What is on the inside of my smoker?

[Geos7812]

I completed my my first all day cook using almost purely charcoal yesterday. It finished after dark yesterday and I didn’t notice this white “ash” until today when I cleaned up. Can anyone tell me what this is, of it is a problem and if so, what I did wrong? I used Jealous Devil lump charcoal if that matters.

Thanks for the help

 

[old sarge]

It is possible that wind/draft carried ash and deposited it. Also, if you disturbed the coals when adding more could have caused it. Just a couple of guesses. Did your food get dusted?

 

[noboundaries]

The inside of a smoker accumulates all kinds of stuff: ash, smoke particulate, creosote, fat, you name it. If it is part of the burning/smoking/cooking process, it will accumulate on the inside of your smoker. It isn't a problem unless it starts impacting taste or falls off onto the food, then it's time to clean and let the buildup begin again.

A clean smoker is either brand new, recently cleaned, or never used.

 

[Hawging It]

Never, ever seen that white stuff before. All this white accumulation on a single smoking? Strange. I would clean it up and change the brand of lump you use. Then see if it occurs again. Really just a guess on my part.

 

[Geos7812]

Thanks guys. That makes me feel better. The two pork butts turned out great so I wont worry about it.

 

[SmokinLogs]

The black that usually lines the inside of the smoker is creosote, which stays a little sticky, or at least sticky enough to catch ash. The white looks like the charcoal ash for disturbed or a gust of wind sent some through there. I wouldn’t worry too much about it as long as you don’t see any accumulating on your food.

 

[Hawging It]

That would be one hell of a wind to do that. The fire box even has the white stuff. Hope it didn't blow your smoker over. I would just clean it up and change lump brands. Still just a guess though.

 

[gmc2003]

Did you leave a door open when you took your last cook off the smoker or to cool it down?

Chris

 

[Heart of Dixie]

I got a bunch of white ash all over when I tried a different brand of lump from Restaurant Depot. When the bag was gone, the white stuff stopped. The lump was from south of the border somewhere.