Moldy surprise


 
Matt Gard

Matt Gard

TVWBB All-Star
Well I had an experience I had never had before today. I opened up my wsm to cook some pepper stout beef today and found the inside of my smoker covered in furry mold. It had only been a week since I last used it and did nothing different than I usually do when I shut it down last time. Any ideas? I scrubbed and burnt out the mold so I'm not worried about it being an issue but I'm still perplexed why this happened.

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I'm pretty sure that mold can only grow in a damp environment. Perhaps your WSM was moist from the cook? Maybe open the vents the next day after a shutdown ton dry things out.
 
I put craycort grates in my grill and took out the stainless wire one and threw it in a box. I had the same weird mold grow on the stainless grate in a short period and it was in a dry storage shed. Mine was a little hairier though..LOL Couldn't figure it out either as it was pretty dry and the grate had minimal deposits on it..
 
It happens and really that doesn't look as bad as a few of mine.
You did the right thing and a scrape &burn is all you need.:wsm:

Tim
 
It is important to open the vents (both top and bottom) after the coals have gone out. Good ventilation is important. This is especially since most of us cover our smokers in between uses. So, even if you have the cover on the WSM, be sure that your vents are open.

FWIW
Dale53:wsm:
 
Robert McGee said:
It is important to open the vents (both top and bottom) after the coals have gone out. Good ventilation is important. This is especially since most of us cover our smokers in between uses. So, even if you have the cover on the WSM, be sure that your vents are open.

FWIW
Dale53:wsm:
Click to expand...

+1 on this. Especially true if you've had a stint of rain or unusually high humidity.
 
I had the same thing happen to my little brinkman smoker twice this wet summer, just scrap, burn and I wiped it down with clorox whips just to be safe and then followed that with a damp cloth to make sure I was cooking bleach into my food.
 
The covers for my grill now sit idle. The only time that I ever got mold was when using the covers.
 
Need to revisit this. I had used my smoker several months ago and its been sitting idle since then. I left the bottom vents open and put 2 tire bags and the cover over it. I just peeled it all open again knowing I'll have a chore cleaning it. I could imagine all the little nasties and hairy tribble looking mold. Well I was pleasantly surprised. It had no mold, no smell and the grease from the last cook was still sitting there. I cleaned out the pan, brushed the grates and I was back in business! The only thing I can figure is: 1) I left the bottom vents open 2) I used almost air tight plastic tire bags and the cover 3) and most important I had it on the ground. Not the deck or patio where when it rains it actually bounces up into the lower vents, filling the lower portion and keeping the humidity high. The ground absorbed all water so there was barely any splash factor.
 
I take the cooking grates and put them on the charcoal ring below the water pan. This prevents grease from dripping on the water pan when it sits idle. I also take the door off and put it in the water pan. It is a pain to clean the grease off of the water pan.
 
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