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Mould – and lots of it!


sub333

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My Pro-Q smoker is seriously mouldy inside (haven't used it for a few months).

On Amazing Ribs, it says to fire it up to kill all the mould, which I did last night.

Is the only remaining step just plenty of hot soapy water? I'm leaving the cover off and keeping the vents open while it's sunny this week to make sure there's plenty of airflow.

Any tips much appreciated! 

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5 hours ago, Justin said:

Washing up liquid and water and a scraper, I do mine weber every year, same thing

Thanks, Justin - what kind of scraper? The ProQ is ceramic, so don't want to use a wire brush etc - you mean like something you'd de-ice your windscreen with?

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You can scrape and wash it out however it does not matter about mould on the inside walls of the smoker - it will be killed the first time you fire it up. You should just bring the smoker up to a high smoke-roast temperature for about 30 minutes to ensure that any odours from the mold go away. The cooking grates are best cleaned thoroughly though and this can be done with a stiff brush and warm soapy water.

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Yes, I do like to scrape a lot of the grease build up too  as when it goes hard it inhibits the air input leaves on the bottom of the weber.  I do it once a year before the season starts in February, and then baptise again with kebabs. I am rather being on bbq at the moment but have been busy brewing

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4 hours ago, Wade said:

You can scrape and wash it out however it does not matter about mould on the inside walls of the smoker - it will be killed the first time you fire it up. You should just bring the smoker up to a high smoke-roast temperature for about 30 minutes to ensure that any odours from the mold go away. The cooking grates are best cleaned thoroughly though and this can be done with a stiff brush and warm soapy water.

Thanks, Wade, good to know. Just concerned about spores etc lurking inside the smoker, but I put a full load of charcoal in and cranked up the heat for several hours, so am sure will be fine. The grates are not on the smoker - kept them in the kitchen over the winter. 

I still have a load of sand in the water pan - is there any need to replace that with a fresh lot after a long break? (or just skim off top layer?)

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On 3/24/2020 at 3:23 PM, Justin said:

I got it slightly wrong. Britemax Grime Out

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Britemax-Grime-Out-Powerful-Cleaner-Degreaser-US-Gallon-FREE-SAMPLE/262167011860?hash=item3d0a5f2214:g:YeEAAOSwxN5WW09j

Great stuff use it for all sorts.

Cheers n Gone Nick

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On 3/25/2020 at 12:02 PM, sub333 said:

Thanks, Wade, good to know. Just concerned about spores etc lurking inside the smoker, but I put a full load of charcoal in and cranked up the heat for several hours, so am sure will be fine. The grates are not on the smoker - kept them in the kitchen over the winter. 

I still have a load of sand in the water pan - is there any need to replace that with a fresh lot after a long break? (or just skim off top layer?)

As when using a pressure canner, If you get the temperature up to at least 115 C (240 F) and have it remain there for 10-15 minutes the inside of the smoker will be effectively sterile. The reason to take it up higher is purely to "burn" off and of any dead mold material that may leave a taste taint. This will go very quickly though at smoke roasting temperatures. 

It is cheap enough to replace but yes, skim off the top layer if it looks bad.

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