Black specks falling from the lid and sides onto my food.


 
D

Don W (Houston)

TVWBB Member
Gentlemen,

This is my first post to this forum. I smoked 2 briskets yesterday and noticed that the black specs that are on the lid and sides of my smoker were falling onto the meat. Is this okay and what are they. Should I scrape them off the smoker before i use it.

Thanks
 
Don W (Houston) said:
Gentlemen,

This is my first post to this forum. I smoked 2 briskets yesterday and noticed that the black specs that are on the lid and sides of my smoker were falling onto the meat. Is this okay and what are they. Should I scrape them off the smoker before i use it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Its the accumulation of grease and smoke that gets heated and burned off the lid in the cooking/smoking process. You can brush it off the lids in between smokes with a stiff nylon brush to keep it down and from falling in your food.I`m not sure if any metal ones wouldn't damage finish. I really dont think it would hurt you eating it but really could put some bitter taste in the food.
I have noticed it more on my Weber Kettle than my WSM so far but time will tell.
 
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Do you use water in your water pan? I stopped using water in the pan . No more flakes from the top or side. Granted you'll get some gunk build up over time but not so that it will fall on your food. All else fails just scrape the stuff off before each cook
 
Paul is right about the water pan and Chris will probably chime in as well. If you use water in the pan, the moisture will accumulate with the smoke on the inside of the lid and then when it dries it will be flaky

If you have never done it before, try the clay saucer in the pan instead of the water. I always used water in other smokers I had until I got the WSM and found this site. The saucer works great. Alot of people still use the water for certain foods or desired temps so you will have to experiment, but it gives you another option
 
I am a firm believer that water is the last thing you should put in the water pan. A clay saucer , Sand or even stone chips work much better as a heat sink. And since the water doesn't add moisture to the meat as once was thought , why take the chance of spilling it on your coals?
 
thats why i keep my lids reasonably clean. its a lot easier to clean after one or two cooks as opposed to letting it build up and then having to really go at it to get it clean.
and no, that build up adds nothing to the cook or meat.
 
paul h said:
Do you use water in your water pan? I stopped using water in the pan . No more flakes from the top or side. Granted you'll get some gunk build up over time but not so that it will fall on your food.
Click to expand...

Generally, yes, but a full cooker can result in a lot of rusty residue as well, even with an empty pan. I catered an event several months back and was amazed at the rusty build up from two full racks worth of buttermilk brined leg quarters. Thankfully, it's not a problem to just check the dome and "hit the high spots" between cooks to be on the safe side, and like the water pan, it doesn't have to be clean enough to eat out of.
 
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