James from Whitby Ontario here. I just bought a Weber Smokey Mountain on Friday - I have wanted a smoker for a long time and after considerable review, happily settled on the Weber. As a first timer, I cooked a brisket and ribs - had no problem getting to 225 and maintaining it (using the Minion Method) and unsoaked wook chunks (likely 5 in total - Hickory and Apple). All was good, save cooking things a bit too long (both ribs and brisket were very very dry) - problem has arisen in that both my wife and I have upset stomachs today. The meat sure seemed to be good - passed the smell test and from a reputable butcher I have used for years. A quick question though - I opened the side door to check the coals and there seemed to be a lot of "dust" rolling around in there...and when I took the brisket out 8 hours later (5lb-er), there was a lot of dust on the foil. My guts are killing me and my wife is second guessing the smoker! What did I do wrong?! Any help would be much appreciated!
Help save my Smoker!
- Thread starter LJames
- Start date
Mike Isaacson
TVWBB Fan
James, need some more info. What was the wood chucks, where did you get them, also what type of charcol did you use. Did you do a high heat burn in your smoker after you got it? Might have been to much smoke and your blood is not seasond to it yet....< this one is a joke. I would follow a proven recipe on here and try just the ribs again.
Mike
Mike
Brian (Mass.)
TVWBB Fan
Beef is pretty hearty and the consistency of the meat, especially a dense brisket is unlikely to be spoiled straight from a reputable butcher...I would look for a cross contamination with a utensil or cooking surface or simply a coincidental stomach bug...One time i thought i had a batch of bad chicken wings...i was revisiting the food fiercely...turns out it was a stomach bug my whole family picked up the day before at a get together from one of the little runts...
As was asked, what type of coal did you use? I use kingsford original w/ hickory chunks, not chips...sometimes i'll throw oak in or what not depending on how i feel...
The excess ash could be from air flow...if all your vents were wide open and the fire was burning a little to fast/hot it can generate floating ash..
As was asked, what type of coal did you use? I use kingsford original w/ hickory chunks, not chips...sometimes i'll throw oak in or what not depending on how i feel...
The excess ash could be from air flow...if all your vents were wide open and the fire was burning a little to fast/hot it can generate floating ash..
Wolgast
TVWBB Olympian
I cant imagine it would be the Dust that made you and wife ill. But non the less why was it there? If it was windy and the vents was fully opend i guess that could happend. But my guess this isent your problem if you had it nailed @ 225. Maby a the wind hit the coals when you opend the door?(more likely)
Is the WSM new? Or did it had some flakes inside the lid?
What fuel were you using?
Heavy smoked food is a bit tuff on your stomach if you are not used to it....But if you both feel ill this is unlikely.
I would guess the meat coused this problem,cross contamination most likely.
I would recover from this and do another run in a few days. Bet you wont se this one again. Good luck and report back.
Ohh And Welcome OFC!
Is the WSM new? Or did it had some flakes inside the lid?
What fuel were you using?
Heavy smoked food is a bit tuff on your stomach if you are not used to it....But if you both feel ill this is unlikely.
I would guess the meat coused this problem,cross contamination most likely.
I would recover from this and do another run in a few days. Bet you wont se this one again. Good luck and report back.
Ohh And Welcome OFC!
Last edited:
timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
You did wash the cooking grates in some mild dish-washing detergent to clean off the manufacturing oils, yes?
The dust you speak of could of been creosote which is the result of a poorly combusted fire. Was the top vent completely opened for the entire smoke? 5 chunks is alot for me on ribs, fine for briskets or butts, but you should start with less and adjust to you're liking.
Don't give up, try again and take pics.
Tim
James,
Your brief description indicates potential food poisoning which is most commonly caused by E. coli. Bacteria, germs, etc. can contaminate food that is mishandled, improperly stored (not cold enough), cross contaminated. Most food poisoning kicks in after several hours of eating the contaminated food. Your cooking temps and food description (vey dry) indicate it was more than cooked enough. Bacteria can not survive in a high temp environment. I wouldn't worry about the smoker, rather look at other potential sources for your illness. What else did you eat that day? What did you drink? How was the food stored and handled? Who handled it? Did they follow sanitary procedures? Just some considerations.
Paul
Your brief description indicates potential food poisoning which is most commonly caused by E. coli. Bacteria, germs, etc. can contaminate food that is mishandled, improperly stored (not cold enough), cross contaminated. Most food poisoning kicks in after several hours of eating the contaminated food. Your cooking temps and food description (vey dry) indicate it was more than cooked enough. Bacteria can not survive in a high temp environment. I wouldn't worry about the smoker, rather look at other potential sources for your illness. What else did you eat that day? What did you drink? How was the food stored and handled? Who handled it? Did they follow sanitary procedures? Just some considerations.
Paul
R. Hutchins
TVWBB Fan
Howdy, LJames!
