Rock Salt in your Smoker & Grill?

[efincoop]

Like others I have occasionally run into mold in my smoker after periods of inactivity . I suspect it is the result of residual moisture after a cook, and then being closed up & covered. After the last time I ran into the issue, I kept the stack damper open & the fire box vent wide open when I covered it. So far, so good.

Today I decided to clean my Shirley patio model after the Mr. Bones Memorial Rib cook. I would normally start a small fire to dry everything out, but rain is forecast for this afternoon and I wanted to get her covered up before that rain.

That's when I recalled my brother-in-law using buckets of rock salt up at our camp, to battle mold from too much moisture over the winter & early Spring. So I decided to fill a half hotel pan with rock salt and put it on the bottom shelf as a precaution.

Granted, this was a spur of the moment decision, so if any of you can think of a reason why this is not a good idea, I would love to hear from you.

[Alan Brice]

I know moisture is one thing. Salt is quite another. Salt is so corrosive I cannot imagine introducing it to the proximity of any metal I cherish. As soon as the foul weather has passed, just fire that sucka up. I will put the salt on my driveway, it deteriorates the more I use it.

[efincoop]

Good point! Clearly I hadn't considered that. Even though the cooker is thoroughly seasoned, I have to agree. Thank you.

[Mosca]

Try that Quick Dry stuff. It’s unscented cat litter, all it is is absorbent clay.

For my BGE, I prop the lid open about an inch, and leave the bottom vent open (but the screen closed). That works except if I cover it in the winter. But even then it’s better than when it’s buttoned up tight.

[efincoop]

Great suggestion. Thank you!

Edit: I found several tofu based cat litters on Amazon that are odor free, ultra absorbent/fast drying & use activated carbon.

[mrteddyprincess]

"Periods of inactivity..."

One solution is cook more! :-)

[FireMan]

Yup, Mo cookin!

[jfmorris]

All I can think of is that the rock salt is supposed to absorb moisture? I can think of better things to do that though, like a bucket of damp-rid, etc.

I used to have issues too when I didn't clean my offset or kettle good after a cook, and shut it down and covered it due to inclement weather. Next time I would go to cook it would be mold city in there, and a lot of cleaning and burning off would be required. If I cleaned the offset good and then ran a chimney of charcoal in the firebox to dry it out before covering for the winter, it would be in good shape when I uncovered in the spring.

Due to smoking a bit less frequently than I was a few years back, I think I may start changing up how I close down my charcoal cookers after smoking something greasy in them. I think rather than close all the vents right after I pull the butt/brisket/ribs/etc, I am going to open all vents wide open and just let the charcoal get real hot to try and bake/burn off some of the grease and leftover moisture overnight. The next day I can pull the drip pan and any foil I put down, and cover the cooker up. Hoping that reduces cleanup, at the expense of reusing a little leftover charcoal.

The exception might be the kamado, as leftover lump is normally much more usable than is leftover briquettes.

[efincoop]

Good stuff. Thank you. I do let the stick burner finish burning whatever is left, but maybe I should load it up and get her hot as you describe. Then clean her out the next day.

mrteddyprincess and FireMan the offset gets much more use in the nicer weather, but maybe only a few times over the course of the Winter. Apparently I'm at that age where tending a stick burner during the Winter is more of a PITA than I'm up for, so I only fire it up after I forget what that last cook was like!

[JimLinebarger]

I've used desiccant in my PBC and Weber. Seems to help. This is what I use. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[HawkerXP]

Food grade desiccant, who woulda thunk.

[efincoop]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to figure out if this more economical than that Tofu cat litter.

[JimLinebarger]

They are reusable. Just put them in the microwave or oven to dry out.