Let's stir the pot...

[Uncle Bob]

...here's a video presentation that gets into the subject of "clean" smoke and "dirty" smoke.

Clean Smoke vs Dirty Smoke: Which Makes Better Brisket? | Oklahoma Joe's

I happen to agree with the observations that are presented, so for me it's not very controversial. I've been doing this sort of smoke inducement for some time and never had that ashtray smoke profile on any food produced. When I do induce a somewhat heavier level of smoky exhaust it's more so toward the first, say half, of the cook. I'm less inclined to lay heavier smoke on "delicate" meats like fish or chicken, but more willing on pork or beef. Never do I accept dark grey or blackish smoke like you might see when lighting a chimney of coals, that's where the ugly stuff is. The whiteish colored smoke is also, to my thinking, an outcome of moisture in the fuel being released as steam, which is part of why I haven't feared it as much as lore would have us believe.

[LA Pork Butt]

I am with you, Uncle Bob.

[Uncle Bob]

Words to live by my friend...

[dpearce]

No argument here.

[Purc]

Interesting. I have tasted bitter smoke flavor before. Not sure it was dirty smoke, just maybe too much smoke. I don't have an offset but I know what dirty smoke is after I light up charcoal in my chimney.

[Mosca]

I came to much the same conclusion a few years ago. Startup smoke is rough, but once that’s gone, the steamy stuff is fine.

[Oak Smoke]

I’m not a smoke snob. I don’t put the meat in my smoker when there’s the heavy smoke of first start up. I have no problem with some white smoke when I load the smoker. I believe the biggest culprit is too much smoke. I first encounter with this was ribs a friend had done. I swear they tasted like he’d cooked them over old crossties. The guy was proud of how he kept the smoke rolling for the whole cook. As far as I know he still does it that way. I tried keeping the smoke going on a brisket once. It was terrible. I’m a firm believer in about two hours smoke is enough now.

[smokenoob]

The noob is waiting for the smoke to clear on this one…..

[58limited]

Well, at 5:45 he does mention something about dirty smoke (from choking the air flow) versus heavy smoke. I think pure white smoke is OK but if it looks blackish or brownish it might be too acrid.

I've made most of my briskets at my friend's place. His smoker is a simple homemade offset and we tend to wander off, go for a hike, shoot guns down by the lake, etc. so the fire management is not great. When we come back it is often down to 150^o and we throw wood on and get heavy white smoke and a temp spike up to 450^o yet the brisket always turn out great. So I don't obsess over smoke.

[dubob]

Since I use a pellet smoker, this is not a concern for me. If anything, with pellet smokers, the main complaint is that there is too little smoke flavor. But it works for me and I only cook for me. I never do party cooks.

[Michael_in_TX]

Henrik has a video on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@HanksTrueBBQ/videos) that explains the differences in the 'smokes' and when you want then and when I watched it years ago it was when everything just clicked.

Unfortunately, I can't immediately find it in the video list....but it's in there!

[Henrik]

I had to go through the list of videos, not sure exactly, but could this be it? ”Using dirty smoke in an offset smoker” https://youtu.be/64MaYxAtGls?si=-LxXpoKLY3n_LeM2

[Michael_in_TX]

Henrik That's the one!

[bbqLuv]

Correct.

[WI Bubba]

You mean there's not a link for something to buy? I'm disappointed in you.

[Uncle Bob]

Here's one.....just for you..... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BK3HRLL...ect=mhFallback

[Alan Brice]

So what is it called when you do any version of the snake method?
Dirty Sneaky Snake!?!?!?

[texastweeter]

Yep, if it looks like a blown headgasket (white smoke) its probably moisture, if it looks like leaking valve seals (blue) im ok too, running rich, (black) i stay away.

[Lynn Dollar]

A year ago , Gow found the secret to smokier brisket was the Okie Joe Tahoma loaded with wood instead of charcoal.

Now he's found the secret is choking back his offset to get a bit more smoldering smoke.

Frankly, this leaves me with more questions than answers.

Wood chunks in the hopper of my Masterbuilt 560 turned into charcoal. The hopper is the perfect environment for creating charcoal, its high heat and low oxygen. Soooo, at the very start of the cook, I got smoke from wood, but after the original burn, it just adds more charcoal.

Same happened for Tom Horsman when he ran all wood in the Chargriller 980. Jump to his " conclusions " at about the 7 minute mark.

There's another YouTuber that's putting all wood in the Masterbuilt GF and claiming great results.

I kinda want to see a camera shot of the wood left in the hopper, after the cook.

And as to choking back the offset to put more color in the smoke, then why bother with an offset stickburner ? Just go charcoal/chunk ? If ya want some smoldering wood chunk flavor, then there's easier paths to get there.

There's many people who prefer the charcoal/chunk flavor over the clean smoke of an offset. Locally, I know a KCBS judge who prefers charcoal/chunk. He smokes on a Humphries cabinet smoker.

I think a lot of people who go from charcoal/chunk to pellets, and then claim the pellet smoker is not producing good smoke flavor, are just missing the charcoal/chunk flavor. The pellets burn too clean.

On Reddit Weber forums, I'm seeing a lot of people migrating from their pellets to Kettles and WSM's because they want that " smokier " flavor.

Course, this all flies in the face of everything I ever learned about thin blue smoke. I'll continue to do what's worked for me.

[Uncle Bob]

Part (hint; key wording) of the point is that single point of view "rules" aren't really accurate. I have no personal experience with a GF cooker so won't speculate (I know, that's against the rules of internet commentary). But part of his presentation is that there are a variety of ways to manage fires and smoke output. One example, germane to offsets, is how the splits are stacked over the coal bed. Stacked loosely they burn cleaner relative to stacking tightly, restricting air flow.

[Lynn Dollar]

Uncle Bob right, restrict air flow and it restricts oxygen to the fire and the wood smolders more. The color of the smoke says it all. It has particles in the smoke that reflect certain rays of light. This is just science. I think Meathead covers all of this in his articles on smoke.