Black soot? All over food and smoker.

[kylersk]

I have a reverse flow that I built using help from here. I've been struggling with the food color. I cooked a couple butts the other day and there is this charcoal/soot like appearance to it. It rubs off on my hands and it's black. Doesn't taste odd though. It's looks like, to me, if the flames in the firebox hit the top of the firebox that's when I get it. The whole inside of the smoking chamber is filled with this same black substance. The smoke doesn't appear to be dirty when I'm cooking? When I add a new split to the fire I keep the door open a bit to make sure it catches and burns. Then close. I'd guess I'm adding a new small split every half hour or so.

[Saskattak]

I deal with this same issue, mostly on my top rack. I basically do not use the top rack unless the food is wrapped/covered.

I found it was to tall of a fire, like you said that creates it the worst. If I runna real deep coal bed and toss a split on it absolutely starts throwing soot, can see it in my stack. Since then I run a shallower coal bed and watch the flame size more closely.

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[MattJ]

Have you cleaned the baffle plate lately? If not I would clean it and see if this goes away.

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[Mo Smoke]

How old/wet is your wood? The more dry the wood, the cleaner it burns. Is your smoke stack open all the way? What about your intakes? If your fire isn’t getting enough air or escaping fast enough through the stack, that also might cause soot deposits.


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[hogaboomer]

Gotta be the stack damper, most guys say to leave it wide open. Control your temps with the firebox vents and the size of the fire.

[kylersk]

Gotta be the stack damper, most guys say to leave it wide open. Control your temps with the firebox vents and the size of the fire.

My stack doesn't have a damper. I'm beginning to wonder if it's too small/restrictive.

[hogaboomer]

Gotta be the stack damper, most guys say to leave it wide open. Control your temps with the firebox vents and the size of the fire.

My stack doesn't have a damper. I'm beginning to wonder if it's too small/restrictive.

It does look small. Is that 3 inch? Maybe it's too tall, IDK.

You might try shortening it some, before you change it out for something bigger.

What are the firebox dimensions?

[hogaboomer]

You need to post all your dimensions. That throat looks awful small.

[kylersk]

The pipe is 2.8" inner diameter. Its 33" tall.


Link to BBQ Pit Calculator

[kylersk]

You need to post all your dimensions. That throat looks awful small.

I have drawings at work. I'm sure I just went with the throat calculator found online.

[Mo Smoke]

I can’t see the pics. But yes post the dimensions of the cooker, stack, vents etc.


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[hogaboomer]

You need to post all your dimensions. That throat looks awful small.

I have drawings at work. I'm sure I just went with the throat calculator found online.

That says you need a 6-1/2 inch circle or a 9.12 inch diameter half moon. Just by looking at the pic, it's not anywhere close to that. Then again, I could be wrong, it's happened before.


IMO, you need a bigger throat and a bigger stack.

[kylersk]

Link to BBQ Pit Calculator

cooking chamber is 19.625 x 36
Firebox is 16x14.25x16.25
Smokestack is 2.8 x 33
the area of the throat is: 30.2. Half moon up 3.0625 from quadrant.

[SheffSmoker]

Looking at the numbers in the smokerbuilder pitcalc, you have a slightly undersized FB at 98%.

The throat comes out around the same at 30insq, the height is correct around 3in but check the top width of the half moon which should be 14.4in.

It could be down to fire management - are you getting thick white smoke?

[kylersk]

Looking at the numbers in the smokerbuilder pitcalc, you have a slightly undersized FB at 98%.

The throat comes out around the same at 30insq, the height is correct around 3in but check the top width of the half moon which should be 14.4in.

It could be down to fire management - are you getting thick white smoke?

[kylersk]

Looking at the numbers in the smokerbuilder pitcalc, you have a slightly undersized FB at 98%.

The throat comes out around the same at 30insq, the height is correct around 3in but check the top width of the half moon which should be 14.4in.

It could be down to fire management - are you getting thick white smoke?

I cut the plate 14.25 wide.

https://planetcalc.com/5155/?PA=30.1&D= ... t=0&PA=125

I guess I do get some white smoke when I add a new split. I open the firebox door and leave it open when adding split. After I see it burning well, I close it. How do I stop this? Once the smoker is heated, only a small bed of coals is needed to keep it up to temp.

[SheffSmoker]

I'm racking my brains now trying to think of the only time I had soot on the food what the issue was? It was with my first tiny smoker, it may have been me falling asleep and missing the fire go out and smoke like the Marlboro man for an hour. Many beers have been drunk since then so can't fully recall...

Although I do get black soot on the roof of my firebox, and a small amount of brown soot on the throat deflector plate I made, the cook chamber is always clean of soot. I'm using well seasoned oak, and normally pre-warm my splits on top of the FB before adding them.

[hogaboomer]

The calculator says your recommended half moon throat diameter is 8.69. Your quadrant dimension needs to be half that, 4.35. A half moon is half of a circle.

[hogaboomer]

I have a reverse flow that I built using help from here. I've been struggling with the food color. I cooked a couple butts the other day and there is this charcoal/soot like appearance to it. It rubs off on my hands and it's black. Doesn't taste odd though. It's looks like, to me, if the flames in the firebox hit the top of the firebox that's when I get it. The whole inside of the smoking chamber is filled with this same black substance. The smoke doesn't appear to be dirty when I'm cooking? When I add a new split to the fire I keep the door open a bit to make sure it catches and burns. Then close. I'd guess I'm adding a new small split every half hour or so.

Could there be a design flaw that would cause this? Like smoke stack not proper? Firebox too small? I've tried different wood and it doesn't seem to matter. I get this same black soot... the top front of the fire box also has the soot when the fire gets too high and shoots out the front with door open.


https://smokerbuilder.com/forums/viewto ... 74#p111774

That tells me the fire is being obstructed.

[Dirtytires]

Soot can usually be cured with better fire management. Airflow thru the coal bed and properly seasoned/sized sized wood will generally eliminate this issue.

[kylersk]

The calculator says your recommended half moon throat diameter is 8.69. Your quadrant dimension needs to be half that, 4.35. A half moon is half of a circle.

The half moon area of a 8.69 diamter circle is 30.13 sq inches. My half moon has a overall larger diameter than 8.69, it's 14.25 at the top of the moon. It's area is also 30.13.

[hogaboomer]

OK. Must be further up the line, then. What's the gap at the end of the baffle plate look like?

I still think the stack is too skinny.