sludge removal

I have my engine on its stand, now im going to start to wash it. First I'm going to pressure wash it to get the big chunks of sludge off, what will work best to get the oily residue off? Brake cleaner, gunk engine cleaner, or any degreaser?
>or will sand blasting work best after I pressure wash? thanks for all the help
>I also need to clean my tranny also with what ever works best