ash on bark

[Gil Rohde]

This weekend I did my first overnight smoke with a large 10 lb butt on my 18.5 WSM. I used Kingsford blue charcoal with the minion method. Everything seemed to be going well and I was planning on foiling it to speed it through the stall period. When it got close to stall temp I checked on it and was disturbed to find a layer of ash had settled on the meat, grate, thermometer probe etc. It was a little windy out so I think that it must have been causing enough air flow in the smoker to blow the ash around. I carefully opened the access door and I could see ash suspended in the air.

Have others had this problem?
Is there a way to avoid it?
Would it affect the flavor of the meat? I figured it would so I pulled a terrible sin and rinsed the completed butt off in the sink. I then put it back on for a few minutes to dry it off. It was still very good but not good for the bark.

 

[Bob Sample]

When you lift the lid straight up quickly you can actually suck ash up. Lift one side and kind of tilt the lid when removing it. I doubt the ash would have affected the taste but I only use lump so couldn't tell you for sure about briquettes.

 

[Gary S]

It's a really good idea to close the bottom vents before lifting the lid or when opening the fuel door to do anything with the coals. I don't use KB either so can't help you with that.

 

[Dwain Pannell]

The guys above are correct - as the air is heated by the burning charcoal and escapes thru the top vent, the air is actually sucking thru the bottom vent by the chimney effect (lower air pressure inside the cooker). It's the same reason a house doesn't fill with smoke when there's a fire in the fireplace. Opening the lip straight up can pull a LOT of air all at once and kick ash along with it. ...but I think the wind was kicking up the ash thru the vent holes before you ever opened the lid. You mentioned wind so I think you need a wind break. Anything as simple as a piece of cardboard to as elaborate as a full on outhouse enclosure. Once you get a wind break you'll see how much easier it is to maintain temps.

Will it hurt anything? If it's a few flecks of ash probably not. If it's covered in ash I probably wouldn't eat it. I've seen guys throw a steak directly on the coals and cook them and claim it's the ONLY way to go. Rinsing it off may have been a bit drastic. Maybe remove it from the cooker and use compressed air to blow it off to save the bark you worked so hard for. ...but since you're wrapping it the bark is going to suffer anyway.