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[Canadian John]

I like to keep my stainless pits looking good. What I had always done was to use some sort of stainless cleaner; sprays,wipes or liquids. The results didn't vary much. They were all good @ removing dust ,fingerprints and light smudges..After the application of the cleaner and buffing the results were always good.  The problem is after the first cook the stainless looked blotchy and faded..I got to thinking - all these S S cleaners I had used contained mineral oil...That led me to applying straight mineral(drug store
variety)..Here is how it went: Ambient 72º..Pit clean, @ ambient and out of the sun.  Wiped on the mineral oil as lightly as possible. It was slightly high on the viscous side(thick). That made  it a bit harder to apply and wipe off. It looked good, not 100%..Later I fired up the pit and while it was warming gave it a buff with a dry cloth..That is all it needed to lower the viscosity just enough to get a super finish..It looked better than any S S cleaner I had previously used.  Now after 3 cooks totalling ~ 6 hours the stainless has the same shiny look to it..The big question is how long will it last? So far it is 3x better than any S S cleaner I have ever used...

Has anyone else gone this route?

[LowSlowJoe]

I haven't gone that route... but I find it interesting.  ( my stainless doesn't get cleaned much )

[pmillen]

I struggle to get my SS pit as clean and shiny as I would like it to be so guests who aren't familiar with pits and their typical grungy look aren't turned off.  I try to do the same with pots, pans and trays, just in case someone sees the cookie tray. 

That's SS's downside.  Most of the stuff on my pit's exterior won't show on a black pit.

[GrillinGlen]

I've always been super happy with Bar Keepers Friend for getting it clean, I'll have to try that and see how it works keeping it clean. 

[Canadian John]

Reply to paul..  When i travelled the deep South I fell in love with the grungy brick pits that were part of almost all BBQ joints. They have such character! In fact  for years I rarely cleaned the outside my pit (only had one then). I related a grungy pit to true BBQ..

So who is right or wrong in the world of Cleanliness?

[pmillen]

So who is right or wrong in the world of Cleanliness?

I've written this many time before, "Scrubbing a pit's exterior is effort with scant return.  And I've never heard of someone becoming ill because a pit's exterior wasn't shiny."  That's what I tell myself as I scrub away.

[pmillen]

I've always been super happy with Bar Keepers Friend for getting it clean, 

Barkeeper's Friend doesn't seem to work any better for me that any other scouring compound.  I may not be doing it right.


I'm convinced that there's a chemical that will cut through the stains that look like grease but aren't.  I think they're dried creosote-water that's produced when the pit is warming up and making prodigious white smoke.

[Canadian John]

Paul,Looks good doors up!     There are creosote removers that may work..If the buildup is severe as it looks to be on the left then scraping carefully with the polish marks in the metal should lessen the work the chemical would have to do.  If you ever get it clean and want to keep it that way frequent cleaning should help....Also if the inside of the doors have grungy buildup it may be a contributing factor... OR,just leave it and enjoy it - as I describer the pits down South mentioned above.

[WiPelletHead]

I've always been super happy with Bar Keepers Friend for getting it clean, 

Barkeeper's Friend doesn't seem to work any better for me that any other scouring compound.  I may not be doing it right.


I'm convinced that there's a chemical that will cut through the stains that look like grease but aren't.  I think they're dried creosote-water that's produced when the pit is warming up and making prodigious white smoke.

I've used Members Mark Commercial Over, Grill and Fryer Cleaner from Sams Club.

Spray it on, wait a minute or 2 then wipe off with a wet sponge. Cleaned my PG 1000 and looked like new. No real scrubbing either.

[Bentley]

I believe it is all about a cordless drill, the correct buffing pad, and soft scrub!  Something like this Scotch-Brite...

[Jcorwin818]

You will have a circular pattern if you use that scotch brite wheel but it will be clean.

[Bentley]

Has never happened on the Memphis...But it is kind of a brushed finish anyway!

[pmillen]

I believe it is all about a cordless drill, the correct buffing pad, and soft scrub!  Something like this Scotch-Brite...

Our great minds are in synch, Bentley.


I've been considering this with a very fine grit.

[Canadian John]

Forgot to add:For a stainless lid that was stained I used a layered cotton wheel w/ some green (for stainless) compound fitted to an electric drill.  The trick is to buff with the grain..It may take some practice but it works..Anything aggressive will leave scratch marks..400 grit is about as far as you want to go if using emery cloth..The higher the # the finer..

[bregent]

I used a green scotch brite pad to remove some stains from my Memphis. I was not paying attention to the grain direction and now have permanent swirl marks in a few spots.