Preventing mold in gravity fed smoker

[marcdl53]

Hello All.

I have a relatively new Assassin GF 24 and unfortunately in between cooks the inside of the smoker tends to build up quite a bit of mold and develops rust.

Before buying the new Assassin GF I've been smoking on the Primo Oval XL and never had this problem.

To get rid of the mold I'll run the smoker as hot as I can for a few hours, scrape the grates and then spray it down with Canola oil. It's a time consuming process and one I wasn't anticipating needing to do when I bought the smoker.

My question is primarily, how do I prevent the mold build up in the first place between cooks and second question is how do you clean your smoker if it starts to mold?

Thanks for the help!

 

[smokerjim]

Not familiar with your smoker but can you leave the door cracked a little and vent open for air circulation ,

 

[negolien]

Ddue where u at we need mor info i never get mold on my shit

 

[lilhef]

I have a MB GF smoker and they told us to use vegetable oil. Not sure if it makes a difference....but it might. I haven't had an issue in 18 months

 

[chp]

Must be high humidity in your area. What is your shut down process after a cook?

 

[babydocsmoker]

Never run a GF smoker (yet!) but venting is probably the key. Hot runs can kill active mold, but also leads to condensation in one form or another. Before doing anything, I'd open the lid and let if cool completely....then leave the lid cracked until next use.

 

[marcdl53]

Not familiar with your smoker but can you leave the door cracked a little and vent open for air circulation ,

Been thinking this. Thanks.

 

[marcdl53]

Never run a GF smoker (yet!) but venting is probably the key. Hot runs can kill active mold, but also leads to condensation in one form or another. Before doing anything, I'd open the lid and let if cool completely....then leave the lid cracked until next use.

Good idea

 

[marcdl53]

Must be high humidity in your area. What is your shut down process after a cook?

It is in the summer. Run it hot for a bit and then just shut it all down. Haven't bought a cover yet so leave it uncovered when not in use. Thats my concern with leaving it open for air flow.

 

[JeffShoaf]

I got a Southern Q gravity feed earlier this year and have kept an eye on it between uses because my Kamado molds terribly, but the Southern Q has not molded or rusted - and we had a very humid summer, including a ton of rain from the remnants of hurricane Ian. I just closed down the air intake when a cook is done; there's a "teepee" over the stack to keep rain out but no other stack cover. I don't use a cover.

Did you season the interior before the first use? I sprayed the whole inside of the cook chamber and the grates with Grilling Pam cooking spray while it was cold and then fired it up with charcoal and ran it at 275° F for several hours before first use and haven't done anything else other than brushing off the grates right after removing the food after each cook. As mentioned above, no mold.

 

[marcdl53]

I got a Southern Q gravity feed earlier this year and have kept an eye on it between uses because my Kamado molds terribly, but the Southern Q has not molded or rusted - and we had a very humid summer, including a ton of rain from the remnants of hurricane Ian. I just closed down the air intake when a cook is done; there's a "teepee" over the stack to keep rain out but no other stack cover. I don't use a cover.

Did you season the interior before the first use? I sprayed the whole inside of the cook chamber and the grates with Grilling Pam cooking spray while it was cold and then fired it up with charcoal and ran it at 275° F for several hours before first use and haven't done anything else other than brushing off the grates right after removing the food after each cook. As mentioned above, no mold.

I did season before first use. Did it again a couple days ago prepping for this weekends cooks. I think I need to start keeping it open moving forward. Thanks!