Hotter than the Sun???

[Ewgraham]

Hey all, I have a question....

A couple of weeks ago I had a beautiful Brisket going in my smoker. It had been on for 12 hours, I decided to just bring it in and finish in the oven because I needed to get some chickens on and I didn't have room for all of them together. I didn't shut the door on my upright smoker. 20 -30 minutes later when I cam out whit my chickens everything on the INSIDE had burned off, the metal grates/shelves were sagging, the outside finish was all chipped and flaking away!

Did I just ruin my smoker?
Help!

 

[JLeonard]

Pics?

Jim

 

[smokerjim]

What kind of smoker, sounds more like a missile strike, it would have to be pretty hot to make grates sag.

 

[Ewgraham]

Dyna Glo upright offset

 

[02ebz06]

I would think the carcass would be OK if no signs of severe buckling or seam separation, but you will probably have to replace the grates.

 

[Ewgraham]

OH! I forgot to mention, The main door warped a bit. It still closes but I have to Push It closed so that I can latch it.

 

[BigW.]

Was there a grease fire from brisket? As mentioned above, if no major issues clean it up and use it.

 

[Ewgraham]

Not just from the brisket. I mean, the inside was "WELL SEASONED" we'll call it. So, will I need to RE-season it somehow?

 

[babydocsmoke]

Was there a grease fire from brisket? As mentioned above, if no major issues clean it up and use it.

I wonder the same thing. Is there soot built up anywhere?

 

[BigW.]

Not just from the brisket. I mean, the inside was "WELL SEASONED" we'll call it. So, will I need to RE-season it somehow?

Just scrape down the inside. If there is bare metal you can spray it down with Pam or similar, not a huge deal. This smoker was not designed to last forever. Make it work for the time being and start thinking about what you want next in a smoker.

 

[Ewgraham]

I wonder the same thing. Is there soot built up anywhere?

3-4 years of build up. I assumed that you didn't need to clean out the smoker very much, if at all?

 

[BigW.]

3-4 years of build up. I assumed that you didn't need to clean out the smoker very much, if at all?

I do not clean the sides and top unless there is some flaking. Then I'll knock it off with a scraper.

 

[Ewgraham]

I still consider myself a NOVICE and I just assumed you never needed to clean the inside. That being said, I think THAT's what maybe caught on fire and burned the hell out of the thing! Sounds like it will all be ok in the long run. I'll keep you all updated! Thanks everyone!!!

 

[culpepersmoke]

I would think to get that hot you had a good build up of creosote with some grease. That’s not “good seasoning“, in my opinion. With my smoker I pressure wash the inside once or twice a year to keep it clean. After the pressure wash I’ll spray the grates with some Pam to keep them from rusting.
At this point you probably just need clean out the ashes as the creosote has probably burned it’s way out. Bend back the grates and be good to go.