Raining Creosote


 
Alan F

Alan F

TVWBB Pro
Tonight, as I shut the lid starting the 15th smoke on my new 18.5 I decided to check the location of the temp probe. When I picked the lid up most of the ABT's were sprinkled with small black chips of residue from the inside of the lid. ****. For a moment I considered throwing it all out but I picked some off and wiped the inside of the lid with a few paper towels, then picked more off when they were done.

Hadn't read of this happening before. Is this common?
 
Yep, at least if you use water in the pan. Had the same thing happen on a pork butt cook a little while after I first got my wsm. For some reason the steam from the water pan causes the flakes that'll eventually fall off, whereas no steam just means more "seasoning" buildup on the dome.

I try to just wipe mine out when it's still warm, and touch up with something that won't scratch the finish when I think about it every few cooks. Just keep an eye on it to see if it looks like it needs attention and you shouldn't have it happen again.
 
Get yourself a brass wire brush. Then look on the inside of the lid before each cook. If you see anything that looks loose, remove it with the brush.
 
Originally posted by Larry D.:
Get yourself a brass wire brush. Then look on the inside of the lid before each cook. If you see anything that looks loose, remove it with the brush.
Click to expand...

I know that a brass brush eventually will wear off the porcelain on grids (ask me how I know
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) so won't it do the same thing to the lid?
 
Len, I kind of doubt it, but it wouldn't hurt to consult with Weber directly.

I might be wrong but I suspect that the Weber porcelain enamel is tougher than a lot of the porcelain-coated grills. Don't think the bristles are gonna get down below the base seasoning coating anyway, but I've used a plastic putty knife or wadded up foil as well.
 
Dave's right. It doesn't take much to knock those flakes off, so a plastic putty knife should work well. A wide one, curved to fit the inner contour of the lid, would probably work a lot better than a brush.
 
Alan.
Yep it will happen and even if you don't use water (like me) it can start to peel on high heat cooks.
Before each cook give it a couple of whacks with the side of your fist to see if any flakes are raining down.
If so just follow the advice up-thread on using whatever to clean or scrape the flakes off.
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Tim
 
I just completed 3rd smoke on 18.5 WSM. When I pull the dome, I noticed flakes in the empty water pan. I take the dome and pop the outside edge with the palm of my hand (ring it like a bell) and some more falls out. Then I clean the pan before filling. It should go away eventually.
 
Before every cook, I check for flakes. I use a stiff nylon brush to brush out the lid and I'm good to go.
 
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