smoker problem, new wall residue???

[potatoc]

I have a GOSM propane smoker.. About three years now. Just got done smoking 2.5 hours of venison jerky at about 230 deg. When I pulled everything I realized my interior smoker walls were covered in this flakey looking material????? There has always been a little of it down by the chip pan, but the whole damn thing is covered now??? Should I be concerned? Help me!! Thanks, TJ

 

[flagriller]

Here is what I would do FWITs worth. Take some time, clean it well with soap and water brushing it clean. Then re-season. Can't tell what the "flower" looking things are, but the pic seems like you need to clean the smoker. I guess the pic looks photo shopped, too much depth. Or, if the venison is old, or from a sick deer, worms.

 

[t-bone tim]

Looks like creosote build-up to me ? wire brush it off clean up the walls with some soap n water and smoke on

 

[richoso1]

FlaGriller has it right, and don't be shy with the brush. Check it out before you re-season, make sure you got it all scrubbed/lifted off. Use a putty knife if it helps.

 

[bigarm's smokin]

Heyb TJ, if I had to guess, I'd say the paint was blistered.

 

[blackhawk19]

That makes me nervous, I would trash the jerky, scrub it down real good, season and start over

 

[flattop]

I'm thinking the paint blistered also. My gas grill did the same thing in a small area a long time ago. It's never gotten worse and has never peeled off.

But like mentioned before you might want to scrub it down. If the film/paint comes off then let it dry and reapply a high temp paint.

 

[potatoc]

Really trash the jerky??? I had tasted it when I pulled it off and everying seemed fine??

How does one get creosote from propane??

I am just really confused because I have read so many post on here how people have went 20 years without cleaning their smoker, and how it is not posiable to get creosote from propane?? I will definately clean it out hella good, but hate to junk all 8lbs of jerky if I don't have to.

 

[bbqpitstop]

Looks like blistered paint or creosote to me too......At the risk of pissing some people off we should start a thread about differing opinions on the laurels of "seasoning" a smoker........

From what I've been taught by the commercial meat processing industry, there is no such thing......that while your grease can help to infuse more flavor into meat....any buildup on a smoker wall is just plain crud......

Now don't hit me, let's find some intelligent answers to this age old "myth" or prove it worthy.....whaddya think?

I know I season my cast iron pans but only with enough oil to keep em from rusting.....build up from cooked foods or burnt oils is too much for me. I can tell you it's a major issue with the health departments as well, but my best restaurant buddy from Kentucky swears by all the black gunk in his smoker and he hasn't cleaned it since I"ve known him in six years....racks only but the walls are thick as a brick with black "seasoning"......how far should one go with this "seasoning" theory?

 

[bbqpitstop]

Potato,

If you already tried it and you don't have a sour, acidic or enamel based flavor I wouldn't junk it.......it probably formed a pretty heavy skin by the time that smoker popped it's lining or took on some creosote.......

I assume you didn't use just propane but wood as well? I've always thought that wood burnt at certain temps can create creosote all on it's own....but then I'd like to hear the wood, propane and charcoal smokers weigh in on this one.

 

[seaham358]

I agree with T bone.. Wet unseasoned wood causes the build up of creosote.
What color was the inside when it was new? I thought alot of that type smokers were just bare metal on the inside? Or are they powder coated?
How hot did it get inside? My inside blistered when I got the smoker real hot one time.
I would not toss the meat if the smoker was never painted on the inside.

 

[potatoc]

Never burnt wood.. However I would get a lot of flairups when I didn't soak my wood. But I usually catch this within 30 seconds because my thermometer beeps at me... I have only used chips and chunks from Menards or Dunhams

Again I have had this smoker for three years now and have only cleaned grates... A few weeks ago I had run it dry to test for propane leaks and I ran it around 350???

Also, i am gonna scrape the crap out of this thing and reseason it. Since it has been three years since I seasoned it, how do I season it again?? And how do I reseason my cast iron pan as well??

 

[bbqpitstop]

chisel, hammer, and evoo...lol...........or soak in a bag with degreaser overnight, powerwash, and then lightly oil,...........least that's for the cast iron pan.........

 

[deejaydebi]

Looks like the paint to me. Scrap it off real good and clean up the mess then spray the interior down good with Pam or something and re-season it.

Guess your just gonna have to smoke this weekend to fix the problem before it gets worse. Bummer!

 

[fat sal]

Hi:

I occassionally get the same sort of stuff dangling from the underside of the cover on my Weber gas grill. Here's what Weber support says to do about it:

Q. I see what I think is peeling paint inside the lid of my grill! What should I do?

A. Donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t worry, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not paint. The inside surfaces of our grill lids are not painted, they are coated with baked-on porcelain enamel which cannot peel. What you are noticing is a deposit of grease and smoke that collects during normal use. During use, the grease and smoke vapors slowly oxidize into carbon and collect on the inside of your lid. This deposit will eventually peel, and looks very similar to paint. The peeling normally starts in the center of the lid and spreads outward. It may come off in sheets or flakes, and is shiny on one side and dull on the other. These carbon deposits are non-toxic. But you might want to regularly remove the build-up. Fortunately, the peeling is easy to remove. Simply brush off all loose particles with a brass brush before you start grilling. To prevent future build-up, after every grilling session, while the grill lid is warm—not hot—wipe it with paper towels or a mild soap-and-water solution.

I suspect that your GOSM's problem is the same; as confirmed by several of our learned colleagues in the replies below.

Sal

 

[potatoc]

Follow up to old post:
If you look back to my original post with the pics u will see I was having bubbly looking objects on the side of my smoker. After watching this, cleaning, reseasoning, and paying close attention to certain areas of the smoker I figured this out. Sometimes I will put the food rack in the smoker, the spray my Pam on it. The overspary of the Pam on the walls builds up and bubbles like this. I have tried this intentionally on certain areas. So.......... Fellas, make sure you spray your rack outside the smoker....... So now, I keep the rack cool, spray it with Pam, then lay the meat on it, then put it in the smoker... No more side residue.... Hope this helps out someone that had this problem....

 

[richtee]

WHy paint the inside? Re-season after a brushing/wash and let 'er ride.

 

[master_dman]

It sure looks like creosote.. but there is no way for creosote to proliferate THAT much in one smoke. Since you didn't exactly notice it until just now.. It has to be blistered paint.

Wire brush it off. Reseason.. and your good to go. Did you have really high temp flare ups this time? How many times did you say you have used it?

 

[richtee]

Seasoning, to me BBQ PS- is more a rust preventative than anything to do with food taste. And with a new unit, seasoning is burning off any residue left from the manufacturing process- oils and whatnot, and cooking off any possible solvents left in the coatings.

I believe this is required before using a unit. and re-seasoning after a scrubbing/cleaning prevents rust.

Also, remember that almost everything in the commercial world is stainless. not so in the consumer world.

 

[mobcounty]

Mystery solved!! Thanks for the tip, I was spraying 'in smoker' too. Now I know better.

Thx.

MC