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[norm_2]

1) Do all the fish bits have to be taken off?  What are the health concerns?

2) I have some spots where the chrome finish has come off and it looks like there is copper underneath.  Are there any health concerns?

Thanks.

[blaydRnr]

It's important to clean your smoker as best as you can after each use. If you allow the soot to build, it'll get harder and harder to remove the carbon build up along the walls and base. Not only is it toxic, but it can make your salmon taste bitter.

[jimstone]

your smoker racks should almost look new after they are cleaned after each use. I use a small spray bottle with grapeseed oil and spray the racks before you put the fish on them..i smoke fish with skin on so if the copper is showing through in a few places that shouldn't be a problem. Once you have finished smoking put the racks in the dishwasher and they will come out spotless. smoked a beef brisket in my Bradley smoker Saturday night..amazing...as with all the fish and game you are processing keeping everything super clean and disinfected can not be overstated.. the finished product will reflect your efforts.

[fishdreamer]

I clean the racks well every time.  The rest of the Bradley I leave except the rubber gasket on the door needs a wipe to avoid sticking. If you read smoker blogs people consistently say not to clean the inside. There may be health risk but I am not worried about it personally.

[Dubs604]

I used my propane smoker for the first time this weekend.  I've scrubbed the racks and ran them through the dishwasher.  They're about 98% clean, and I'll scrape off the rest.  However, do you guys also clean the soot off the chip and water containers, and the inside of the smoker itself?  I scraped it all but could only get so much off.  Should I bother scraping more?

[stsfisher]

I never clean anything but the racks and have never had anyone complain about the quality of what comes out of it. My smoker is an old school little chief that is many many years old.

[blaydRnr]

I never clean anything but the racks and have never had anyone complain about the quality of what comes out of it. My smoker is an old school little chief that is many many years old.

It really depends on what you use your smoker for. I recently gave my 6 rack smoker away to a relative because I've had my fill of smoked meats, but when I did have it, aside making Indian Candy, I did a lot of cold smoking. Chicken, venison, and of course fish. For health reasons, I always cleaned the racks and wiped down the inner walls along with the seals to get rid of any oily residues that can promote bacteria growth through cross contamination.

Besides, being that it was an expensive investment, I wanted to make sure that I maintained it for longevity.

[firstlight]

I clean the racks in the dishwasher and other than that i will clean up the drip tray if anything there and give the water bowl a quick clean.

I have never touched the inside of any smoker.
Thats kind of like washing a cast iron fry pan.

[mcallagan]

Just got a Bradley for my birthday earlier this month. 
The installation instructions say to let it run for a while with nothing but smoke in it to season it.
I would assume that if you cleaned anything other than the seal, racks, water bowl and drip tray you would ruin the seasoning of it.
I also spray the racks with a vegetable type of oil before using it so nothing sticks to them.
This may not work if you use a high temperature and a sugar type mixture on the items to be smoked.