Avoid humidity to avoid mold

[smoothbiker]

Hello. I'm originally from Arizona and that's where I started to smoke meats and learned and progressed. Obviously a very dry climate. I've since moved to southern Ohio and where I live it is a very very humid/moist area. I need to buy or build a new smoker for myself. Originally I had planned on building a small smokehouse. My only concern is mold. I already see what happens around my house in nature. Moss and mold are all around. I don't plan on smoking 24 hours a day 365 days a year. There may be a month or so I don't smoke at all (probably not true but just want to plan for it). What are my best options? How do I avoid the mold? Do I let the smoker cool and store in my detached garage? Do I get a bag full of silica gel packs and place inside? Any and all advise appreciated.

 

[gmc2003]

For my Webers(both kettles and WSM). When not in use I store them in my garage with the vents open. I haven't had a mold issue yet.

Chris

 

[smoothbiker]

Good deal, thank you!!!

 

[gmc2003]

Good deal, thank you!!!

Note: I edited my post to read "haven't had a mold issue yet". Sorry about that. I should also add I scrape down my grates after each use.

Chris

 

[Bearcarver]

I must be lucky in this respect.
So far (Knock on wood) I have never had any mold in any of my MES units.
Sometimes I won't use one for more than a month, and it rains around here dang near every day, with a lot of High Humidity (90% Plus often).
All I do is close the top vent as far as it closes, push the chip dumper back in, let it cool a few hours, and put the cheap MES cover over it. It sits on my roofed front porch 24-7-365. It only gets rained on or snowed on a few times a year when it's windy enough to blow it in that far.

That's It.

Bear

 

[smokerjim]

I have a mes 30 which is always in the barn, I leave the top vent open pull the chip loader out a bit to allow air flow, if I don't use it for a while I will run at 275 for a hour or so just to try and kill any of that bad stuff. I shouldn't say this but i've never had mold. hope that continues.

 

[BuckeyeSteve]

I have a MES 30. When I'm done smoking I leave the door open for a few hours to let any moisture evaporate. I store it in the garage with the vent wide open and no chip loader. I put 3" aluminum 90's on both openings in case there are some curious rodents.

 

[Bearcarver]

I have a MES 30. When I'm done smoking I leave the door open for a few hours to let any moisture evaporate. I store it in the garage with the vent wide open and no chip loader. I put 3" aluminum 90's on both openings in case there are some curious rodents.

Hey Steve,
How do the 90s keep the mice out?
They are one of the reasons I keep mine closed up.

Bear

 

[BuckeyeSteve]

Hey Steve,
How do the 90s keep the mice out?
They are one of the reasons I keep mine closed up.

Bear

Just another obstacle they have to deal with. I've never had any indication of mice in the smoker. It also helps keep the dust out if you don't point them up.
Now that you brought that up it has me thinking. Maybe I should cut a piece of hardware screen to put over the openings of the 90's.

 

[Bearcarver]

Just another obstacle they have to deal with. I've never had any indication of mice in the smoker. It also helps keep the dust out if you don't point them up.
Now that you brought that up it has me thinking. Maybe I should cut a piece of hardware screen to put over the openings of the 90's.

Yup---I would suggest that, but the mice around here in the woods are a PITA.
There was one in my MES grease drawer one day. I put the little green mouse poison pellets on my front porch, and a week later that drawer was half full of the poison pellets. I guess they were storing poison for Winter. I put steel wool in the drain hole above that drawer.
When we built this house, I put fireproof caulk in all the spaces around the wires & pipes going into my house. So No Mice in my house or basement at all (for 17 years), but plenty in my garage & on my front porch. They ruined a $2000 Honda Generator, by building a nest in it & chewing a mess of wires in the harness. They chewed a sensor wire off in Mrs Bear's last car. It was $17 dollars for the sensor, but over $350 in labor to get to it.

Bear

 

[smokerjim]

yeah bear I agree, mice are a pita, they chew on everything. an old farmer once told me if you want to get rid of the mice get some rats.

 

[Norwester55]

I wipe my Smokin-It down with white vinegar after the usual post smoke cleanup.