Ash getting stirred up


 
J

J. Wilson

TVWBB Fan
So I've been grilling with charcoal for about 5 years now.....and just noticed recently that when I flp the meat....ash is shooting up.

I'm trying to be careful but it keeps happening....what am I doing wrong? Maybe I just didn't notice this before?

I've used 3 different brands of charcoal and it keeps happening.....
 
If you lift the lid quickly straight up it will suck up the ash from the bottom of the kettle. Try lifting a bit and going sideways.
 
if you keep whatever your cooking with emptied before each cook, it doesnt seem so bad. I do notice a lot less ash with lump. understand your frustration though.
 
I have noticed it occasionally if it's windy outside and I think a breeze has come through the lower grates. You might consider closing those before taking off the lid when flipping or checking on your cook to see if that helps. Of course, I would have to remember to open up those lower grates afterward! :wsm:
 
If the ash doesn't fly up when you flip a steak, it's not thick enough. I'm pretty sure it's in the rule book somewhere.
 
I've never noticed this happening myself. It is pretty windy on a consistent basis where I live and I regularly experience the ash flying up from the wind coming through the bottom vents but never have experienced your problem. You must be cooking some large cuts of meat for it to suck the ash up like that.
 
Try closing your bottom vents just before you pull off the lid. The influx of air will offset closing the vent but reduce the chimney effect which is drawing your ash. Open the vent as soon as you put the lid back. Should help.
 
That not ash you guys are seeing its flavor enhancers :cool:

I see it all of the time but I don't really worry about it too much, its not a whole lot of ash and figure its a part of grilling.
 
It does not happen much if you open slow for me with lump or briquettes. Once in awhile if I am well into a longer cook it happens. So what I do is the same thing I do when I open my WSM so I don't get temp spikes, close the bottom vent(s) before I open as has been said before.
Since I started doing this with the WSM I have not had any temp spikes when brushing meats or changing or pulling something from the smoker and no ash disturbed on the grill.
If you think about it, when your vents are open on the bottom and you take the dome off you have a giant chimney starter, and you see how hard that shoots heat into the air.
 
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