I re-read your post but am still confused. (Happens more and more as I get older and older!) You say you bought the WSM on Friday and that on Monday you have digestive track problems. When did you cook? More specifically, how long after you ate the cooked meat did you begin to show symptoms?
As others pointed out, you do have to season all cooking apparatus - especially the surfaces that contact food. In fact, most experts recommend that you raise a high heat before placing anything on the grill and let the grill get very hot then clean it with a metal bristle brush then wipe it down with paper towels or a rag soaked in vegetable oil (the last bit to keep food from sticking). The high heat will kill virtually all the bacteria you are likely to encounter. It is always possible that the food was contaminated in preparation, but that rarely happens in the normal household kitchen with beef. If, however, you had prepared poultry without disinfecting all surfaces, utensils and even your sink - EVERYTHING touched or brought near the poultry - you might easily get cross-contamination. I keep a spray bottle of Clorox under the sink for this purpose and always disinfect as soon as any poultry is taken away from the food prep area.
Having said all that, it is just possible that there was an unrelated cause of the stomach upset. Here's my tale.
Just over a year ago, I had a sudden onset of fever just minutes of eating a dinner of homemade gazpacho and garden salad. I got the fever down with rubbing alcohol and frozen gel packs but it returned with vengeance the next day. I was rushed through the ER and into surgery to open the site of my artificial knee. It seems I had picked up an infection from a common bacterium and it **** near killed me. I was blaming the cold soup and garden salad but the doctors assured me that the infection could not possibly have grown that rapidly. The artificial joint represents a slightly debilitated immune system which was attacked by an otherwise harmless every-day bacterium. I spent a month in the hospital and 6 more weeks taking intravenous antibiotic through a central line and continue to take twice-daily antibiotics.
The moral of the story is that almost any bacteria can kill you if your immune system is compromised. Most problems from ingestion require 4-12 hours to develop symptoms that are noticeable, according to my medicos. I have become compulsive and obsessive about cleanliness in the kitchen and care with food prep.
I re-read your post but am still confused. (Happens more and more as I get older and older!) You say you bought the WSM on Friday and that on Monday you have digestive track problems. When did you cook? More specifically, how long after you ate the cooked meat did you begin to show symptoms?
As others pointed out, you do have to season all cooking apparatus - especially the surfaces that contact food. In fact, most experts recommend that you raise a high heat before placing anything on the grill and let the grill get very hot then clean it with a metal bristle brush then wipe it down with paper towels or a rag soaked in vegetable oil (the last bit to keep food from sticking). The high heat will kill virtually all the bacteria you are likely to encounter. It is always possible that the food was contaminated in preparation, but that rarely happens in the normal household kitchen with beef. If, however, you had prepared poultry without disinfecting all surfaces, utensils and even your sink - EVERYTHING touched or brought near the poultry - you might easily get cross-contamination. I keep a spray bottle of Clorox under the sink for this purpose and always disinfect as soon as any poultry is taken away from the food prep area.
Having said all that, it is just possible that there was an unrelated cause of the stomach upset. Here's my tale.
Just over a year ago, I had a sudden onset of fever just minutes of eating a dinner of homemade gazpacho and garden salad. I got the fever down with rubbing alcohol and frozen gel packs but it returned with vengeance the next day. I was rushed through the ER and into surgery to open the site of my artificial knee. It seems I had picked up an infection from a common bacterium and it **** near killed me. I was blaming the cold soup and garden salad but the doctors assured me that the infection could not possibly have grown that rapidly. The artificial joint represents a slightly debilitated immune system which was attacked by an otherwise harmless every-day bacterium. I spent a month in the hospital and 6 more weeks taking intravenous antibiotic through a central line and continue to take twice-daily antibiotics.
The moral of the story is that almost any bacteria can kill you if your immune system is compromised. Most problems from ingestion require 4-12 hours to develop symptoms that are noticeable, according to my medicos. I have become compulsive and obsessive about cleanliness in the kitchen and care with food prep.
ScottE
Closed Account
Even though the WSM or the kettles need to be seasoned, it is always good to wash the cooking grates with dish-soap and one high heat pre cook with a bunch of smoke sure wouldn't hurt a thing and might kill anything germ wise that might be lurking in the pit....................
Bob Sample
TVWBB Diamond Member
Well people are covering the guts question so I'm going to ask about the "very very dry" meat. Was the meat tough and dry or fall apart crumbly and dry? If it was tough and dry you didn't cook it long enough, crumbly and dry it was overdone.
As for the ash you must have disturbed the coals somehow by stirring or wind or something else. If you lift the lid off quickly you can actually cause ash to lift and coat the meat.
As for the ash you must have disturbed the coals somehow by stirring or wind or something else. If you lift the lid off quickly you can actually cause ash to lift and coat the meat.