Longterm Storage

[petehalsted]

The saddest part of our 6 month trip to South America has come. We leave in 2 weeks, and I have smoke my last meal until we return.

So what is the best way to store the smoker for 6 months. Its a American Barbecue Systems All-Star, so its a solid hunk of steel, so I am not afraid of it rusting away or anything but I don't want to spend a few days removing surface rust and repainting it when I get home in April either.

It will be spending its hibernation in Missouri, in an unheated garage. I have a custom cover for it so it will be covered with that.

Leave vents and drain open or closed? Rub it down inside and out with vegetable oil? What say you?

Naturally I am going to give it a good cleaning, then run one more good fire through it to dry it out real good before putting it to sleep. Just wondering what else I should do.

Thanks for any helps, and all the great smoking tips over the last 3 years, I will mainly be living vicariously through you for 6 months. I am taking one of Todd's 12-18" tubes and a few pounds of PitMaster Blend with me. My friend that lives there has had my food before and wants to at least learn what we can do on a propane grill with the tube. We will be high rise living in Medellin,Columbia so not much of a chance to do more than that.

 

[chopsaw]

Do you need to cover if it's in a garage ? I think I would leave it uncovered , but that's me .

 

[petehalsted]

It's a quality breathable cover made by MFG. I was thinking it would help keep dust and possibly critters out. But had some concern about sweating and promoting rust, which I assume is what your thought is?

I said garage, but its an older home (60's) and its a detached garage in the backyard by the alley, that is far from hermetically sealed. Being from the STL area I am sure you know the type of structure I am talking about.

 

[chopsaw]

Lol, oh yeah . Garage for some smoke house for others lol. If it breathes and given the garage info I would cover . Something we do down at the farm , is dryer sheets in the beds and cabinets . Seems to work at keeping mice under control if you are worried about that

 

[petehalsted]

Dryer sheets is a thought, We are winterizing RV for first time as well (we live/travel in it full time so never had to before). Wife has dryer sheets, cedar blocks, and mint oil, in every cabinet.

Think I will forgo the mint oil in the smoker, LOL. But other two wouldn't hurt!

 

[flatbroke]

I don’t know what kind of smoker that is. I rub the exterior of the Lang down with food grade mineral oil to keep rust at bay. Don’t know if it would work on yours

 

[motocrash]

Sounds like you have it figured.Definitely on the dryer sheets,they do work to keep mice at bay.

 

[SonnyE]

I have my outdoor stuff covered, but open on the bottom.
That protects it from the elements, but allows things to breath.
I know, some might wonder. But think about this:
One of my outdoor items is a mount for my telescope. This item is used to do Astrophotography, no small task.
It has lived, set up by a table out near my fence, under a waterproof canvas bag, and over that is an inexpensive black plastic trash can.
I lovingly refer to it as my 32 gallon Observatory Dome.
My MES 30, and Charbroil gas BBQ also live covered, but open on the bottom year round.

We, too, use dryer sheets in our RV stored out doors, in a mountainous setting. The only place I have found any evidence of rodents was the coach batteries box, which I neglected to put dryer sheets in at first. They are there now!
I have become a firm believer that dryer sheets do repel rodents.

If I were in your shoes, I would not put them inside the smoker. But rather on the top under your cover, and around the bottom (under the feet?) so they will stop any rodents before they enter.
Run the smoker empty for 2-3 hours at it's highest setting to sterilize the interior, and leave it closed up tight.

If you are still not sure, make a open topped box with 1/8" hardware cloth, and set the smoker into this cage. Then cover with your cover, leaving the bottom open for it to breath.
The hardware cloth will keep any critters (hopefully) from gnawing on the wiring.

This way keeps things dry, and ventilated.

I don't envy you going out of Country for 6 months.

 

[petehalsted]

Now wires to worry about.

Where do you fine food grade mineral oil?

 

[chopsaw]

Walgreens has it cheap . I buy it at lowes , use it to finish cutting boards .

 

[MeatSkull]

Send it to me!:D

 

[Jeff Wright]

I hibernate in Missouri. I would hate to see her suffer while you are gone. She is welcome to stay with me and I will use her!!!

 

[SonnyE]

Well, shucks. Just clean it good, oil it up, cover it up, and have a nice, worry free trip.
Most Pharmacies have edible, food grade mineral oil. Often used as a laxative as well.

Looks like a really nice BBQ!
I think I'd be more concerned about the lock on the garage. :confused:o_O

How do you haul that around full time RVing? Got a diesel pusher with a garage in the basement?

 

[petehalsted]

Thanks for offer's to keep it company, LOL.

It doesn't travel with us. I travel with a MES 30. We have a semi-permanent river lot we will be spending our summers and it will be setup there next year. Garage is at MIL, always someone home, so no real worries about locks. Someone might notice someone trying to load that 450 pounds of steel up. Or just call around to the hospital looking for the guys that came in with new hernias, LOL

 

[SonnyE]

Thanks for offer's to keep it company, LOL.

It doesn't travel with us. I travel with a MES 30. We have a semi-permanent river lot we will be spending our summers and it will be setup there next year. Garage is at MIL, always someone home, so no real worries about locks. Someone might notice someone trying to load that 450 pounds of steel up. Or just call around to the hospital looking for the guys that came in with new hernias, LOL

If I was your MIL, they'd be checking for rock salt in their rasses. Or the morgue for new arrivals. ;)

Take Joe Biden's advice, "Buy a Shotgun."

 

[HalfSmoked]

Looks like you have received some good info and I myself would go with the food grade mineral oil. My master Built has poder coating on it don't think that would rust to easy.

Warren