Smoke burn off when first lighting

hvhunter · August 2020

Here are two questions I always wanted to ask. One, when you light a new batch of charcoal, do you leave the dome lid open, or closed with the cap off until it is up to to temperature?

Two, if you are planning to do a low and slow, do you take it up to higher temp at first, to burn off the fresh charcoal smoke, then cut it back to the 230-250ish range?

Cornholio · August 2020

1. Depends on your lighting method for timing. I start lid open but not long then I close the lid with the cap off until it gets going. Then I put the cap on to dial in the desired temp.

2. I try not to overshoot the desired temp because it takes too long to bring it back down to where I want it.

hvhunter · August 2020

Cornholio said:

1. Depends on your lighting method for timing. I start lid open but not long then I close the lid with the cap off until it gets going. Then I put the cap on to dial in the desired temp.

2. I try not to overshoot the desired temp because it takes too long to bring it back down to where I want it.

In response to #2. Aren't you then, consistently burning new charcoal for the first couple of hours of your low and slow?

Mark_B_Good · August 2020

Cornholio said:

1. Depends on your lighting method for timing. I start lid open but not long then I close the lid with the cap off until it gets going. Then I put the cap on to dial in the desired temp.

2. I try not to overshoot the desired temp because it takes too long to bring it back down to where I want it.

I agree with this. Once the flame/embers look established, I close the lid and keep the chimney vent open. Establishing temperature is about getting that heavy porcelain lid heated up, and it's not going to happen with the lid open. So, as soon as that fire is stable enough to restrict air (with air intake and chimney wide open, it's still a restriction) ... I close the lid. Starts getting the entire unit up to cook temperature.

Most here have said that when you are within 50F of your target ambient temperature ... start closing the air intake and chimney vent correspondingly. I do this, and it helps a lot. As Cornholio says, if you overshoot, it takes WAY too long to bring the temperature back ... you could waste an hour trying to get things back in check (although some have said to do this quicker, throw in a few ice cubes to quickly quench things).

Yes, you are obviously burning new charcoal each time, and that won't matter if you keep the lid open or closed ... you can't burn through the charcoal or you don't have fuel ... always has to be fresh charcoal in the BGE to keep the fire going. But I think the grey smoke you are referring to cuts back a lot once you have the fire stabilized and up in a nice pocket within the charcoal batch. The temperature of the burn likely has something to do with it, promoting what others have called a "Blue Smoke" rather than a "White Smoke", the latter being more bitter and undesirable.

hvhunter · August 2020

Thanks for the detailed answer.

buzd504 · August 2020

I close the lid as soon as I light it, and catch temp going up. VOCs burn off at a fairly low temperature, and your fire itself is considerably hotter than your ambient (therm) temp, so no worries about burning "new" charcoal once your fire is where you want it.

JohnEggGio · August 2020

I’ll confess, I’ve never fully understood the good smoke/bad smoke theory. Sure you want to burn off any starter, but any cooks greater than say an hour, aren’t we always getting into “new” (previously unburned) fuel or smoking wood?

Foghorn · August 2020

@buzd504 mentioned the key but here it is in more detail.

They key is not "new" charcoal. It is Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) within the charcoal. They give of bad/chemical/creosote smells when they evaporate or burn. The charcoal doesn't have to burn for them to evaporate off - it just has to be at a high temperature for a while.

So, hypothetically let's say you load your egg with new lump and light it, then put in the platesetter and grid in preparation for an indirect cook. The fire in the firebox below the platesetter will get the temp in that space up to 300+ degrees as the dome temp slowly comes up to your goal of 250. At 300+ degrees in the firebox, the VOCs will evaporate from the charcoal in the firebox - even though most of the charcoal is not lit. Eventually, the smoke will look more blue and smell cleaner. Then it is time to put food on the egg.

If you shut down your egg with a fair amount of lump still in it such that it is enough for your next cook, you will have clean smoke the moment you light that lump because the VOCs have already evaporated out.

I hope that helps.

lousubcap · August 2020

@Foghorn captured the VOC issue in very understandable terms.
For L&S cooks I will light in one spot and get around a baseball sized quantity of lump burning, then load the indirect hardware and shut the dome. Catch the temp on the way up and by the time things are stable the VOC's are long gone. FWIW-

JohnEggGio · August 2020

@Foghorn. Thank you!

Foghorn · August 2020

You're welcome @JohnEggGio

Smoke burn off when first lighting

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