Jump to content

BGE / Kamodo, managing smoke, avoiding creosote?

Rate this topic


Recommended Posts

10 hours ago, DerrickT said:

I just went pellet, pit boss pro series.  I'll never go back.

Not the first time Ive heard this.

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.”

 

Ayn Rand

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/9/2021 at 1:22 PM, Midnightpass said:

I agree... I use no more than a couple of golf/tennis  ball sized pieces only at the start, even on a 24hr cook.. I wait for the smoke to turn blue before inserting the food product.. I'll also ramp up to a hot fire after a low-n-slow, to burn off any crap inside the kamado...

Butch

 

Thanks Butch,

I just did a hot burn off.

Wow, no more the 5’4 small chunks for 24 hour smoke. Do you wind up w/ decent smok flavor & a good smoke ring?

I know (learned the hard way), subtle is better, but still crave a bit of smoke w/ out that bitter creosote taste.

JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, jjdbike said:

Thanks Butch,

I just did a hot burn off.

Wow, no more the 5’4 small chunks for 24 hour smoke. Do you wind up w/ decent smok flavor & a good smoke ring?

I know (learned the hard way), subtle is better, but still crave a bit of smoke w/ out that bitter creosote taste.

JD

To be fair, I think I would get plenty of smoke (Flavor and ring) with no added wood at all on a long cook.... Just a good, decent charcoal... I think the added wood comes in to affect (effect?) on a more moderate cook like ribs, a roast or a whole turkey or chicken... But I do add the chunks anyway, on the longer cooks... Can't hurt, right?.... But I will wait for that blue smoke, and won't add  any extra during the cook... Be careful on those hot burn offs... Years a go, on an old Imperial Kamado, I had one get away from me and the heat cracked the lid on the kamado.. It wasn't made to go to the temps, that the newer kamados can go, though... My newer Kamado brand smokers, I've had up to over 900 degrees, to no ill effects (I think I got the effects/affects thing right here :headscratch:)... Good luck Jim...

Butch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 5/9/2021 at 10:36 PM, DerrickT said:

I just went pellet, pit boss pro series.  I'll never go back.

 

On 5/10/2021 at 8:45 AM, Little said:

Not the first time Ive heard this.

 

On 5/10/2021 at 10:16 AM, Midnightpass said:

Ahhh... The Lazy-Q....;)...

Butch

When we make the cross country move, the egg that I've nursed along as it breaks down is not coming with us. 

I may wind up with a pellet and a kettle. 

JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 mins ago, jjdbike said:

 

 

When we make the cross country move, the egg that I've nursed along as it breaks down is not coming with us. 

I may wind up with a pellet and a kettle. 

JD

WHAAAAATTTT?

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.”

 

Ayn Rand

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/26/2021 at 10:10 AM, JimW said:

Exhaust vent fully open.  Always 
Dry wood.  Bone dry

Hotter smaller fire. 
 

You should notice that you have a lot of billowing white smoke when you initially fire it up. That’s unburned stuff vaporized that will condense on cool surfaces like your meat or lid.  Smoke becomes thin blue nearly invisible once things are hot.  Might take an hour on my wsm. The more a fire is smothered with insufficient air flow the more creosote is produced.  I don’t know if you can run a smoker to produce zero creosote but you can try to minimize it.  Smoke is kind of less is more situation

 

On 4/26/2021 at 6:27 PM, Surf bomber said:

When using your bbq/smoker always leave the top vents open and damper from the bottom let out the smoke and chemicals per meathead from Amazin ribs .com ....try not to burn wood with bark on it it may give a bitter taste ....quality of wood is critical.....I find the metal smoke boxes for gas grills give food a bitter taste ....burnt aluminum foil will also give food a bitter taste ....as for the haters of real bbq check your grease filled gas grill and then burn off the grease about an hour if your lucky ...the beverage to drink when eating bbq or gas grilled food is wine not beer ...has to do with bacteria ,look it up I can’t explain it ....but the wine is warm ....frozen peach sections or frozen pineapple chunks in the wine glass will take care of the warm ness ...I wouldn’t do that tho expensive wine but basic wine works well.....LOL LOL LOL 

 

On 4/27/2021 at 1:42 PM, JimW said:

To be honest I forgot you mentioned egg and I’ve never used one.  The advice is ok for Weber I think but ymmv.  It should still be true that more air flow will help with creosote 

 

On 4/28/2021 at 7:58 AM, Little said:

Yep doesnt work for eggs.  

