How do I lean my burner?

silv, evening... I see you have several threads about your smoker over the last 18 months...  Have any of the previous suggestions helped ??

Did you open the tank properly so there is full propane flow ?? (turn off the smoker and close the tank valve... open the tank valve VERY slowly)  Are there spider webs in the burner ???  Is the propane tank at least 1/2 full  ??

Silv.... Some burners have an air adjusting collar where the hose attaches... others have a screw .... Depends on the manufacturer....  Check the burner for slag left over from casting, if it is cast iron, that is obstructing the air flow also while you are looking....    Dave

Good suggestions by Dave. The XL burner is a sheet metal cheapie, there is no air adjustment, just an open venturi. Check for obstructions in the burner/venturi. Next suspect is the tank/valve/regulator. Hook the same tank up to another appliance if possible. All these new regulators and valves are pretty cheap, and many people report problems such as you are having.

I had a early 1980's model Holland grill and had a similar problem.  If you are not familiar with the Holland grill design, it's basically a single big burner that sits under a thick (3/8" or so) steel plate.  The burner heats the plate to one temp, red hot, and then the heat convects upwards and around a tub which is under the food grate.  In essence it's a big one temp indirect heat convection cooker.

Ok back to my point.  I found that every year or so, I needed to unscrew the top cover of the burner and vacuum out those metal flakes which I take it are what you are calling the "fodder clunking around inside" (and the occasional spider also I would guess).   My burner was cast iron and although the outside was painted with high temp paint, the inside seemed to want to rust and occasionally flake.  I guess it was from the heat and the h2o liberated from the combustion of the LP gas.  Like your photos, my flame would start to go yellow and I knew it was time to suck out the "fodder" again.  I think what happened was the "fodder" would restrict the LP flow through the pipe of the burner where it mixed with the O2 headed to the burner head and threw the mix ratio off.

So I would bet your burner is of a similar material since it sounds like it is flaking also.

Got a good 20 years out of that grill (including two rebuilds).  I ended up giving it to a neighbor who was on a fixed income when their old Walmart el-cheapo gasser bit the dust.  Replaced it with a big Weber S-670 though (like 10 burners).

Yeah, there is likely to be some leftover sheetmetal clanking around. It is a pretty cheap burner. Definitely not cast iron or brass! I'm glad you got it worked out. Just stay tuned so you can help out the next person to come along with the same issue.  Critters will get you every time!