Refueling- dirty smoke
- Thread starter JoeK-WA
- Start date
Bob Bailey
TVWBB Wizard
Wondering if you're tasting it because that's what you're expecting. Usually, the few minutes of dirty smoke doesn't have any perceptible affect on the final product, although I'm sure some of the cheaper charcoals that produce heavy black smoke when lighting in a chimney may be exceptions. I've never had a problem when adding unlit coals and wood to an existing fire.
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I don’t feel like I get “dirty” smoke when I add but, it’s usually pretty late in a smoke with the 18.
Won’t have that issue today, rack of pork on the kettle with some nice big apple chunks under the coal. I keep changing my mind about sides though. Feta tomato pasta bake or mashed potatoes well, I could just do both. DIL isn’t fond of feta (or goat cheese?) but, has always eaten it when it’s on the table. I think I’ll just do both, she has been working very hard cleaning up great grandmas house. At 97 she took a tumble and was in the hospital for a week now in a rehab facility and will go to assisted living next week. She was pretty spry yesterday when we visited! Sadly, she will not be going home on her own from there.
Won’t have that issue today, rack of pork on the kettle with some nice big apple chunks under the coal. I keep changing my mind about sides though. Feta tomato pasta bake or mashed potatoes well, I could just do both. DIL isn’t fond of feta (or goat cheese?) but, has always eaten it when it’s on the table. I think I’ll just do both, she has been working very hard cleaning up great grandmas house. At 97 she took a tumble and was in the hospital for a week now in a rehab facility and will go to assisted living next week. She was pretty spry yesterday when we visited! Sadly, she will not be going home on her own from there.
Thanks for the replies. Sry about Grandma Tim.
So 1 thing I failed to mention was, when I reloaded and noticed the grey smoke I immediately took off the lid and gave it 5 or 10 minutes to clear out. ( Kingsford blue bag btw).
This is only my 3rd or 4th smoke and I won't give up. I did however give up on my Oklahoma Joe. Wild, uncontrollable temps!
Happy Saturday all.
So 1 thing I failed to mention was, when I reloaded and noticed the grey smoke I immediately took off the lid and gave it 5 or 10 minutes to clear out. ( Kingsford blue bag btw).
This is only my 3rd or 4th smoke and I won't give up. I did however give up on my Oklahoma Joe. Wild, uncontrollable temps!
Happy Saturday all.
Jim C in Denver
TVWBB All-Star
If you want/need the fuel to be lit up fast to maintain/increase temperature, use a chimney. Otherwise, adding unlit is totally fine imo.
Almost all of us cook low/slow using some kind of minion or snake fire. Which means the cooker is LOADED with unlit charcoal and wood fuel. Which unlit fuel gradually lights up (without a chimney) as the cook progresses.
Regardless of what I'm cooking, I always start the cook with a full load of unlit fuel. So I only have to refuel if I'm doing and extremely long cook. Any remaining fuel gets used at the start of the next cook. So no waste.
I find I get the most smoke billows when I light up a big pile of coals all at once that are cold out of the bag. For that, I might use a chimney. Gradual lighting up of warm coals (as with a Minion) -- no problem.
Almost all of us cook low/slow using some kind of minion or snake fire. Which means the cooker is LOADED with unlit charcoal and wood fuel. Which unlit fuel gradually lights up (without a chimney) as the cook progresses.
Regardless of what I'm cooking, I always start the cook with a full load of unlit fuel. So I only have to refuel if I'm doing and extremely long cook. Any remaining fuel gets used at the start of the next cook. So no waste.
I find I get the most smoke billows when I light up a big pile of coals all at once that are cold out of the bag. For that, I might use a chimney. Gradual lighting up of warm coals (as with a Minion) -- no problem.
BFletcher
TVWBB Platinum Member
Welcome here. You say you can taste the dirty smoke, so I'll add that you might consider proving-out that it's coming from adding unlit fuel vs your sensitivity to KBB blue bag in general. I use that same fuel but some folks don't like it for a variety of reasons and I believe @LMichaels cannot tolerate it under any circumstance.
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Thanks Joe,
She was quite feisty yesterday, according to her grandson!
Fletch’s fuel question makes me wonder how you are doing your set up, full ignition, center minion, how much fuel and what temp? I do a cross breed of Harry Soo (smoke wood on the bottom) and Enrico Brandizzi’s “sidewinder” method.
Wood on the bottom, fill the coal ring within an inch of its very life then, set the midsection (no water bowl) open the door and use a blowtorch to start the coal at that point.
As soon as it looks like it’s cooperating, (2-5 minutes with the torch) load it up, and button it up. I don’t chase the 5 degree demon, I figure “Grog” didn’t, why should I? I let things bounce about in the twenty degree pool most often, it’s maddening to try to keep it exactly at a given “perfect” point.
I get it dialed in and let it run. A long smoke, I’ll touch it off about seven or eight PM and go to bed after the smoker settles in. About 06:00 I will look at the remote and if the grate temp is low, a couple of fireplace shovels of K Pro and go back to bed. Or make breakfast and have coffee while watching the stall pass and enjoy a quiet morning on the deck!
That got pretty long winded but, you get the idea, I’m sure.
She was quite feisty yesterday, according to her grandson!
Fletch’s fuel question makes me wonder how you are doing your set up, full ignition, center minion, how much fuel and what temp? I do a cross breed of Harry Soo (smoke wood on the bottom) and Enrico Brandizzi’s “sidewinder” method.
Wood on the bottom, fill the coal ring within an inch of its very life then, set the midsection (no water bowl) open the door and use a blowtorch to start the coal at that point.
As soon as it looks like it’s cooperating, (2-5 minutes with the torch) load it up, and button it up. I don’t chase the 5 degree demon, I figure “Grog” didn’t, why should I? I let things bounce about in the twenty degree pool most often, it’s maddening to try to keep it exactly at a given “perfect” point.
I get it dialed in and let it run. A long smoke, I’ll touch it off about seven or eight PM and go to bed after the smoker settles in. About 06:00 I will look at the remote and if the grate temp is low, a couple of fireplace shovels of K Pro and go back to bed. Or make breakfast and have coffee while watching the stall pass and enjoy a quiet morning on the deck!
That got pretty long winded but, you get the idea, I’m sure.