins at a temperature of 350-400°F/180-200°C.
5. Whilst your cauliflower is cooking, you can mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
6. After the 40 minutes test the internal temperature of the cauliflower with a probe thermometer, you’re aiming for 152°F/67°C – this will ensure the cauliflower is cooked but not too soft. If it’s not quite there, replace the lid and cook until done and if you prefer it softer, cook for a little longer.
7. Move the cauliflower onto a serving dish, then pour the yoghurt sauce over it and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds (optional) for a beautiful pop of colour & enjoy!
8. Place the lid back on the smoker & close all your vents down to put the fire out.
Tips
- If you don’t have a temperature probe, you can use a skewer or cocktail stick to judge whether the cauliflower is tender enough for your taste. It should look deep brown in colour and smell amazing.
- Once your food is on the grill, you can add some smoking wood – a handful of chips or 1-2 chunks will give you a kick of smoky flavour.
- When you’re finished cooking, you can put the fire out by putting the lid on and closing all 4 vents on the smoker – you can reuse the charcoal that’s left for your next cook.
Smoking a Whole Chicken
Dipping your toes into low’n slow cooking can be a little daunting, this is a shorter cook that will give you a good idea of how the smoker runs, plus it produces beautiful tender and succulent BBQ chicken!
Light your fire
1. Open all the vents in the base, take 2-3 fire lighters or a couple sheets of scrunched up newspaper, place them in the base of the BBQ, underneath the charcoal basket & light them.
2. Add a big double handful of good quality lumpwood charcoal or briquettes to the basket above the firelighters and give it 15-20 minutes to get going.
3. Once you see flames and your coals are turning white, top up your charcoal basket with unlit fuel & give the fire 10 more minutes to catch before setting up the smoker to cook.
4. Place a stacker over the fire, with the waterpan in place, and pour in 4L of boiling hot water, add a grill above the pan & cover with the lid, opening the vent fully.
5. After 15 minutes, check the temperature on the lid gauge, you’re aiming for between 225-250F/110-120C. With water in the pan, the smoker won’t overheat so there’s no need to worry.
Cooking
Ingredients:
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Rub:
- 1 tbsp. course sea salt
- 1½ tbsp. cracked pepper corns
- 1 tbsp. dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. ground coriander
Method:
1. Start by mixing all the rub ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Remove any packaging from the chicken, place it in a tray and score across the breasts, legs & thighs with a sharp knife. Remember to check the cavity for any offal that may be included.
2. Coat the chicken in olive oil, and then add your rub, making sure you get a generous, even coating all over.
3. Place your prepared bird on the grill of your BBQ, pop the lid on, and add a couple of fist sized chunks of wood.
4. Smoke the chicken for 3-3.5 hours. After this time, check the internal temperature of the chicken using a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. You need to reach a temperature of 165°F or 74°C.
5. If it’s not quite there, replace the lid and check every 15 minutes until done. Remove your chicken onto a board, rest for 10 minutes and then carve & serve!
6. Pop the lid back on the smoker & close all your vents down to put the fire out.
Tips
- If you don’t have a temperature probe, you can use a skewer or knife to pierce the chicken and judge whether the juices that run out are clear and steaming hot. It should not have any pink/redness in the juice.
- Smoked chicken can sometimes have a slight pink tinge to the meat itself, especially around the bones, this is a well know phenomenon and is caused by the low cooking temperature. As long as you reach 165°F or 74°C internal temperature, your chicken will be safe to eat.
- Once your food is on the grill, you can add some smoking wood – a handful of chips or 1-2 chunks will give you a kick of smoky flavour.
- When you’re finished cooking, you can put out the fire by putting the lid on and closing all 4 vents on the smoker – you can reuse the charcoal that’s left for your next cook.
- You can slightly close the bottom vents of the smoker to improve the fuel efficiency, just watch that the temperature doesn’t drop too much.
Mastering Your BBQ
Temperature Control
The key to a successful cook is temperature control. The theory stands that the more oxygen your fire has, the hotter it will burn, and the opposite is also true. Some little tweaks to the vents can get your smoker running at the perfect temperature for your cook.
In a Nutshell
With our smokers, you have 4 vents for airflow control which makes temperature control simple, open the vents to increase the temperature and close them to bring it down.
Bottom Vents
The 3 vents in the base are the intake for fresh air to fuel the fire, when starting the fire, we recommend you open them all to ensure your fire has enough oxygen to get started.
Once your charcoal or briquettes are caught nicely and your smoker is assembled, you can start to adjust the vents. Closing the vents will reduce air into the fire, and slow the burn of the fuel, reducing the temperature.
Close the vents a little at a time, and allow the smoker 10 minutes or so to react to the change.
Top Vent
The top vent acts as a brake to the airflow, closing it will slow the movement of air through the smoker, and reduce temperature drastically.
Tips
- If you are using water in the water pan, your BBQ smoker won’t run any hotter than 110°C/225°F. The water in the pan will act as a heat sink, so as long as there is water in the pan, it will keep the temperature around 110°C/225°F.
