Ash on food in a kettle

[cullenbranson]

^^^^ This......is sort of at odds with this vvvvvv

I took it to just shy of 4-mississippi prior to putting on brats.

thanks for advice. I am going to try cooking a bit hotter and with top vent completely open. Making an effort to only use as much fuel as is needed for small hot fire.

 

[tb80]

Is it possible it is soot from the grill rubbing off on your brats?

 

[1buckie]

I took it to just shy of 4-mississippi prior to putting on brats.

thanks for advice. I am going to try cooking a bit hotter and with top vent completely open. Making an effort to only use as much fuel as is needed for small hot fire.

Give that stuff a try & see how it goes......I could be all wet (or covered in ash) but it seems like it would help.....

Is it possible it is soot from the grill rubbing off on your brats?

Likely not just dropping from the lid, it sounds like an even, very fine coating.....?

 

[cullenbranson]

Give that stuff a try & see how it goes......I could be all wet (or covered in ash) but it seems like it would help.....



Likely not just dropping from the lid, it sounds like an even, very fine coating.....?

Yes, very even fine coating. I should've mentioned I also rubbed my hand on the lid after cooking . . . nothing. No blackness to speak of. Not sure if it's relevant. If it's soot, would it be evident all over the inside?

I'll solve this with you alls help and will take pics next time. Without inviting more "some ash is normal" talk, cause I agree, it bothers me so much to think I may be making dirty fires without knowing and feeding the tainted food to my young'ns. Soot or creosote being my concerns.

Thanks

 

[cullenbranson]

Is there any chance someone bumped the grill. The only times I get ash on the food is when the grill has been moved or bumped.

I suppose anything's possible. Two kiddos and a pup. The pup thinks the kettle is something evil when it's fired up so it doesn't come around.

I assume you use briquettes?

Been reading a bit that some of the bags of Stubbs seem more powdery than others. I think I have to agree. I love the stuff and use it for long cooks too. But I'm almost thinking at this point that it's gets so coated with ash sometimes that it's choking the fire out. Anyone think that's possible? I don't knock 'em clean or anything when I'm grilling.

 

[arclite]

are you sure its ash? Sounds like soot from a dirty fire to me

That's my guess.

 

[cullenbranson]

That's my guess.

I'm obviously in no position to agree or disagree at this point. Knowing the facts as stated in the original post:

1) 2/3 chimney full of newly opened Stubbs. 1/3 full of fairly old Frontier lump
2) Started in the kettle with weber starter cube
3) Dumped on grate when ready and kettle closed up for heating
4) Left to heat about 30+ minutes
5) Cooking grate brushed and food put on

Kettle was pretty clean prior to cook. I removed all the ash n such from previous day's rib cook before lighting the chimney. The kettle itself is pretty well crusted on the inside.

What can I be missing in that process? Only thing I can think is I choked it down when trying to lower the heat. Is that possible? Might be a problem I have.

Thanks

 

[1buckie]

Most cookers of any type will benefit from coming up underneath the cooking temp, rather than any move to squelch it back down from a higher heat.....UDS owners say this, WSM owners say this, most offset owners say this, there may be some type of cookers that need to start up higher (propane smoker?) & then be pinched downward, but as a general rule, you wouldn't want to get too, too much over the heat you want to cook at......

I go a bit higher up when adding large chunks, brisket / butt type things, as the cold mass drops it into the groove anyway............

 

[dadsr4]

I suppose anything's possible. Two kiddos and a pup. The pup thinks the kettle is something evil when it's fired up so it doesn't come around.

I assume you use briquettes?

Been reading a bit that some of the bags of Stubbs seem more powdery than others. I think I have to agree. I love the stuff and use it for long cooks too. But I'm almost thinking at this point that it's gets so coated with ash sometimes that it's choking the fire out. Anyone think that's possible? I don't knock 'em clean or anything when I'm grilling.

I use briquettes. Rereading your post, I realize that ash is usually not black. I never run my kettles without the upper vent wide open, so I could see where incomplete combustion could lead to soot. The only time I see soot in my kettles is when I don't set the lid on tight after shutting down all the vents at the end of a cook, which allows air in, allowing incomplete combustion. When I open them up for the next cook, anything left inside has soot on it.

 

[cullenbranson]

I use briquettes. Rereading your post, I realize that ash is usually not black. I never run my kettles without the upper vent wide open, so I could see where incomplete combustion could lead to soot. The only time I see soot in my kettles is when I don't set the lid on tight after shutting down all the vents at the end of a cook, which allows air in, allowing incomplete combustion. When I open them up for the next cook, anything left inside has soot on it.

