British BBQ Society Forums

When I have my WSM cover on, should the vents be closed or open?
My thinking is should air be able to circulate inside the bbq.
Cheers Dennis

Its a good question, I ave tried both methods and I still seem to get a mold growth on the inside. So what I do now is clean my bbq out at the end of the season. I then take some veg oil and give a very light rub on the inside of the smoker. This prevents any sort of rust build up and mold. Works a treat, the first smoke, i get the smoker ready without the water pan and let the smoker run up to about 350 for about 10 mins to make sure all the residual oil has been burnt off.

The other option is just to smoke every weekend!

I smoke usually every couple of months, sometimes more often - and more often in winter than summer, strangely. I have never had mould growth in my smokers, but I have found snails in them when they've been left a long time! I keep em well seasoned, and if it's not been used for a while I light a hot fire in it to "bbq-sterilise" it. The cooking grates, because they don't fit in my sink, get put over a hot fire and scrubbed with a wire brush, then oiled afterwards.