Had an unusual experience yesterday when cooking pork back loin ribs on my Smoke Vault 24: the burner was producing very a very sooty flame. I've had the SV for several years, and have never seen this before.
My most recent cook on the SV was about a month ago, also pork loin ribs, and everything was normal.
I was using a nearly-full propane bottle that I had used on the previous cook. When I initially fired it up, I noticed the flame from the burner looked more yellow than normal. When I crank it up, it usually turns nice and blue. However, this time, the flame remained decidedly yellow and much broader. Nonetheless, I set it to medium and established a stable temp of 250 F for the ribs using my Fireboard. I used a small of chunk of hickory and a small chunk of apple wood for smoke.
When I opened the SV about two hours in to check on the wood and water pan, I noticed that the ribs had a greyish, sooty color. Later, when I had wrapped the ribs in foil, the foil had a thin layer of soot on it. Not very appetizing!
I checked that the wood chunks were smoldering cleanly and they were. I turned off the burner and reattached the propane tank, but the flame was the same when I re-ignited. I tried a different propane bottle with the same results.
This is the first time I've encountered such a problem and am not sure what to try next. I made sure the propane bottle connection and valve were clear. I'm suspicious of the burner now, but am not sure what to check for problems.
Has anyone else had this issue with the Smoke Vault. Any suggestions what to try to debug it?
Thanks in advance.
My most recent cook on the SV was about a month ago, also pork loin ribs, and everything was normal.
I was using a nearly-full propane bottle that I had used on the previous cook. When I initially fired it up, I noticed the flame from the burner looked more yellow than normal. When I crank it up, it usually turns nice and blue. However, this time, the flame remained decidedly yellow and much broader. Nonetheless, I set it to medium and established a stable temp of 250 F for the ribs using my Fireboard. I used a small of chunk of hickory and a small chunk of apple wood for smoke.
When I opened the SV about two hours in to check on the wood and water pan, I noticed that the ribs had a greyish, sooty color. Later, when I had wrapped the ribs in foil, the foil had a thin layer of soot on it. Not very appetizing!
I checked that the wood chunks were smoldering cleanly and they were. I turned off the burner and reattached the propane tank, but the flame was the same when I re-ignited. I tried a different propane bottle with the same results.
This is the first time I've encountered such a problem and am not sure what to try next. I made sure the propane bottle connection and valve were clear. I'm suspicious of the burner now, but am not sure what to check for problems.
Has anyone else had this issue with the Smoke Vault. Any suggestions what to try to debug it?
Thanks in advance.
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