Do you completely seal up after cooks? I sometimes do not, with no logic behind it. I have found that my cooking grate is almost always coated with a sticky tar like substance around the perimeter (where it's hard for the brush to reach) as opposed to building up the protective crust like the rest of the inside of the grill. Can this be bad buildup from result of not completing a cook properly? I believe this stuff is melting away during long cooks and landing in the ash catcher too. Never think much of it. But thinking now . . . is this okay? I don't believe it is always from the food. Pics to follow

thanks

 

[northof8]

Ever try cooking with the bottom vent wide open and adjust the top one only? I'd try just using lump and see if you get the same results. Did you get all the briquettes going or were some possibly still black? I would think if they did not get going red hot and the temp dropped, ones with moisture would start smoking.

 

[1buckie]

....

 

[dadsr4]

I have two daisy wheel kettles A: 1979 P: 1993. They've been tossed around by wind storms and are somewhat battered. Sometime the lids don't seal without a little adjusting.
If you wish to try sealing yours a little better, try using binder clips a few places around the lid when shutting down.

 

[1buckie]

Do you completely seal up after cooks? I sometimes do not, with no logic behind it. I have found that my cooking grate is almost always coated with a sticky tar like substance around the perimeter (where it's hard for the brush to reach) as opposed to building up the protective crust like the rest of the inside of the grill. Can this be bad buildup from result of not completing a cook properly? I believe this stuff is melting away during long cooks and landing in the ash catcher too. Never think much of it. But thinking now . . . is this okay? I don't believe it is always from the food. Pics to follow

thanks

Naw, that's this:

....as opposed to this:

 

[dadsr4]

Ever try cooking with the bottom vent wide open and adjust the top one only? I'd try just using lump and see if you get the same results. Did you get all the briquettes going or were some possibly still black? I would think if they did not get going red hot and the temp dropped, ones with moisture would start smoking.

This is more likely to produce soot. The fuel will be getting air, while the exhaust is being choked. The worst mess I've seen is when I forgot to open the top vent. Filthy smoke was coming out around the gap between the lid and the base after being pulled across the meat.

 

[1buckie]

This is more likely to produce soot. The fuel will be getting air, while the exhaust is being choked. The worst mess I've seen is when I forgot to open the top vent. Filthy smoke was coming out around the gap between the lid and the base after being pulled across the meat.

Here it comes !!!!

Actually, this came out just fine.....only smoke I've ever had that looked so bad & was not foul tasting.....wine soaked oak....

 

[cullenbranson]

Naw, that's this:

....as opposed to this:

The plot thickens . . .

I'm assuming you mean the liquid stuff collecting in my ash catcher that I'm thinking is from my cooking grate and melting off during a cook? I guess I've always thought it was fat or something collecting in odd places. But the amount of moisture sometimes retained in the catcher didn't seem to make sense.

Let's assume it's the sludge. I avoid this by making small, hot fires and letting exhaust flow completely freely - by fully opened top vent? And try to not use damp coals?

As I mentioned, I've had this happen a few times. In light of the education on this thread, more times than I'd care to mention.

Who wants to come to Missouri and teach me my favorite toy? I can make some brats.

 

[1buckie]

Yeah, the sludge is fats, oils, marinades, etc. dribbling down into the bottom & quite possibly the ash pan....

The gas, well....I was referring to the airborne stuff that started the question here....


.

 

[cullenbranson]

Yeah, the sludge is fats, oils, marinades, etc. dribbling down into the bottom & quite possibly the ash pan....

The gas, well....I was referring to the airborne stuff that started the question here....

.

Ah, I think I'm caught up. You're guess is that I'm making sludge gas, which is activating the fats n such? Sludgegas=bad, waste activated sludge=by byproduct of something bad? Is that it. Proposed solution the same, make a better fire?

Do you all typically cover your charcoal grate with hot coals, with almost no space between coals? Or are you spreading hot coals a lot thinner? Anyone have a pic of a grilling session setup?

 

[1buckie]

Ah, I think I'm caught up. You're guess is that I'm making sludge gas, which is activating the fats n such? Sludgegas=bad, waste activated sludge=by byproduct of something bad? Is that it. Proposed solution the same, make a better fire?

Do you all typically cover your charcoal grate with hot coals, with almost no space between coals? Or are you spreading hot coals a lot thinner? Anyone have a pic of a grilling session setup?

Sorry, those signs are a bit of a joke thing.....

The picture just above is from tri-tip......fat solids are the little piles in the middle of a pool of marinade & other liquids that dripped off & down into the pan.....


"You're guess is that I'm making sludge gas, which is activating the fats n such? "


No, don't let me joking around cloud the main issue.......most responses here on the original post are saying creosote / fine ash type stuff from a fire that's slightly off.....probably not even too much of an adjustment is needed.....keep it simple & test out top vent open & clean a fire as you can get.....coals mostly all burning, etc.

Almost always, I'll set up to one side so there's a cooler area & a hot area, like so:

Hot burn: