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Gas aroma and flavor from Karubeque on first use

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    Gas aroma and flavor from Karubeque on first use

    Hi all,

    Just got my KBQ C-60/SS in yesterday and had it up and running in about 2 hours from the moment I arrived home to the boxes. Ran it for a couple hours to hopefully cook off any manufacturing residue then later in the night threw some fish on for a quick smoke.

    Here's a question for you (and I'm going to reach out to Bill too): I used the clean (bottom) smoke for the fish and they came out like car exhaust. On disassembly/cleanup, the bottom ash/coal tray smelled like that too. I used Trader Joe's briquets and a chimney starter for the initial startup and apple wood for the main fuel. I had temp stable at around 180F.

    Additionally, I threw on little ground beef (80/20) meatballs in before the fish on the dirty (upper) smoke just for fun and to begin getting a feel for cooking times/flavors, etc. Those were purely an experiment but didn't have that exhaust flavor at all.

    Any ideas?

    (sorry that isn't in chronological order)

    Otherwise, this thing is awesome and so far all of the praise for Bill and its ease of operation are correct. Going to do some ribs this weekend and a brisket next weekend.

    #2
    What did you use to light the briquettes? Were all the briquets in the chimney fully lit (covered in ash) before you dropped them into the firebox?

    Comment


      #3
      Just newspaper. I'm pretty sure they were all grey. What I noticed throughout the 6ish hours I had it running, I saw a lot of briquets still with shape versus the multiple logs that had turned to ash.

      What confuses me though is that the top (dirty) smoke setting didn't contribute that weird aroma/flavor. Maybe I'll try a lot less briquettes next time.

      Comment


      • KBQ
        KBQ commented
        Editing a comment
        For best results, avoid briquettes entirely.

      #4
      The only things that i can think of, would be will on the stainless. Or there was something in your fuel. Maybe something on the surface of the wood. Although they tend to evaporate pretty quickly. This one is a tough one.

      Comment


        #5
        If you still had some whole briquettes after 6 hours those are some oddball briquettes!

        Comment


          #6
          Yeah, the briquette thing is weird. I go to Lowe's and get the "Cowboy" brand lump charcoal and have never had any issue with weird smells. I would say change up the charcoal and try it again !! If you have a Wal Mart nearby I know a lot of people use the Royal Oak and say it's good too.. Good Luck and happy smoking, the KBQ is awesome !!

          Comment


            #7



            Hardwood and cornstarch.

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              #8
              You have probably figured out whatever happened by now but I use maybe a half-chimney of lump to get started, no briquettes. Once you have them good and hot you can dump them in and immediately add wood. For mine I just buy standard length oak/almond/apple etc. and I cut them in half on a band saw. Makes it fast and simple. Not sure where that taste came from but I think I would stay away from that charcoal. You have probably found out Bill recommends hardwood lump as well.

              Steve b

              Comment


                #9
                Bad fish?

                Comment


                • NortheastAl
                  NortheastAl commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Exactly what I was thinking. Striped Bass taken from the Hudson River in NY back in the 70s smelled like gasoline when you gutted them. Not sayin' that it's definitely the fish, but the meatballs turned out alright.

                #10
                I know it's not Bill's recommendation, but I've been playing with just using wood to start the KBQ. Split a bunch of small pieces, add bigger pieces on top, and then use a propane torch to light it. Just seemed like I'm not going to get any flavor from charcoal, so why not just get the wood started. I'd guess I'm taking a minute or two to get things started, and then just feed the fire like normal. In the time it takes to get a charcoal chimney lit and ready, I have a wood ember bed.

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