Science project mold in my kamado

[cjv140]

Hey kids, I need a little help here. 3rd time using my Louisiana Grills blue kamado from Costco. I'm getting the vent thing down, creeping up on the heat, using lump, praying to the fire gods, etc. This is the second time I've opened it up for the day's brisket and the grate and plate setter were covered in creepy, hairy, scary mold. So out with the brillo pad and some water, I scrubbed everything clean. Vacuumed the ash, mixed the old coals with new, and we are back in business.

If the boss sees that she is gonna lose her mind, so what am I doing wrong? I figured that the ceramic holds so much moisture that I covered it up too soon the first time. After the second cook I snuffed the fire for a couple hours, the opened the lid overnight before I closed and covered the grill.

What gives? I assume I have to let it dry out even more and I'm gonna blast it on high after this cook. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Mosca]

You probably didn't clean all the mold. Give it a nuclear burn.

ETA This is common in kamados, especially at the beginning of the season. Do not take a wire brush or chemical cleaner to the walls of your unit. Load it up, open the vents, and BURN.

Also, I don't cover my BGE during the season, only over the winter. Covering it builds up humidity overnight, which then heats up during the day.

[texastweeter]

I agree, burn the hell out of it.

[Jon Liebers]

also go supernova burn, that's really all there is to it. maybe change your lump entirely.

[Oak Smoke]

I’ve cooked on kamados for several years and I agree on the burn out method. That being said watch your temps during the burn. Kamado Joe finally sent me a note asking that I keep the burn outs to below 700 F. All three times I’ve used my warranty were after burn outs. The first time I let the dome temp gauge peg out I could hear the top cracking. So yes burn it out, but with some restraint.

[Polarbear777]

Mold loves moisture and grease..whatever you can do to burn all that out or remove it before letting it sit the better. I don't have experience with ceramic, but any cooker can have this problem.

Also, when i have this happen, I burn off the mold next time before cleaning it out ( I use a propane torch), because I don't want to breathe it while it's still alive.

[cjv140]

I realize that it can hide on the firebox walls, or anywhere for that matter. I will blaze forth tonight and hope for the best.

[Mosca]

Put the grate and the diffuser in there too.

[cjv140]

I planned on that, especially the plate setter. It was the worst, like a large, stone Petri dish

[pjlstrat]

I have a primo and do not cover it, but it is on casters so I store indoors

i have never had mold issues but I clean by loading and letting it rip up to 600-700

[LA Pork Butt]

I cook on a BGE and have never had anything like hairy mold. I have had som greenish looking mold from lack of use. I don’t cover and shut down after a cook.

[Jon Liebers]

I also use BGE but I do shut it down right after a cook and keep it covered (usually) when not in use. In 5 years have never ever had any mold. Even when I forgot to remove a drip pan for three weeks.

[SmokeyGator]

I don’t get mold. Not that I notice anyway. This is South Florida, the Primo stays outdoors, and it’s wet steamy season.

I do clean the grates though. Give em a once over with the wire brush after cooking then open the vents up for a high temp finish. I let the lid temp get to 500 or so then wait for the smoke to stop. When it does I choke off the fire and let it cool. With the plates in place once the lid thermometer reads 500 those stones are HOT. Just keep the temp there for 30 minutes or so then close the vents and don’t open the lid until the dome is cool to the touch, unless you want to burn off eyebrows.

[cjv140]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I'm outside of Chicago and these days it seems to rain every stinkin' day here. The porcelain is spider webbed (i forgot what they call it) and I'm pretty sure not covering it will somehow rust or corrode the daisy wheel. I brought it up to 800, or so it said on the dome thermo, and everything in there is flaky and black. I'm going to stir the coals and vacuum the ash in the morning, then leave the dome open all day. Seems like overkill, but I've had enough of the penicillin farm!

[LA Pork Butt]

If what you call spiderwebbed are hairline cracks on your Primo it may be under warranty. It makes me wonder if moisture could be absorbed through the spiderwebbed cracks.

[fttank]

I was unable to use my Primo XL for almost a year during house construction and my first cook was delayed by massive mold. Loaded it up with charcoal fired it up with vents wide open. Incinerated those critters at 700 degrees for a couple hours. Clean as a whistle.

