> I think you hit it on the head with the statement "careful cleaning". > That's not always something people (me included) take the time > and effort to do. Too true. My "method" produces a sparkling clean smoker prior to each use. It goes something like... 1) Use smoker to create any delicious item. 2) Place back in garage after it cools. 3) Make mental note to clean it up tomorrow. 4) Forget to empty water/drip pan. 5) Lose the mental note. --- passage of time, length indeterminate --- 6) Get ready to smoke another delicious item. 7) Discover the science project in the garage. 8) Initiate thorough scrubbing/degreasing/sanitization. 9) Make a solemn vow to never let this happen again. 10) Repeat. Yeah, I know it sounds pretty bad. But once it goes into the garage, the smoker hits the "outta sight - outta mind" dimension. Maybe if I used the garage for more than storage... Scott... KCK