Rust brown residue after smoking, wat??

[Andy Harmon]

I am new to the WSM, but not smoking meat, been doing that for a very long time with a variety of smokers. This is my first water smoker though, but I am getting an unexpected result that's got me wondering what's happening. I am using it with water in the water pan, which is one of the main reasons I bought it. After a long smoke, such as butts or brisket, I get this rust brown residue coating the center section above the water pan and throughout the dome lid. After cooling down and drying out the residue will start flaking off. So now I scrub it off before it dries out now, don't want that flaky stuff raining down on my next cook. I have owned a variety of smokers from offset, barrel and one pellet type and none did this. In my mind it must have something to do with the vapor from the evaporating water. But why is it rust colored? It's not rust, but it sure looks like it. Any clue what's happening or is this normal?

 

[Chris Allingham]

Probably the most commonly asked question of them all! It's just a reality when cooking with meat, smoke, and water in the WSM. If you stop using water, you'll get a shiny black buildup instead that doesn't tend to flake off. But I like to cook with water when doing low & slow cooks, and it's just something you have to deal with as you are doing...check the condition before each cook and brush/rinse it away, if necessary.

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/frequently-asked-questions/#rust

On a related note:

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/frequently-asked-questions/#peeling

 

[Andy Harmon]

I figured this wasn't a new problem, just one I didn't understand. I got it now, thanks Chris!

 

[ChristopherC]

What has worked for me as a sorta newbie (about 10 cooks now) is:

Scrape it off with a cheap plastic putty scraper (see pic below). Then scrub with a coarse sponge like a ScotchBright or towel...I use scrubby towels (see pic below). Then rinse. After this, spray on some PAM or use a paper towel to coat lightly with any cooking oil. Hasn’t happened since I did this. Will see if it ever does again.