Black Goo inside Smoker

tdwrigh · Sep 23, 2009

I'm new to the forum and relatively new to smoking. I just purchased a used offset smoker. It has a shiney black "goo" coating the inside of the smoking chamber. Is this good, meaning that it is well seasoned? or is this gooey black stuff dangerous?

danbury · Sep 23, 2009

It the smoker has been used a lot, the inside will be black. Usually a good sign. The inside of my smokers are all like that.

chadjackson01 · Sep 23, 2009

I just did the same and picked it up yesterday. Good or Bad it's not my goo so it is gone. I took the power washer to it for about 2 hrs wash scrub and scrap to a like new finish inside and re seasoned it. First try at smokin is tomorrow

bman62526 · Sep 23, 2009

Depends...if you are talking about the liquid goo in the bottom of the smoker, that could be a lot of grease and fat - which I will WIPE out with wadded up newspapers...

However, in general - the black stuff sticking to the inside of the smoker is the seasoning - so you can leave it.

That said - it also depends on the previous owner. If the person didn't know what they were doing, that black stuff could have a lot of creosote in it, or it could be seasoning from bad wood.

Therefore, when I bought a used smoker last spring, I cleaned it out and re-seasoned it - because you never know what the last guy did to it!

Have fun!

tdwrigh · Sep 23, 2009

Thanks. Its definately not fat or grease in the bottom. It is dark black sticky "goo" that coats the entire inside of the chamber. Unless there is a way to tell whether it is creosote or from bad wood, I guess I will need to clean it out and re-season.

danbury · Sep 23, 2009

I'd just do a rinse with the garden hose, let it dry and do a good smoke once or twice with out meat.. you'll be fine.

richoso1 · Sep 23, 2009

I would think that would be the best/safest way to start out with a new/other smoker.

beer-b-q · Sep 23, 2009

I would definitely clean out anything that is in it and completely re-season it, who knows what the old owner had in it...

mballi3011 · Sep 23, 2009

First off welcome Tdwrigh to SMF. You'll like it here cause there are abunch of good folks here that would just love to help you out with just about anythignto do with smoking. We really like to have newbies here because they can bring in a new propective to how things are done. There's nothing like a new set of eyes to give and new way to make things that little differant to make things alittle better. So I hope you know about the Qview here.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=58920
Here's a link to photobucket it's free and easy to download pictures. Then if your really new to smoking Look up the E-course.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...play.php?f=127
It's also free and it will give you the basics of smoking. So after all of that you just need to go grab something to smoke and if you have any question just post them here and we will answer it quickly so you don't have any mishaps with your smoke.
Welcome To Your New Addiction

billbo · Sep 23, 2009

Welcome aboard! If it were me I would clean it and season it myself.

tdwrigh · Sep 23, 2009

Thanks everyone. I'll be cleanin er out this weekend and reseasoning it. Then if I get new goo, then it'll be my goo and I'll know what it is. I did sign up for the e courses and look forward to learnin from all of you about my new addiction.

tasunkawitko · Sep 23, 2009

that goo is creosote - it's tough to get off, but your smoker will lvoe you for it and the food smoked in it will taste much better.

zopi · Sep 23, 2009

the guy that owned it before you was likely smoking squid and nobody told him you have to clean them or they explode all over your smoker...

bigsteve · Sep 25, 2009

No Ron. Creosote isn't goo, creosote is "glop." The goo is just plain crud.

stmartin84 · Aug 1, 2014

what's the best way to clean this goo off of my smoker. I made the mistake of smoking without good airflow and unseasoned wood. Lesson learned, but I would appreciate the help getting this goo off of the cooking chamber and the vent pipe. Please help!

mikee84 · Dec 30, 2019

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum but have been smoking for a few years. I tried smoking a turkey for Christmas which I have done the past 3 years in a row. The last few times I have smoked one it has turned out great. This time (no change in prep, temp, time, or wood) it turned out AWEFUL!! It had this really nasty burnt strong smoky flavor on the skin and throughout the meat. Come to think of it, the last few things that I have smoked has had this similar flavor. I was embarrassed and had no idea why this happened. Is creosite the reason for this? What causes creosite and what's the best way to clean it out? Like I said, I had no idea what caused this phenomenon until I started looking to this forum. Thanks in advance.

pineywoods · Dec 30, 2019

First welcome to SMF glad you joined us.
Tongue get kind of numb as well? Could very well be creosote usually caused by incomplete combustion or trapped stale smoke. If your vents are set wrong you can cause the fire to not burn clean a lot of the time it's somebody didn't have the exhaust stack opened or opened enough. It can also be caused by not having the air intake vents set correctly again not allowing the fire to burn clean and produce TBS (thin blue smoke) Wet wood can also cause the fire to not burn clean.
Any of the above could have caused your problem or even a combination of them. Some people close the exhaust stack vent and forget to open it when they do the next smoke. Others think they'll hold the smoke in a little longer to get a better smoke flavor, Sometimes something can get into the stack and block it.
Probably the biggest sign of poor combustion is thick white smoke. New people just getting started often think the more smoke the better. Since you've been smoking awhile I'm sure you know better. I/WE try to preach the TBS (thin blue smoke) and try to tell people they are looking for that smoke that's very light often blueish in color or maybe no real amount of smoke just a whiff here and there but there's a saying "If you can smell the smoke so can the meat"
As for cleaning it up to get rid of it and the taste the cleaner needs to be cleaned out real well and seasoned again. Maybe start by scraping the inside to remove the bigger pieces then a wire brush to get the rest then soap and water followed by a good rinse then a fire to dry the inside out then once dry start the seasoning process again. When I got my big trailermounted smoker it was nasty inside I scraped it then took the pressure washer to it and I know others who have done the same thing.
Those are not the only causes of creosote but they are the ones that happen most often. Sorry for such a long post but others may benefit from the info when they have the same problem.
Good luck with the clean up and let us know how it goes.

Fueling Around · Jan 1, 2020

I scrape or steel brush the interior of my smokers as needed. All it takes is one one bad round of smoking and you create the ashtray. In cooler weather even a thin smoke condenses on the smoker walls as creosote.

mikee84 · Jan 3, 2020

Thanks Piney Woods and Fueling Around for the response. Yes, I try and make an effort for the wood to catch so it produces translucent smoke (thin blue smoke) prior to closing the fire box so as to minimize the unwanted absorption. I don't have a pressure washer, but I did bring the heat up to about 500 F to try and burn the creosite out, then took a wire brush and scraped excess off. Will this work? Thanks in advance.

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