Hello Fellow Meat Eaters!

[americaniron]

Newbie to the forum here, backyard novice smoker, "expert" BBQ eater!

I've been lurking on the site for some time now, but a turkey is the reason I finally joined and am posting.  Scanning the forums trying to figure out why my turkey ALWAYS comes out of the smoker covered with a thick black soot......trying again tomorrow.  This will be my 6th (yes, I said SIXTH) attempt at a decent looking bird.  No sugar in my rub, vent on smoker is wide open, temp at 300, use soaked chips in cast iron pan (learned that on this site last year 

),  use a Maverick Redi Check thermometer.   I heat the Masterbuilt propane smoker, add the pan of chips and add the bird after smoker reaches temp........it seems to look okay on paper but the result is a black mess of soot.

Does anything stick out as a red flag as to why I would have a bird covered in black soot??

Thanks!!

 

[oldschoolbbq]

So maybe I'm the first to

 you , Americaniron , to the best fourm on the net.

We have the friendliest members you could ask for  , and we answer all querries , as there are no stupid questions .

Be sure to send us Q-view of your cooks and anything else you want (see our list of topics ). We like to see what is happening...and we're nosey

.

Have fun and ...

 

[seenred]

Welcome to the forums! Glad you joined us. You've found a great place to learn and share ideas on our favorite pastime...Smoking and Grilling great food! Lots of friendly and knowledgable folks here who really enjoy helping one another. Just ask when you need help and you'll get plenty.

The black soot sure sounds like creosote buildup, which is almost always the result of poor air flow. What kind of smoke do you see coming out of your smoker? If its thick, white or black billowy smoke, thats you're culprit. If you're airflow is good, the only thing I can think is its overcooked. What internal temp do you cook to? IT for poultry should be 170*. Also, how close is the bird to the fire, and do you have some kind of heat deflector between the meat and the fire? If the heat is too close or too intense, the skin would burn before the bird is done.

I hope some of this helps...good luck and let us know how it goes!

Red

 

[s2k9k]

:welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 45,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 900,000 posts describing it!
The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!
You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!
Yea it sounds like too much smoke to me also. Might try using chunks instead of chips, they burn slower. 2 chunks at a time should be plenty. No need to soak them either, that just cause steam until they dry out and start producing smoke.
Are you using a water pan? Too much humidity mixed with smoke can also help create creosote. I (like most) have dumped the water pan and filled it with sand. Makes for a much better thermal mass and if you still want some humidity you can still set a small pan with water on top of the sand pan.

 

[americaniron]

Thanks so much for the welcome!

Yep - I see lots of white smoke, I cook to 170 and I don't think it's  the heat burning it - sounds like the smoke from what you fellas are saying and what I've seen around the forum.  I'll dump the water pan - and replace with sand, haven't read that one yet!  Also, I just came home with some nice chunks of cherry wood.

I'm looking forward to trying it tomorrow now that I'm armed with all of this information.  Thanks so much for the tips!  I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us!

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Kat