[Spinaker]

I live in the Twin Cities, so we have pretty similar weather as you. Hot and Humid in the summer....

I like to close all the dampers on my kamados and then let the fire snuff out. After the fire is out, I will shake the Kick Ash Basket, then I vacuum the ash out of the kamado. Add the basket back to the Firebowl.

I keep my vents wide open, both top and bottom. Then I throw my cover on. I don't have any problems after I started doing this method.

[smokin fool]

Agreed on leaving the vents open while covered.
After our cooks we open the dampers and let her rip to burn everything off.
Mind you the fire bowl in my Keg is metal not ceramic.
Not saying metal won't mould but not as easily as ceramic....so far.

[cjv140]

I'll definitely try leaving the vents open. Air flow might be my issue.

[Spinaker]

I had some mold issues with my Keg, but ever since I started leaving the vents open, I never have an issue. smokin fool

[jfmorris]

I've seen mold in my offset after long periods of no use if I didn't clean it well and burn it dry for storage, but never my kettle or kamado - until yesterday.

I last used the SNS Kamado on July 14th, for a brisket. And while I did remove the drip pan after that cook, before covering, and hit the grate with a brush, I think that's all I did. I opened it yesterday afternoon to tons of green fuzzy mold on the cooking grates, upper charcoal grate, gasket, deflector and firebox! YUCK! It had been covered, but it's been like crazy rainy and stormy here this summer, so I guess moisture or humidity got in there and caused mold to do its thing.

Most of it wiped off with paper towels, and I blasted all the cooking grates with the hose and a wire brush. I didn't want to wet the ceramics though, as I understand that can cause problems. So I got the pile of mold covered lump burning with 3 starters, and put everything back in there, including the diffuser, and burned off all the lump with the vents wide open. It looks good this morning, no signs of mold. Now to keep it from happening again...

I have had some leaking in the gaskets and think that could be part of the issue. I had recently noticed that it doesn't kill the coals as well as it used to when I shut down the vents after a cook, and found on inspection some gasket issues - initially with the bottom sliding vent gasket. I blame that on my use of a BBQ Guru adapter that crams into the slot the vent rides in.

I reached out to SNS Grills but they tell me the gaskets on the kamado are not covered by the warranty, and I will have to buy all new ones - I need them for the top vent, bottom vent, and it looks like shrinkage on the lid/body gaskets has opened up a gap that leaks smoke, where the joint in the gasket is at the back of the kamado. That concerns me less than the worn out felt material in the bottom vent, or the falling off gasket where the top vent snaps on.

[STEbbq]

I spent a while considering new gasket for my Akorn when I first acquired it. I thought this site was pretty good.

https://bbqgaskets.com/kits-by-brand.html

In the end, the pinch trick seemed to solve the issues for me. Just pinch the gasket to fluff it up? If not, maybe the above can help.

[jfmorris]

STEbbq yeah - that website is where SNS Grills suggested I look for top and bottom gasket material. They only sold the gasket material for the body and lid...

[Mosca]

My experience is that the more black stuff that builds up in there, the more mold you get. I didn’t get any at all the first season of my new base and lid.


This is how I keep my BGE when I’m not using it; I prop the lid, and keep the bottom vent open. If I just open the bottom vent, the gasket gets moldy; if I just prop the lid, the insides get moldy. In mid summer, when it gets hot and humid, it only takes about a week; so if I spend a week cooking on the griddle and the kettle then I got a BGE project right when I’m prepping a low and slow cook, which is bullshirt. I was worried about getting wasps and bees in there, but apparently they don’t like that environment.

[Henrik]

Like others have said: burn it out! Don’t use water in your kamado, just open the vents after your cook is done and it will clean itself out. Some people leave charcoal in the smoker for the next cook, but charcoal binds moisture, so I’d rather save myself that trouble and just let it rip when my cook’s done. Less ash to clean out also.

Also, I had my BGE for 7 years and always left it with both vents fully open, plus the lid 1-2” open with a small split. No rain cover or nothing. Worked out very well.

[FireMan]

I somehow missed this post, don’t know why, especially with a championship title like it has. Got me thinkin though. I gotta a couple cookers I haven’t used in many moons. Goin to check out if’n I find any school science stuff in em. Yup