British BBQ Society Forums

Hi
I've just burnt out my drum ready for painting but not sure if I need to paint the inside as well as the outside. I've just bought 3 cans of black BBQ spray paint from Wilko's but I'd rather not spray the inside after going to so much effort to get the old paint off!

Any advice greatly welcomed.

Cheers.

I don't think you want to be painting the inside - from what I've read you want to season the inside with cooking oil and heat, but only paint the outside. I haven't got any personal experience, I've just read a lot, so I'm sure someone who knows better than me can confirm

Chris speaks the truth. Do NOT paint any inside part of your drum. Paint just the exterior parts, allow it to touch dry (about half an hour), then coat every single bit of the inside, including any nuts, bolts etc, with cooking oil. Do this with your grates too.

Then, as soon as possible (my bbq paint specifies within four hours), light a fire in your basket, and set it in your smoker. You can cook during this seasoning process if you want, just leave it to get hot first so the oil can get into the pores of the metal.

If you ever have to clean your smoker (god forbid), you will have to reseason it with oil. If you clean your grills with soap you will have to reseason them too.

Go sparingly with the spray - it protects better with a couple of thin coats than it does with one thick one. I needed 1 and a half cans to do my 55 gallon drum, leaving plenty spare for future repairs and patch jobs.

Thanks for your advice. I'll let you know how I get on.