Moldy smoking wood--toss or burn???

UPinSMOKE · April 2010

I keep about 5 different types of woods for smoking...all are kept in their original plastic bags in a large Rubber Maid type container on my deck that also holds my electric starter, extension cord, lump, glove, grill grabber, etc.

I noticed today that the mesquite wood chunks are all covered by a light green mold. None of the other wood has this, either the chunk style or chip style.

My question is this...should I ignore it and just toss it on the lump a few minutes earlier than I would normally to burn off the mold or should I just burn it up in our BGE chiminea the next time we fire it up? Or would it be best to just toss it in the "ditch that eats everything' deep in my backyard?

Thanks in advance for the great collective wisdom present on this site!

Cheers!

Pat
Buford, GA

Slotmercenary · April 2010

Lay it out in the sun and dry it out then use it.

thebtls · April 2010

Very few forms of mold are toxic. But some are...inhale???? Tough call.

The Naked Whiz · April 2010

I'd toss it. Mold spores are not necessarily destroyed at the temperatures inside your cooker. If you or your family do not tolerate mold spores, it might cause a problem. Also, if the wood is spalted, I wouldn't use it.

You might want to go search the Kamado forum for mold discussions. There was some discussion there after Kamado started selling their moldy charcoal. FWIW....

UPinSMOKE · April 2010

Thanks to everyone who answered me on this subject. A few days of warm sun didn't dent the mold one bit so I just tossed it. Just picking up a piece of the wood dislodged the spores and you could see them floating around in the calm air....so to be safe, they won't be used for cooking.

Again, thanks to all!

Cheers!

Pat

Moldy smoking wood--toss or burn???

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