Mould in our Keg

[smokin fool]

So I crack open the Keg this morning to smoke two pork butts and find it full of mold, both grates and the fire bowl.
First time this has happened.
Used it two weeks ago for a batch of ribs. Cleaned it out the next morning and closed all the dampers.
Im going to power wash it and take SOS pads to it.
I’m not to keen on using oven cleaner on it so any advice cleaning appreciated.
I do keep it covered but the cover has seen better days and will be replaced.

[SierraBBQGuy]

I’ve had this happen with my WSM, was advised NOT to power wash, at least at first. Burn a full load of charcoal first, as hot as you can. This will kill any living things there. Then clean up as you wish.

[bbqLuv]

Burn it off first, good advise

[Murdy]

I had this happen a couple times to a gas grill. The mold was yellowish like some of the stuff in your picture. I don't really recall, but I suspect I didn't clean it that well before I put it up. As I recall, I wire brushed it, hosed it, and ran it at full blast for a while.

[Skip]

I tend to agree with SierraBBQGuy. High heat first and then maybe wire brush followed by vacuum or air compressor. Let us know how it works out. Good luck!

[smokin fool]

We went away from using wire brushes on our Q's now in hind sight I think not using the wire brush thing may be part of the problem.
Been using the wooden canoe paddle and balled up tin foil, its just not abrasive enough.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Advice seems pretty good so far.

I will add that it could be a good idea to remove the ash bucket after cooking and store it separately to reduce the odds of mould.

[smokin fool]

Thank you. so far my plan is clean the grates with sos pads and an old nylon scrub brush.
Going to wipe as much mould out of the fire bowl with rags fill her full of Jealous Devil and let it rage all day.
Turns out the top damper was open just a crack, combined with a leaky old cover and some very heavy rains we've had water got in.

[radiodome21]

Now this brings back memories. Two years ago on Thanksgiving morning I went to prep my WSM to smoke our turkey at our new house. We were hosting that year. Open the lid and find there's mold on both grates, and on top of whatever was in the water pan. Luckily I have a gasser as well. I turned that on high and then tossed the grates on there to burn the mol and then used the old brush like normal. I dumped the crap in the water pan down the sewer, put then tossed it on gasser (kind of fit), then used Dawn to clean it. That was it. High heat is your friend. Set me back about an hour or so but football was on, beers were readily available so I didn't mind. Also neglected to mention this to anyone for fear that they would freak out. Turkey turned out great, non one got sick. I had done a pork butt about 6 weeks beforehand, and completely forgot to clean it out afterwards. Now I always clean my WSM after I use to prevent this from happening again.

[Jfrosty27]

Yes this has happened to me with my Orion Cookers. I am very lazy in terms of…. well everything. If not cleaned out well after cook, they grow mold inside pretty easily. As noted above, high heat is the answer which is what the Orion is all about anyway. I just load it up with charcoal and let ‘er rip. Then blast everything with the garden hose afterwards. Brush off the grates and start cooking. The down side is the expense of the extra load of charcoal.

[smokin fool]

Yeah, turns out I had not cleaned it after the last cook but I don't think that's the root of my problem although it did not help this situation.
The cover is shot.
One thing that did cross my mind is we're getting into single digit temps at night and back into very warm days so wondering if condensation is forming during the day and causing this.

[tbob4]

After washing I burn a few charcoals in my Vision so no moisture is left in the Fall - Spring.

[smokin fool]

Got the grates cleaned with SOS pads and a coupla brushes I found....owe the wife a new tooth brush....
Filled it half way with charcoal and lite her up, added the Dewalt leaf blower to fuel the flames let her go all day.
One of the things I found while cleaning is its starting to rot out, we brought it used 5-6 years ago and it was 5-6 years old at that point apparently. Its certainly not done but its on Social Security.
I started one of the pork butts in the slow cooker give this till noon maybe one and toss it on the grate should be sterile by then.

[Skip]

Soooooo smokin fool the Keg is starting to "rot out" . Do you think your Family wants you feeding them off a cooker like that? I wonder if it's safe? All sorts of things come to mind. If you NEED any advice on picking out a NEW COOKER be sure to ask all of your Pit Friends for help. We are here for YOU!!! Lol.

[smokin fool]

Skip yes I get your drift...

My families safety is paramount!!!!
I feel obligated to buy a brand new smoker to ensure they're safety!!!!
Probably another Kamato style smoker so they are not subjected to this treatment again.
Money's no object.
Suggestions are welcome.
Thanks for having my back....



....how'd I do....

[Skip]

smokin fool you did great. Now go practice in front of the mirror a few times, count to 10, and drop the bomb! Good luck.

[Mosca]

Happens on my BGE a lot. I brush it first, then do the high heat burn.

[Johnny Booth]

Very common in Fl. A little moisture with the grime and ash is all it takes. I don’t generally clean right after the cook. Too busy eating... I Get rid of the ash and as much grease etc as I can scrape up. Then burn, then brush and sweep/vac. When it happens to me, it’s time for a complete clean and burn, sometimes followed by re-seasoning, if I get it too clean. 😋

[Mr. Bones]

I suggest wearin a face mask when brushing…

[smokin fool]

Hmm, that would be a prudent thing to do....I don't do prudent....and its not like there's no face masks in the house.
Never even thought of that, I did wear gloves.

[bbqLuv]

I use Traeger Grill cleaner on my Traeger Timberline 850.
Traeger All-Natural BBQ Cleaner & Brush - Bing video

I have used simple green in the past on non-traeger grill, Cheap gasser.
Simple Green Heavy-Duty BBQ & Grill Cleaner Aerosol Product Overview - Bing video
On the stainless steel grates, I have some Easy-Off fume-free. Grates to be cleaned in a bath tube.
So many videos and too little time.
Hope this helps.

Happy cleaning to you and PBR too.

[jfmorris]

smokin fool I get this on my offset if I don't use it for a long time, and leave any residual grease or moisture in there before covering it. The offset has a cover, but cannot be fully closed up, and the cover has seen better days. My solution is to hose it out, scrub it like you plan, then burn a chimney of charcoal in the firebox and on the charcoal tray in the main cooking chamber, and try to get the temp over 350F for an hour. I then let it burn out, clean out the ash, and cover it back up for long term storage.

I opened the offset when trying to decide where to cook a 21 pound brisket recently, and it had not been fired up in more than a year, and I didn't follow my own advice after the last use apparently. There was mold like you show on the expanded metal stainless cooking grate, and in the bottom of the cooker. I'll probably go through a deep clean soon, as its likely the cooker I will use if I decide to do a couple of turkeys for Thanksgiving in November. If I only do one it will be using the Weber rotisserie.

[smokin fool]

Here’s where we are almost 2 hours in.
Not too bad now, I’ve been spraying Pam on the grated in an attempt to reseason them
Bring the temps done now to put on a pork shoulder, try and salvage this cook.
Thank you all for talking me off the ledge, I really appreciate all your input