Black liquid inside smoker

olek · Post by **olek** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 03:13

Hi, I recently build a smoker (picture attached) and I'm using it for the first time to smoke bacon. The inside of the smoker is coated in a black liquid. I'm just wondering if this is normal (smoke condensing?) and safe or if it's a sign that something is wrong?

Thanks.

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ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 03:31

Olek, When you burn wood you produce carbon dioxide, water vapor and about 500 chemicals that impart flavor to the meat in the smoke stream. What you are seeing is the water vapor condensing and capturing some of the smoke particles. You could bottle this as liquid smoke if you wanted to go to that effort. I like your set up.

JerBear · Post by **JerBear** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 04:55

I agree with Ross, however, I'd add that you really don't want it dripping if you can avoid it. If a lot of the liquid condenses around the chimney you could fashion a drip-dry to hand a few inches below it to catch the stuff.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 05:32

I think that you need to stack some of those glacial remnants under that smoke pipe before the next snow storm puts it on the ground.

Swallow · Post by **Swallow** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 13:16

ssorllih wrote:I think that you need to stack some of those glacial remnants under that smoke pipe before the next snow storm puts it on the ground.

Glacial remnants? I would just have stacked some of those Rocks under that pipe but I suppose glacial remnants would work too.

Swallow

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 15:33

At least some got it.

Devo · Post by **Devo** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 17:34

Part of your problem is you need to have good ventilation. If you have a vent on top it should be wide open for most smokes. The water build up will drip all over your meat and to me it don't look very nice. Poultry has a lot of water in it so it's important to vent the moisture the best you can.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 19:13

Vents on top also need vents at the bottom. You can't let air out if you don't let some in.

crustyo44 · Post by **crustyo44** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 22:56

Olek,
Is your smoker insulated? I had this problem many years ago in a cold climate set up.
Now I have a smoker that has 2" of tightly packed insulwool between both skins and this problem has disappeared.
Good ventilation is also very important, I have adjustable inlet vents and a controllable smoke outlet in my chimney.
Best Regards,
Jan.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 00:04

I once asked ol' Rytek Kutas about this very thing. He had me simply crack the door open just a "smidge". This provided an air flow (an ingress) so there would be an egress. I was quite surprised at how much smoke "movement" was required to dissipate even a light amount.
In Jason Story's new huge digital Koch smoker, the smoke can even be recycled around the meat before exiting.
Oh, and remember... meat must be absolutely dry-to-the-touch in order to take on any smoke. This is why we hang sausages for an hour at room temperature before smoking them.
When a smoker is used outdoors in cold weather, insulation to prevent condensation is almost a "must". One more thing I learned the hard way... PRE-heat the dad-gummed thing! (in any weather).

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

crustyo44 · Post by **crustyo44** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 02:02

CW,
You hit it right on the nose. Over the years I found out that venting a smokehouse is very important. Stale smoke gives you a shi**y taste.
In my smokers I always have a small 240V 5" computer fan fitted in the chimney to prevent stale smoke and condensation.
The exhaustfan also helps to dry biltong in winter here.
Regards,
Jan.

olek · Post by **olek** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 07:30

Thank you for all the replies.

It makes sense that this is condensing water with smoke. I was smoking with pretty fresh maple wood which had a lot of moisture and the chamber with the meat has fairly thin, uninsulated metal panels with a large surface area for the moisture to condense on.

I'm not sure if I want to insulate it since I plan on doing a lot of cold smoking and the uninsulated walls help keep the chamber cool. Although, if the smoking to outside temperature difference becomes too great, I may need to.

I will try to increase ventilation by increasing the size of the vent on the top. For allowing more air in, should I add adjustable inlet vents directly on the chamber with the meat, or increase the amount of air I let in through the fire chamber? I'm concerned about allowing more air in to the fire chamber as I was having issues at first with too much air fueling the fire with little smoke instead of keeping the wood smoldering with lots of smoke.

Devo · Post by **Devo** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 13:30

olek wrote:Thank you for all the replies.

It makes sense that this is condensing water with smoke. I was smoking with pretty fresh maple wood which had a lot of moisture and the chamber with the meat has fairly thin, uninsulated metal panels with a large surface area for the moisture to condense on.

I'm not sure if I want to insulate it since I plan on doing a lot of cold smoking and the uninsulated walls help keep the chamber cool. Although, if the smoking to outside temperature difference becomes too great, I may need to.

I will try to increase ventilation by increasing the size of the vent on the top. For allowing more air in, should I add adjustable inlet vents directly on the chamber with the meat, or increase the amount of air I let in through the fire chamber? I'm concerned about allowing more air in to the fire chamber as I was having issues at first with too much air fueling the fire with little smoke instead of keeping the wood smoldering with lots of smoke.

If you drill 4 or 5 1 inch holes in the smoker near the bottom with a slider to close off the ones you don't need open that will create a draft in the smoker and should help you out. That way you can leave the vent on top wide open and just adjust the bottom one to your liken.

crustyo44 · Post by **crustyo44** » Wed Jan 11, 2012 23:55

Olek,
You can't allow more air through your firebox, the sawdust or chips burn without hardly any smoke.
Devo has the correct solution, inlet holes direct into the smoking chamber and adjustable as well. Simple and good. Don't forget to insulate your smoker though!!!!
Regards,
Jan.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 02:34

When my fire box stops making smoke it is either because I have flames or no fire at all. Usually flames. I have a double door and a gasket on the fire box. It takes very little air to sustain a smolder.