Cleaning a WSM with a sticky lid

[cellingburgh]

I have used my 18" WSM for many years.  Recently the lid has started to stick to the body of the smoker and I can almost lift the entire smoker off the ground when lifting the lid before the lid breaks free.  I have no idea how to clean the years of build up but thought I would find someone to steam clean the lid where it comes into contact with the body as well as the area of the smoker body that comes into contact with the lid. Any other ideas?

 

[jirodriguez]

About 2x a year I spray the inside of my WSM with Simple Green and lightly hit it with a wire brush. That knocks off any heavy build up without damaging the finish. The porcelin coating is very durable, so a little Simple Green and some elbow work and you should be fine.

I use Simple Green because it is non-toxic, but other cleaners probably work as well.

 

[cellingburgh]

Thank you I'll give the Simple Green and wire brush a try.  I will just focus my cleaning efforts to the mating areas. The interior doesn't look dirty at all there is just a rich mahogany finish that gets a little tacky when hot. 

 

[beefy bill]

I use brakleen from the auto parts store. People think I'm nuts, but it really works and evaporates very fast. I turn up the heat afterwords, and never had a problem. It will take paint off though..

 

[dirtsailor2003]

The lid on my MIni-WSM likes to do that trick every once and a while. I have a little wood stick that I run around the lip in the lid. Scraps the junk out and then the lid works fine.