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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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12-01-2012, 09:40 PM | #1 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 08-29-11
Location: Lincoln, NE
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Stickburners, please advise: Soot on food NOT creosote
I've been stickburning for quite a while now, and I am still baffled by one element, soot. I burn only seasoned wood, I preheat it first, I have tried wood from different sources and I always get soot on my food. The fire burns clean, there is only TBS or clear vapor coming from my exhaust (which is wide open), but my food still gets soot.
So you know I LOVE to stickburn. I love the whole process and the flavor you get, I don't want to give it up. I want to get either a Yoder or Jambo at some point, but I want to make sure my problem is solved before I seriously consider dropping several grand on a cooker and still be dealing with a poor product. If that happens, just wasted my money and my time. I wish I could "test drive" a smoker for a few weeks before you buy it, but that's not an option. And some of them cost what a car costs, so you are buying it blindly unless you know someone with one. All I am asking for is help/advice on why I am getting soot. Is it just bad luck with bad wood? (not likely since I have used three different sources) Is it my cooker? (Maybe because it's a cheaper offset, but still a well built and designed cooker, see signature). Is it squirrels? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
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Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller |
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12-01-2012, 09:47 PM | #2 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 11-14-11
Location: San Antonio, Tx
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Pics?
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12-01-2012, 09:52 PM | #3 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 08-29-11
Location: Lincoln, NE
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Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller |
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12-01-2012, 09:54 PM | #4 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-23-10
Location: Qualicum beach B.C. Canada
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I also run a huge stick burner, had that problem, and found that the soot so to speak I had was , abit of a grease fire, I tipped the front of the smoker down and kept the drain wide open, I'm lazy and cook on mine commercially 7 days a week but take the time to scrape and clean the inside at least once a week so far the soot problem has been cured , altho some woods and were they are harvested, produce greasey, creosote, no matter what kind of hardwood they are, try switching wood supplier and keep it relatively clean, Hopefully Ive helped, also bring it above temp before adding your product, then back it down, this will do a number things most important it will char left overs and sterilize your grates
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Lonestar walk on pit |
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12-01-2012, 10:03 PM | #5 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 08-13-03
Location: Clearwater, FL
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I haven't had a soot problem but occassionally would get some ash when I'd "bump" the fire basket to shake the coal bed. Never had complaints but I would notice. I'd guess there something in your "process" leading to the problem so use the scientific method...only change one thing at a time!! Good luck.
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Dave Southern Brethren BBQ Competition Team "It's all about getting paid!" - Myron Mixon "I love being hated in my hometown!" - David Hair KingFisher Gator Rotisserie cooker (RIP), WSM (RIP), Stainless 5 burner with IR gas grill (RIP), Turkey Fryer, Weber JD Commemorative grill (RIP), Masterbuilt 40" insulated ELECTRIC smoker (new heating element), Pit Boss Tailgater pellet pooper. |
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12-01-2012, 10:08 PM | #6 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 10-16-10
Location: Culver City, CA
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Is the cooking chamber relatively clean? I normally hit mine with a damp rag then a dry one after a cook. Once in a while I get after it with one of those yellow Scotch sponge thingees.
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50" Klose BYC, Spitjack XB85, 22.5 WSM, Backwoods Chubby, UDS, WRK, 26" & 22.5" Weber Kettles, Jumbo Joe, WGA, WSJ/MUDS, Kanka Grill, a piece of expanded metal I throw over the fire pit sometimes, Stealthy Black & Vol Orange Thermapens Displaced East Tennesseean Proud recipient of a Tick Former outlaw MOINK baller, now IMBAS Certified, but still lookin' over my shoulder. "Relax, it's only BBQ." - Bigmista, 2013 "Don't worry about playing a lot of notes. Just find one pretty one." - Miles Davis Avatar by my son! WTFWGALD? |
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12-01-2012, 10:19 PM | #7 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 08-13-03
Location: Clearwater, FL
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Good point. I pressure wash the chamber now and then and I have noticed that if I go too long the humidity from the meat and such will allow some condensation to drip on the meat. You don't want to clean off the seasoning but a clean cooker is, well, a clean cooker!!