- After each vent adjustment, give the smoker around 10 minutes to react to the change.
- If you’re having issues getting up to temperature, taking all the stackers off the fire and allowing it to burn open for 10 minutes can make all the difference.
Waterpan Theory
The water pan is the real secret to stable temperatures in your BBQ smoker, you can get several hours of consistent cooking time with the waterpan in & the vents set right.
Water - 220-250°F /104-120°C
Water in the pan will act as a temperature limiter, if your fire is set up well, and you have water in the pan, your smoker won’t run over 110°C/225°F.
This is a nice easy setup if you don’t want to fiddle with the vents too much and you have the time to sit back and let the smoker do its thing.
Tips
- Start with hot water – around 4L, this will speed the smoker warm up time significantly.
- Check your smoker every 3-4 hours, you may need to top up the water from time to time, if the pan goes dry, your temperature will rise quite quickly.
- Improve fuel efficiency by starting with all 4 vents open and just closing off one of the bottom vents once you’ve reached your desired temperature.
- Put the water pan in the first stacker before filling to avoid spilling water into the fire.
Dry Baffles - 220-400°F /104-200°C
Dry deflector methods are simple to set up but might require a little more attention as it’s possible for the temperature to overshoot. With a dry baffle, the temperature is controlled using the vents to regulate airflow to the fire.
One of the main upsides of these methods is you can achieve a greater range of temperatures - they can be used for both ‘hot’n fast’ or ‘low’n slow’. You also don’t have to worry about the water evaporating from the pan.
There are a variety of options for what to put into the water pan (if anything), and it really comes down to personal preference, so try a couple out and see what works for you.
Note: Using dry baffles may reduce the lifetime of the waterpan due to the increased temperatures it is exposed to.
Foiled Empty Pan
Take an empty, dry, clean water pan and cover over with heavy duty aluminium foil – this helps a lot with clean up and stops drips from burning onto the pan.
A dry deflector without a heat sink allows you to change the temperature of your cook rapidly, as there is no heat sink to cool down/warm up, however this does mean that the temperature can fluctuate quickly, and you’ll need to keep a close eye on it.
Heating Bricks/Terracotta
Take 1-2 heating bricks or a terracotta plant pot base that fits just inside the rim, and cover in foil. Put them into the base of your water pan, cover the top of the pan with some more foil and you’re good to go.
Note - Be careful when sourcing heating bricks like the ones in night storage heaters – if they were manufactured/sold before 1974, they may contain asbestos.
Sand
Line your pan on the inside with strong aluminium foil and fill half way with clean sand, ideally use play sand but a washed builders sand will also work, foil over the top of the sand to help with clean up.
Tips
- Spritz your meat with water or fruit juice to introduce moisture to the meat cook chamber, this can be done as often as every half hour.
- Adjust your vents slowly, a little tweak can have a big effect. Once you set your vents wait 10 minutes to see a true adjusted temperature.
- Use extra wide turkey foil – this is usually a bit thicker and will cover the pan in one sheet.
- Soak up fat left on top of the foil after each cook, burning fat doesn’t smell great and if it builds up this can cause a fat fire.
Product Care & Cleaning
Cleaning our smokers is pretty simple - all the parts are removeable and mostly porcelain coated or stainless steel.
Once you’ve finished cooking, close all the vents on your BBQ and allow it to cool down for at least 2 hours. It should be cool to the touch.
Grills & Water Pan
Remove the grills and water pan and clean using warm water, dish soap and a scouring pad if needed, then leave to air dry, or use a dish towel. Our grills are all stainless steel, so they are also dishwasher safe.
Base & Charcoal Basket
Once your fire is completely out (pop some BBQ mitts on just in case), give the basket a shake to get rid of ash & loose coals, set aside. Empty the base out into an ash bin. You can use a brush to remove any ash in the base of the smoker, then wipe down the outside with some warm water & a soft cloth. Leave to air dry or use a dish towel.
Stackers & Lid
The stackers & lid will only need a quick wipe down with some soapy water & a soft cloth, occasionally there will be some carbon build-up on the inside which can be removed with a brush – avoid metal bristles as this may damage the coating. Allow the parts to dry out where possible.
Storage
After cleaning, allow your BBQ smoker & all parts to dry fully before re-assembling & covering, then store somewhere dry like a shed or under a shelter. This will reduce mould build-up in long periods without use.
Tips
- Once you’re certain the ash is completely extinguished, it can be a great addition to compost or bedding plants
- It’s best to clean the grills as soon as possible after cooking, this makes it much easier to remove any burnt on food.
- Don’t use harsh chemical cleaners or sharp tools that may cause damage to the porcelain coating on your smoker
- You can reuse any charcoal that’s left over to light the fire for your next cook.
- If you’re not using your smoker for a long time, you may see some mould build-up – simply clean with warm soapy water and then light a fire inside to burn it clean.
- If you’re using a dry baffle with foil, you can remove the foil from the top of the pan and replace it after each cook, leaving the smoker ready to go next time you light a fire.