How to Clean Camp Chef Pellet Grill (5 Easy Ways)
It doesn’t need to say the importance of cleaning the Camp Chef pellet grill. A lot of things happen under the pellet grill hood; you never know. So you have got a bivouac Chef pellet grill and want to know how to clean it up properly and frequently to keep dust flying around from the chamber and make the pellet grill unit work for a longer life span, then go through my experience here.
Here I’ll show what I do every single time when I clean my pellet grill and let you know how to clean Camp Chef pellet grill without any cleaning experience before.
Before going into the detailed process, I must tell you how frequently the bivouac Cook pellet grill requires a major cleaning. Two times a month, it requires a good cleaning, but I clean my Camp Chef every family BBQ party and after every three shorter cooks for me. So let’s get started.
Step by Step Guide: How to Clean Camp Chef Pellet Grill
So here, my first priority is cleaning Camp Chef pellet grill like it never gets a problem due to the dirt, dust, and grease. It’s never my intention to make the pellet grill look like a new one. Because it will take a couple of cooks to back again, it’s a dirty look. So I don’t take too much pressure and time.
1. Cleaning the Lid Inside
After several short cooking or a big family BBQ party, I find the lid has already developed carbon from the inside. This needs a very basic cleaning, just like I clean my stove in the kitchen.
Cleaning process
- I got some Balled up foil paper.
- Now scrape off the loose carbon stuff using balled foil paper.
- All the loose stuff is out, but still, there is tight dirt on the lid.
- That’s why I spray liquid cleaner on the dirty lid surface and let it sit for a minute or two.
- After a couple of minutes, the tight stuff will get loose, and I wipe them up using a paper towel.
Goal
It’s not my goal to make the surface perfectly shiny, if you want, then do further cleaning. I don’t want that loose black stuff to end up in my food.
2. Grill Grates Cleaning
It’s time for inside cleaning at Camp Chef Woodwind. The first thing that comes in a sequence is the grill grates.
Cleaning Process
- I take out the grill grates and put them into the dishwasher.
- Dishwasher helps to remove all the baked-on gunk.
- I mostly use a nylon scrub to get into the grooves.
- Also, I spray a degreaser and soak the entire grill grates in my bathtub in clean water.
Goal
Grill grates get direct touch with the food we cook. I must clean it after every single cook. The goal is to have a well-burnt BBQ.
3. Dusting off Drip Tray and Clean
After taking out the drip tray, I always use a blower to blow out the dust. But the drip tray has many dried-out spices on it. So I always clean it thoroughly.
Also, some people keep foil paper on a drip tray, but I don’t do it because I cook at a higher temperature. Foil is suitable for the lower smoke temperature. Besides, I recently read about some health concerns about foil. Here is how to clean camp chef drip tray.
Cleaning Process
- Drip tray keeps all the liquid spices that drip down from Grilling meat.
- So I mostly use a soft scraper and then clean them with a blower.
- It doesn’t require any water to clean, but I do it once every 1-2 months.
Goal
The goal is to make the louver’s holes clean and intact. If solid spices or anything clogging in there that hamper the smoke, get up evenly from all the louver’s holes.
4. Vacuuming the Ash
Once the cleaning of the lid, strip tray, and drip tray are done, then I go vacuum out the ash. When the induction fan is in operation, the ash on the heat plate and heat box start to fly, and eventually, some of them end up landing on your food.
Cleaning Process
- Use a house cleaner vacuum.
- Use the hose pipe to clean the ash and dust.
- Also, spray some cleaner on the edge where the lid shuts. You will see greasy materials there.
Goal
This is the main cleaning that helps the pellet grill perform better. Ash and dust on the heat plate and box sometimes prevent the pellet from igniting. I mostly do this cleaning every three shot cooks and after every long family cook.
5. Cleaning the Thermometer
Most of the time, I forget about cleaning the thermometer, which is in the belly of the pellet cooker. Even though you don’t clean or vacuum everything, just don’t forget to keep this build in thermometer clean.
Cleaning Process
- I remove the screw and nut of the shelf holder and take it away from the thermometer.
- Then I normally use a paper towel drenched with vinegar.
- Now wipe the thermometer with a paper towel.
Goal
A thermometer sounds pretty ordinary but for cooking a perfect BBQ, I always follow temperature rules for cooking. And a dirty thermometer doesn’t supply the exquisite temperature.
Other Cleaning
Inside the hopper we keep the pellets, and the auger pipe is also there. But the hopper doesn’t need any washing; I just use the store vacuum and suck all the dust inside the auger pipe and hopper. Also, I clean the chimney, but it doesn’t require frequent cleaning, once a year is good enough.
You can also check manufacturer’s website for details guideline.
This video for more details information:
FAQs
- How to clean the inside of a pellet grill?
– Inside of a pellet grill, there are a few things that I must clean using cleaner and water, like the grill grater, drip tray, inside lead, and thermometer. But other things will be fine if you do only vacuuming.
- How often should you clean the pellet grill?
– It depends, if you are professional or always have some party running in your house, you must clean after every cook. But if you do small cooking, then after several cooks, it is okay to clean the pellet grill.
- Should you empty the hopper of a pellet grill?
– Yeah, definitely, don’t forget to empty the hopper of a pellet grill before cleaning. And keeping the pellets in the hopper for several days is not a good thing; pellets may get dumped.
Final Verdict
So I guess you guys have got a fair enough idea about how to clean a Camp Chef pellet grill. I even clean my outside unit with a cleaner and paper towel, but even a dry wipe of fabric is enough for external cleaning. Always remember that cooking requires good cleaning; otherwise, they may malfunction for weird reasons.
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