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Dave Southern Brethren BBQ Competition Team "It's all about getting paid!" - Myron Mixon "I love being hated in my hometown!" - David Hair KingFisher Gator Rotisserie cooker (RIP), WSM (RIP), Stainless 5 burner with IR gas grill (RIP), Turkey Fryer, Weber JD Commemorative grill (RIP), Masterbuilt 40" insulated ELECTRIC smoker (new heating element), Pit Boss Tailgater pellet pooper. |
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12-01-2012, 10:27 PM | #8 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-23-10
Location: Qualicum beach B.C. Canada
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I have hot pressure washed mine in the past but found I made more of a mess to clean up a good 3 to 4 inch putty knife, to scrape the walls and a good wire brush works for me just scrape brush and push all the garbage thru your drain into a bucket and feed it to the compost pile can't get much greener than that
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Lonestar walk on pit |
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12-01-2012, 10:34 PM | #9 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 08-29-11
Location: Lincoln, NE
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I do keep it pretty clean. I've seen some cookers that are much dirtier than mine turn out food that was perfect mahogany in color with no soot.
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Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller |
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12-01-2012, 10:46 PM | #10 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-23-10
Location: Qualicum beach B.C. Canada
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One does not want to take away too much of the flavor of the cookers past cooks by cleaning it too much . I.E. we had a vegan buy corn bread offin us that wanted her money back cause she thru it away after tasting residual meat flavor cau
because we cooked it in a cast iron pan on the smoker, that had meat in it, had to tell her that there was 3 acres of lawn out front if she wanted to graze
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Lonestar walk on pit Last edited by RICK Allen; 12-01-2012 at 10:47 PM.. Reason: spelling |
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12-01-2012, 10:50 PM | #11 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 08-29-11
Location: Lincoln, NE
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By clean I mean there is no loose "junk" or congealed fat or anything like that. It is still seasoned, but it is wiped out.
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Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller |
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12-02-2012, 12:16 AM | #12 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 02-05-09
Location: Seattle, WA
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I'm just guessing, not knowing anything about the topology of your cooker. But my guess is that you are getting moisture dripping onto your food, carrying residue from the top of your smoker which generally includes some very light ash which has drifted in from the fire.
On my most recent horizontal offset build, that's why I used a round tank, so the moisture would run down the sides past the food, not drip onto the food. Also, you may have some kind of turbulence carrying light wood ash in from the firebox. Do you clean out ashes after every cook? I myself personally was taught to scrape out the heavy and then pressure wash the inside of my cooker after every single cook. My cooker smells sweet and I heavily doubt I'm missing any flavor by cleaning off big gobs of grease. Rancid grease doesn't smell good and it for sure doesn't taste good. The pressure washing leaves a very fine film and doesn't remove seasoning. My racks are shiny black and so is the entire inside of my cooker. No mold after winter, either. My cooker has a 2" drain pipe with ball valve, and another 2" cleanout pipe with ball valve. Those 2" ball valves are very pricey if you buy new. So scrounge. seattlepitboss |
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12-02-2012, 07:35 AM | #13 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 05-03-07
Location: New Baltimore, Mi.
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What do you consider "soot"?
If your meat has a black film on it, its your fire.
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Owner of Bubba's BBQ & Catering L.L.C. Beer Snob I cook the #bestbrisketnorthoftexas. Get over it. #detroitporkmafia BBQ Person of the Year 2013 |
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12-02-2012, 09:17 AM | #14 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 12-03-08
Location: Pearl River LA
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When I built my first UDS, I never seasoned the inside before cooking in it. For the first few cooks I noticed that I would get spots where sooty condensate had dripped from the lid onto the food. This went away as the inside became seasoned from use.
I think that when you have a high moisture environment inside a cooker that some condensate is going to drip on the meat no matter what. A cured seasoned surface will prefent that dripping water from taking anything with it when it drops. |
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12-02-2012, 09:31 AM | #15 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 08-29-11
Location: Lincoln, NE
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I've had black "gunk" drip from the top of my cooker before, it's not that. It's a fine black powder.
The food isn't covered with it, but it looks like it was "lightly seasoned" with it.
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Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller Last edited by nucornhusker; 12-02-2012 at 09:52 AM.. |
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