As Modernist Cuisine explains, “smoke is a mixture of all three states of matter, a blend of solid particles of soot and tiny droplets of liquid suspended in air and vaporized chemicals.” The thick smoke from a smoldering fire carries a higher concentration of those sooty solid particles. The same principle applies in your firebox.Īs wood begins to burn, the smoke deposits flavors on the meat, so the quality of smoke can make a huge difference. The only way to fix it is to put it out completely, or add some dry wood and get the flames going again. As it dies out, thick gray plumes sting the eyes and nose. Think of the difference between a roaring campfire versus that same fire hours later. It’s sometimes referred to as blue smoke, unlike the thick gray smoke of a dirty fire that could block out the sunlight. If that exhaust looks anything like the smoke coming out of your backyard smoker, then you’re cooking with dirty smoke, which is the result of a fire that’s almost out, or one that never really got going.Ĭlean wood-fire produces clean, almost transparent smoke, which is thinner and exits the exhaust rapidly. Now picture the thick, black smoke rolling out of the chrome exhaust pipes as the truck’s engine struggles to push the massive payload forward. What is dirty smoke? Imagine a Peterbilt truck climbing a steep incline. Dark-meat chicken should never be this dark.
I couldn’t pinpoint what had gone wrong, but after many similar experiences, I now know it was barbecue cooked with dirty smoke. The numbing sensation on my lips and tongue that followed certainly wasn’t pleasant, nor was the lingering flavor of wood ash I tasted in my throat the rest of the day. It was the smokiest barbecue I’d ever eaten, and at first I couldn’t figure out if that was a good thing. Of course I stopped and ordered a combo plate. As I opened the styrofoam container, I was hit with the smell of a smoldering fireplace. Several years ago on a backroad near Galveston, I happened upon a roadside barbecue stand.
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