BBQ cooker aesthetics poll

Your BBQ cooker aesthetic

  • Gleaming

    Votes: 12 12.8%

  • Sooty

    Votes: 10 10.6%

  • In Between

    Votes: 58 61.7%

  • What?

    Votes: 14 14.9%
  • Total voters
    94
T

ttkt57

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The question of paint and rust on smokers meets us at the intersection of competing aesthetics:

One is the aesthetic of gleaming commercial kitchens, polished Weber porcelain enamel, and glossy powder coat finishes on bells-and-whistles import patio gadgets made of thin sheet metal.

The other is the aesthetic of sooty BBQ kitchens, converted propane tanks, and matt-finished stove paint on heavy, welded units you need a fork lift to move around.

If we do a little self-evaluation, I think we'll have to admit that each of us leans a little in one direction or the other, or we find ourselves straddling the fence, wishing there was a way to enjoy both--either at once, or in turn--in our backyards.

It took me years to realize exactly where I fit into this myself, and how to think about paint and rust in a way that wasn't inconsistent or fickle as related to the bigger vibe I fit into most comfortably.

How about you? What are your BBQ cooker aesthetics?


__________________
 
I don’t need glitz and glamor, but I don’t like rust.
 
Gleaming probably overstates it a little but my presence is in that direction. My actual execution is quite a bit worse than what I’d like everything to look like.
 
Cleanliness is next to Godliness,I am Hellbound.I keep the crud off but I ain’t polishing no smoker!
 
When my offset was made of pipe, I admit it was not kept up appearance wise. It sat outside, uncovered, by a pool, which is where I cooked for parties. Yes, it had rust, no matter how much I wire wheeled it and painted with stove paint. I didn't know at the time about just spraying it down with Pam and lighting a fire to turn it black again. Now with my Pitmaker Sniper, it's kept in the garage and I can't stand the thought of it getting rusty. To the point of now we are at our new house and I want to put the smoker by the pool, I am selling it and plan on buying a fully insulated GF with automotive paint that can withstand the weather.
 
I like mine to look brand new on the outside, and used but not nasty on the inside. I am so anal about the appearance, it’s almost to a fault.
 
Cooker Appearance

There is an old saying in the biker community............"Chrome don't get ya home". Functional ain't necessarily beautiful. But, that being said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like my cooker clean on the outside....maybe a little smoke stained......and clean on the inside...at least as clean as you can keep the inside of a pit. I ain't polishing no cooker.......inside or out.......LOL
 
I probably find myself in the middle of the road. I keep it clean enough that they look nice but not so clean as to tell they aren’t used. I do a really deep cleansing a couple times a year, but outside of that, a quick wipe down after every use does the trick. Sometimes, I feel like the more someone spends on a cooker, the more they try to keep it shiny longer.
 
I keep my LSG VO covered with a marine grade cover. Even still, ever so often, I will wipe the exterior with mineral oil which makes it look almost new again.

The firebox and the cooking chamber, especially under the tuning plates, get cleaned out after every cook.
 
I'm not obsessive about cooker cleanliness but none of my cookers are neglected. When the time comes they all get cleaned as part of routine care. And as NoOne pointed out, I dont care for rust either. Grease is fine but rust will be dealt with quickly.
 
I try to keep all cooking surfaces clean. The rest of the cook chamber keeps its coat, no scraping here. Outside is cleaned of any spills and covered to minimize rust. There’s just something about the outside appearance if I’m serving for a party. Cant have it look rusty
 
Depends on the cooker! Growing up in Texas, a 500 or 1,000 gallon propane tank with a shiny, gloss black paint job just doesn't look right to me, and if I had a Mill Scale, Moberg, Austin Smoke Works, Primitive Pits, etc. I would order it with no exterior paint, just the natural Patina. Sure I would wipe it down and apply an occasional coat of linseed oil, but why mess with perfection like this?


Primitive Pits 500 Blue & Silver by David Miller, on Flickr
 
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