Oily grainy black nasty stuff from smoking

[brandeeno]

I smoked meat for the first time, more than a couple hours. It was cold smoking a cured pork belly for about 24 hours, via hickory pellets in an AMNPS in my weber kettle grill.  Temperatures were between 40-60 degrees fahrenheit throughout. 

I am curious... why has my kettle grill built up this nasty grainy oily black stuff all over? My belly changed into a beautiful brown tint, but you can't visibly see anything on it... so what is this nasty stuff that stuck to the grill? and how is it oily? 

 

[danquixote]

My guess would be creosote...curious as to what wood was used for smoking, and did you soak the wood prior to smoking with it. Creosote can also form if the smoke is too thick....remember " Thin Blue" !!   

 

[brandeeno]

Hickory. Not familiar with the term think blue. Explain please

 

[wurkenman]

My Weber kettle is like that all the time just from normal use. I have to scrape it and clean it yearly.

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[danquixote]

Thin Blue is a reference to the smoke emitted from your stack. Initial startup will oft times produce a heavy white smoke. Most noticeable  with the use of briquettes. After the fire has reached a clean burn, the wood chunks/chips/logs....should produce a thin blue wisp of smoke from the stack....heavy smoke and the formation of creosote is a sign of inefficient and incomplete cumbustion.

 

[crankybuzzard]

The Amazen products produce the thin blue that you are looking for. Did you have the exhaust port fully open?

Also, how dry was your meat prior to smoking?

Good smoke on the right, bad on the left.

IMG_1603.JPG

• crankybuzzard
• Dec 12, 2016

 

[crankybuzzard]

The Amazen products produce the thin blue that you are looking for. Did you have the exhaust port fully open?

Also, how dry was your meat prior to smoking?

Good smoke on the right, bad on the left.

IMG_1603.JPG

• crankybuzzard
• Dec 12, 2016

 

[brandeeno]

Mine looked like the good smoke picture.  After curing, I let the meat dry open in the fridge for 30 hours. It had the dry tack feel.  To be clear, the meat came out fine... it is not an issue.  I am just curious about the metal surfaces of the grill which picked up this grime. 

 

[crankybuzzard]

Mine looked like the good smoke picture.  After curing, I let the meat dry open in the fridge for 30 hours. It had the dry tack feel.  To be clear, the meat came out fine... it is not an issue.  I am just curious about the metal surfaces of the grill which picked up this grime. 

Just a smoke coating more than likely. All should be fine. The inside of my smoker is black for years of it.

As long as you aren't getting the black nasty on the meat, you should be fine.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

That's the seasoning! For the grill that is. Was this the first use of your kettle? Or do you clean it after every use? Even when just BBQing you should start to see that on the inside of the kettle.