Smoked Meat and Belly Aches

[Smoker_Boy]

Does anybody know of someone who can't eat smoked meats due to belly aches?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I know a few, most of them USUALLY don't have issues with stuff off my pellet cooker but have mixed results with stuff off a propane smoker and get wrecked by traditional smokers food. I've been able to test this when I make jerky or pulled pork and warned 'em and they still tried Oddly many of the ones who don't get ill off the jerky still have issues when I've made brisket or chuck but not pulled pork or pork ribs.

One person if it even smells like smoke they start to get ill which is sad because they used to love bbq and then something happened one day and they couldn't even be around it.

One person only gets ill when they eat BBQ (even grilled) when it's match light or lighter fluid has been used.

The rest it's a mix of absolutely destroyed anytime they eat BBQ or just mild inconvenience.

[Steve R.]

Do you know for sure it's the smoke that's the problem? Just wondering if it might be the richness of certain meats or something in the seasonings being used.

[au4stree]

This. False correlation is my thought. Not saying their issue is made up, just thinking it could be a simple thing like rich food because smoked meats are usually accompanied by rich foods whether it be sides or desserts. Perhaps MSG in the rub?

[Donw]

What woods do you smoke with? Do walnuts give you any issues? Has this always been the case or is it recent development?
I’d eliminate all the common possibilities first. Hopefully it is something simple to identify and correct before having to go further but there are people who do have reactions to some cooking woods.

Some people have reactions to juglone which is a compound found in some trees, especially Black Walnut but others do produce it too. Hickory also produces hyrdrojuglone, which converts to juglone when oxygen is introduced, but in much lower concentrations than in Walnuts. And the concentrations depend on which part of the plant is being used. Stomach upset and/or difficultly swallowing are symptoms.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

that's an interesting thought, I'll have to see if a couple of the people I know are willing to do a test.

[Smoker_Boy]

My wife said the more she thinks about this, it's only ribs on the pellet grill giving her problems.
And ribs are low and slow, and I tend to run the temp around 180 at first, and I use the smoker tubes.

Whereas whole chicken and turkey breast are usually cooked on the Smokey Mountain.
But even if I do use the pellet grill, it's always up at 325.

We're gonna give it a week or 2 and see how she feels.

Thanks everybody!!

[jfmorris]

Well, one thing I am hearing is that ribs - I guess pork - bother her, but poultry does not. There is a lot of fat in ribs, compared to chicken or turkey, that might be bothering her. Maybe you should experiment (on her!) with some ribs cooked the same method, but in the oven indoors. Or cook them over on the smokey mountain instead of the pellet cooker. Just wondering if its the smoke, or the underlying food...

[Waiting for the Worms]

I will get rumbly in my tummy if I use straight hickory, but it's closer to heartburn than nausea.

[Bkhuna]

Hickory rips me up about 6 hours after I eat meat cooked with it. No problems with other woods.

[Santamarina]

My wife gets a stomach ache when she eats most barbecue. Never has an issue with mine. I’ve always chalked it up to dirty smoke.

Many restaurants and friends houses have billowing white smoke the whole cook…she’ll be sick for sure.

I’ve been able to maintain a clean burning fire on my stickburner that produces clear or thin blue smoke…never gets sick.

…some other good theories above too!

[Smoker_Boy]

Do you know for sure it's the smoke that's the problem? Just wondering if it might be the richness of certain meats or something in the seasonings being used.

We tend to eat a pretty bland diet.
My wife usually has some boiled potatoes and corn with the ribs.
No MSG in anything.

[Oak Smoke]

There was a time not long after my gall bladder was removed that I couldn’t eat pork. It hurt. It gradually went away. I some times wonder just how many of the stomach and digestive issues I’ve had were the early onset of ulcerative colitis. Immune issues can do some of the weirdest things.

[Steve R.]

I'm thinking that the meat itself could maybe be the culprit. Some people just don't tolerate fatty meat like spareribs very well.

[Smoker_Boy]

My wife gets a stomach ache when she eats most barbecue. Never has an issue with mine. I’ve always chalked it up to dirty smoke.

Many restaurants and friends houses have billowing white smoke the whole cook…she’ll be sick for sure.

I’ve been able to maintain a clean burning fire on my stickburner that produces clear or thin blue smoke…never gets sick.

…some other good theories above too!

Dirty smoke.
I was thinking this same thought yesterday.

When I have made ribs on the pellet grill the last 4 or 5 times,
I have ran a temp around 180 to get a bunch of smoke.
I also used both smoker tubes.
So basically I had white smoke billowing out the entire time.

But the whole chicken? Pit temp of 325 and no smoker tubes. No problems either.

We decided that we will test this theory later in the week with a pork chop.
Cook it @ 325 with no smoker tubes.
When the internal temp gets to about 180 or so, wrap and put in the oven @ 225 for a few hours.

If she has no problems, I'll try a chop on the WSM using just charcoal and maybe 2 hunks of wood.

[Santamarina]

Creosote is not only something that darkens and gums up the interior of your smoker, it’s also something that can cause GI issues.

Hope your experiments go well and you discover the key to your wife enjoying delicious barbecue!

[captainlee]

Some people have allergies that might effect them. Friend is allergic to pecans so I wouldn't use that type of wood.

[Michael_in_TX]

In 2008 when I first tried to get into grilling/BBQing, I found myself getting slightly uneasy when eating what I cooked. It was the oddest thing for the first two cooks before I realized what was going on. (It wasn't even smoking....it was just grilling burgers or a steak.)

It was the propane, but it was completely psychosomatic. There was something, even to this day, about the smell of propane that makes me feel slightly ill.

I finally remembered what it was. Propane is the smell of those Coleman gas stoves.....those things were a ubiquitous part of my life when I was in Boy Scouts. The thing is....ten and eleven year-olds are not all that great about keeping perishable food at the proper temperature, cooked or not. I got sick, but while not often, it was enough to give me that association.

It was weird to realize that even two decades later the association was still there.

You can probably guess I don't own a gas grill.

[jfmorris]

I am thinking you should suspect the food (pork ribs with lots of fat content versus lean chicken/turkey), as well as the dirty smoke.

Try pork ribs cooked in the oven or without smoke (maybe on the WSM with no wood chunks, or pellet at higher temps), and see if that bothers her. I doubt the pork chop will as those tend to be much leaner than ribs.

That said, I think I would dial back the smoke regardless, if it's billowing white stuff. That's a sign of smoldering and poor combustion. Only thing worse than billowing white smoke is dirty black smoke, which I can get if I starve the fire for air on my offset.

[bbqLuv]

You know I just had to ask Copilot the know it all AI,

According to AI copliot People can be allergic to smoked meat for a few reasons:

1. Altered Proteins: The smoking process can change the proteins in the meat, making them more likely to trigger an allergic reaction in some individuals¹.
2. Allergens in Smoke: Smoke can carry microscopic particles from the wood or other materials used in the smoking process. These particles can act as allergens¹.
3. Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Some people have an allergy to a carbohydrate called alpha-gal, which is found in red meat. This allergy can be triggered by eating smoked meats as well².
4. Cross-Reactivity: Certain proteins in smoked meats can cross-react with other allergens, such as those found in pollen or cat dander, leading to allergic reactions³.

Symptoms of a meat allergy can include hives, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, and in severe cases, anaphylaxis².