Smoke too clean?

[Dr. Pepper]

Clark Here's how scientists discover the temp that is 'pee warm':
Remove your glove, unzip, calculate parabolic path, place ungloved hand in said path of anticipated stream, hold a Thermoworks One in the sampling hand. Read the temp, feel the warmth. Simple. Science is fun.

[HawkerXP]

+1

[Potkettleblack]

I guess he likes a bit of acridity to his flavor profile.

No worries there. To each their own.

[Clark]

Huskee What temp is 'pee warm?'

[bbqLuv]

FireMan "I don’t give a rip! Or better said, I don’t pay much mind" and yet I read your comment. ditto. I don't give it no never mind.

[Stuey1515]

Gotta admit that I load up my bacon with a little touch of dirty smoke to accent the flavour. I had a few comments about the lack of smoke flavour, as it's about cooked after 3 hrs on the little COS so I mucked around a bit.
Very easy to overdo it though, and end up with a less than ideal flavour, just practice like all things Q

[Huskee]

From reading the comments here it seems many are comparing one extreme immediately to another, opposite extreme.

They're saying they don't prefer their smoke too clean, but that doesn't mean they want it billowing and dirty. I don't like my drinking water ice cold, but I don't want it pee warm either. Admittedly I have not seen the video the OP is referencing, but from context it appears the point is that to a seasoned stickburner operator, it is actually possible to have your smoke too clean, and that some visible smoke is ok. In fact some prefer the more robust flavor it gives compared to a hot, invisible smoke fire. Not that anyone wants thick billowing low-temp smoke with creosote and other toxic chemicals saturating your meat, that would be the opposite, impractical extreme.

[Rob whatever]

Joe Yim.

[Santamarina]

Some people like creosote! 🤦🏽 Back in the day when I’d smoke on my Webber kettle using charcoal with wood chunks I’d make sure I always saw smoke - and if it started burning clean I’d choke the air supply until it started billowing again.

Then I learned about cooking with fire - both here at AR and in Aaron Franklin’s Meat Smoking Manifesto (a must read for anyone that likes barbecue).

That’s when I switched to full stick burning. I was super worried the first time - surely it was going to be WAY too smoky. But it came out great!

Nothing beats a clean burning wood fire when making barbecue. If you’re tired of the stomach ache that follows dirty barbecue it’s time to make the switch!

Very thin blue or white smoke to completely clear…it’s the Grail, and the only source of great barbecue!

#stickburnerforlife

[rickgregory]

I don't know what they mean by too clean. Billowing white smoke is to be avoided if possible. Thing, consistent blue smoke doesn't tend to billow in my experience at least. If the wood burns up (on a kettle) then you won't get any smoke, so....

I guess to me that thin blue smoke is 'clean' but I've never really seen been able to control it that much so I don't see gradations of clean.

[wu7y]

I just watched a you tube from one of the bbq dudes and he said he didn’t like his smoke to be too clean, as it didn’t get as much flavor. Thoughts?

rob

I'd be interested to know which "bbq dude" said that.

[glitchy]

Yessir, I agree with those cookers and follow about the same as you and don’t study it that far. But I’ve gotten too much dirty smoke on other kinds of cookers. However, if I’m bored enough I might get caught in a trance watching thin blue flow from the vents.

[Mr. Bones]

Lack of Rip duly noted, my Esteemed Brother.

[glitchy]

I guess I misunderstood/misread that originally, sounds more like lump charcoal reading it again.

[Huskee]

Not sure, thought she did more coals shoveling but I'm not positive. glitchy