Sealing the BBQ safely

[Mr Gus]

I got a pile of close woven decent stainless steel mesh a while back & I cannot remember what I used that was food safe to stick it to one of several of my bbq's vents.

It is always cold smoking on this unit to keep things clean & simple, if anyone from st elsewhere happens to remember what I used / can use for the better replacement that crumble off (3 or more winters & summer heat, is acceptable imho) i've got a few kilos of my Tarmite (copyright gus) to put to the smoke-hammer & customers asking for it

Context: food can attract rodents, this stuff has to be smoked outside for nigh on a week which is a lot of time for inquisitive animals, & also keeps insects at bay without blocking the bbq airflow as the wood mix is contained in a separate vessel.

What's cheap & food-safe to stick it to the inside bowl with, have things changed since I last did it? in terms of running a silicone sealant & weighting it till it dries (several bricks weight i'm guessing)


No wish to poison folk.

[AE-NMidlands]

I got a pile of close woven decent stainless steel mesh a while back & I cannot remember what I used that was food safe to stick it to one of several of my bbq's vents.

It is always cold smoking on this unit to keep things clean & simple, if anyone from st elsewhere happens to remember what I used / can use for the better replacement that crumble off (3 or more winters & summer heat, is acceptable imho) i've got a few kilos of my Tarmite (copyright gus) to put to the smoke-hammer & customers asking for it

Context: food can attract rodents, this stuff has to be smoked outside for nigh on a week which is a lot of time for inquisitive animals, & also keeps insects at bay without blocking the bbq airflow as the wood mix is contained in a separate vessel.

What's cheap & food-safe to stick it to the inside bowl with, have things changed since I last did it? in terms of running a silicone sealant & weighting it till it dries (several bricks weight i'm guessing)

No wish to poison folk.

Rivets/self-tapping screws?
They are "clean," you know and can see that the job is done and more importantly you know it's not going to un-cure and let the mesh drop off un-noticed.
A

[Bugtownboy]

Gus, why not make a cube to place the item in, held together with stainless steel wire ? Or have I misunderstood your process.

[Moxi]

Mr Gus,

Self tappers seems the most straight forward as already stated but if you don’t want to put holes in the BBQ the cut two equal sized pieces of mesh about 10mm larger than the hole you want to cover. Place one patch outside and the other inside and using thin stainless wire small enough to pass through the mesh “stitch” the outer to the inner and allow the 10mm edge form a retaining flange that seats the mech and holds it in place.

If the vents are small you could make life easier by stuffing stainless steel scouring pads in the hole and let friction fix it in place.

Moxi

[AE-NMidlands]

Mr Gus,
...cut two equal sized pieces of mesh about 10mm larger than the hole you want to cover. Place one patch outside and the other inside and using thin stainless wire small enough to pass through the mesh “stitch” the outer to the inner and allow the 10mm edge form a retaining flange that seats the mech and holds it in place.
If the vents are small you could make life easier by stuffing stainless steel scouring pads in the hole and let friction fix it in place.
Moxi

I like it. I wonder whether 2 layers will get gummed up more quickly than 1 and prevent it venting sooner though? Ditto stainless pan scourers: how much airflow would you expect through them - driven only by convection?
A

[Mr Gus]

The ash is very fine (cept for a "whoopsies" wind spillage moment) & typically contained in the mesh wire maze (an altogether tighter mesh weave) which in itself is a bugger to clean as burnt residue clogs it.

The BBQ mesh on the other hand is wider, the insides of the bbq lid & body remain clean other than for the occasional wipe over as it is dedicated to cold smoking, the other mesh never clogged (no lockdown use MAY have been part of it)
the BBQ is also stacked with reusable 420g reusable ice blocks so it is a very clean environment in essence.

typically my less than a year old new inkbird bluetooth digital probe set has screwed up when I need it most, so back to basics.

The traditional weber does have a few closure points (aluminium) so I may try & use a removable mesh of flour & water to the inside of the top in case it drips too much cooled smoke tar which is always weather dependent.

The lower & more prone wider gaps can be permanent fix, which I think after some research to use some Everbuild Everflex 565 Clean Room Silicone | Neutral Curing Hygienic Sealant with Mould Shield Anti Bacterial Protection - 295ml - White £5.66 (on amazon) ..shame it is in a big plastic cartridge.

At least if it does ever clog I can take a knife to it, scrubbing mesh in the sink for the smoke maze is a messy PITA by hand, so riveting may end up being my downfall upon reflection.

I have 5 kilo's of marmite to smoke (a lot of stirring to get decent absorption in shallow bowls)