 

There is little airflow in an egg, and the fire stays small and hot all by itself-even in a big pile of charcoal, the fire will burn small.

 

I use wood chips OR the very smallest chunks of wood out of the bag 0f chunks.  Very little wood needed in a kamado.

 

On 4/28/2021 at 11:22 PM, rathrbefishn said:

Creosote is a product of incomplete combustion so if that is your problem, increasing air flow may help solve. If the charcoal is damp, I could see that also not burning completely  I don't have a BGE, but if you have any kind of buildup inside your smoker, I'd clean it out, fire it up to a high temp to burn off any residues and start with a clean slate. 

 

On 5/9/2021 at 1:22 PM, Midnightpass said:

I agree... I use no more than a couple of golf/tennis  ball sized pieces only at the start, even on a 24hr cook.. I wait for the smoke to turn blue before inserting the food product.. I'll also ramp up to a hot fire after a low-n-slow, to burn off any crap inside the kamado...

Butch

 

I wanted to revisit this.

I read everyone's input. I also watched the "Master Class" by Aaron Franklin on managing the fire.

After I remove my food from the grill, I open top and bottom wide open to crank up heat and burn off residue. Then I scrape out build up coating from inside of egg w/ wire brush and sweep out all ash. Watching Aaron's class helped me to recognize what my smoke should look like. Now I wait till smoke is clear - blue. I also do not add any wood while food is on. Turns out that was a major cause of creosote. Another major cause of dirty smoke is if I let the fire - egg get to hot and have to choke back the fire by closing off vents. The smoke immediately gets more dirty. By paying reply close attention to my "Flame Boss" and the dome thermometer, I've noticed that choking the bottom vent and opening the top raises the grill level temp but lowers the dome temp. Conversely, choking the top vent and opening the bottom raises the dome temp more than the grill level temp. 

After all of this, I've got it down. Good clean bark & smoke ring, w/out that nasty creosote taste. Definitely more subtle but way better. Wife no longer says she doesn't like smoked foods. 

Thanks everyone.

JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 min ago, Little said:

WHAAAAATTTT?

But then again, maybe not:)

After watching Aaron Franklin, an offset smoker sure would be fun. I do enjoy the versatility of my Egg, especially now that I really learning how to use it & manage heat and smoke.

I've got to say, over the years you have offered some really great advice, for which I am very appreciative. I am sure I am not alone in this. 

Thanks again!

JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 mins ago, jjdbike said:

But then again, maybe not:)

After watching Aaron Franklin, an offset smoker sure would be fun. I do enjoy the versatility of my Egg, especially now that I really learning how to use it & manage heat and smoke.

I've got to say, over the years you have offered some really great advice, for which I am very appreciative. I am sure I am not alone in this. 

Thanks again!

JD

Welcome.  I had a green egg from the original store in Decatur GA in 1990.  Back then they were made of clay.  The day Bob B and I had a truck at my house, moving me out from my first wife, we broke it.

Move it for me, prove it can be done.

“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.”

 

Ayn Rand

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 mins ago, Little said:

Welcome.  I had a green egg from the original store in Decatur GA in 1990.  Back then they were made of clay.  The day Bob B and I had a truck at my house, moving me out from my first wife, we broke it.

Move it for me, prove it can be done.

This generic has served me for probably 10 years. I've got my money's worth. I've been replacing parts and nursing it along. Moving this heavy, fragile, sub-prime piece is simply not worth it. 

JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Little said:

WHAAAAATTTT?

 

25 mins ago, Midnightpass said:

Say it ain't so Jim... Not a pellet pooper... ;)  ....

Butch

I know, it kind of looks & feels like cheating doesn’t it.

I wonder how the finished product compares to a real fire? A buddy has the ability to hot or cold smoke w/ his. That would be pretty cool for cheeses, fish etc.

JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 mins ago, jjdbike said:

 

I know, it kind of looks & feels like cheating doesn’t it.

I wonder how the finished product compares to a real fire? A buddy has the ability to hot or cold smoke w/ his. That would be pretty cool for cheeses, fish etc.

JD

It is tough to cold smoke in the kamado style because of the great insulation... You either have to cool down the heat source with ice or generate the smoke outside of the kamado... I'm just busting your chops Jim... I do understand the ease of use with the pellets is a great attraction...

Butch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to register here in order to participate.

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...