Help-mold in the WSM

Papa Don

Papa Don

is one Smokin' Farker
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I had a cook back a few months ago and my back was bad. I cooked with the water in the water bowl!!

So, our Thanksgiving is tomorrow, Saturday, and I knew it would be bad…well. The grates were all moldy and the water bowl was rancid. I scraped the grates and put both grates and the bowl in the dish washer on the pots and pans setting with two cleaning soapy tabs. I then went out and wiped down with a wet rag the the inner surfaces. I then sprayed vinegar on all the surfaces, inside and out. Then I dumped a bunch of lump charcoal and a bunch of pecan wood in the WSM. I lit it and opened all the dampers. I’m letting it go all night. This adds an additional step for me tomorrow but my fault. Not loving my system. I’m feeling like I should have just invested in another 26” kettle (mine is old and rusty) with a Slow-n-Sear, I have a smokenator.


Last years turkey. It might look like this tomorrow if I don’t trust the elimination mold method I did.
 
Last edited:
You did the right thing. It will be good as new tomorrow.

I had mold on the walls in one of my WSM’s and I burned it out with a full load of unlit charcoal and a lit chimney of charcoal on top. Dry water pan in, grates in, lid on, and all vents wide open. It parked itself around 475°-500°f range for hours. When I opened it up the next day the inside looked brand new and all of the mold was gone and all of the “seasoning” (aka gook) was reduced to charred black dust in the pan and in the ashes.
 
I left the cover off for a week and came back to rusty bottom charcoal grate an a bottom full of water.
 
Grates and bowl finished one cycle of dishwasher. The bowl was spotless and the grates still had to be wiped off which I did.
Running another 2.5 hour cycle.
 
Papa Don said:
I left the cover off for a week and came back to rusty bottom charcoal grate an a bottom full of water.
Click to expand...
If you cant keep it covered under something with the lid off then I would disassemble it until the next use. A rusty charcoal grate wont hurt but you could always keep the grates in the house.
 
Do you need a Factory cove for your WSM 22? have one, never opened / used. It does not fit with the lid Hinge I installed.
I always keep my vents cracked when not in use. Also before I cook I spray the grates with cooking spray to make clean up easier; same with bottom of water pan.
PM me if you are interested in the cover.
 
Papa Don said:
I left the cover off for a week and came back to rusty bottom charcoal grate an a bottom full of water.
Click to expand...


I took a drill bit to the exact bottom of my WSM and put in a water hole after a bad storm left me with water in mine a decade or so ago.


Haven't had a problem with water since, and no rust around the hole either.


And no, it does not affect airflow/performance, still locks in temps like always.
 
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