Thanksgiving Turkey was covered with Black with Soot

[Raqqq]

I'm new to smoking and wanted to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving in my Pit Boss Laredo, actually it was two small turkeys. Both turkey were completely covered in black soot, WHY? I cleaned my smoker after every use. I need to know if everything I smoke will come out black and how to prevent the soot from happening. My son-in-law has a Traeger and said to place a bowl of water on top of the grills to prevent the turkeys from drying out. I had to use a pastry brush to try and remove the black soot before serving. I don't want a repeat of this so can some one help me??
Much thanks!

 

[Elfcane]

How many times have you smoked on it? Did you have this problem with any of your other cooks???

 

[Raqqq]

How many times have you smoked on it? Did you have this problem with any of your other cooks???

This is the 4th time I’ve smoked on it but I clean it each time. This time this is soot all inside the lid.

 

[Mike From R.I.]

Sounds like a grease fire.

 

[Raqqq]

Sounds like a grease fire.

I smoked the turkeys in a pan. I injected my turkeys with butter and orange juice. I don’t think it was a grease fire happened.

 

[SmokeyJoseph]

Sounds like the surface of the bird was wet during the smoking process.

 

[Elfcane]

I noticed that my first couple of cooks there was a large amount of ash. This lightened the more I cooked on it. I also started sifting and stopped using pit boss pellets as well.

 

[Mike From R.I.]

If it was cleaned like you said, and in a pan and the pan had no very small hole or holes to make a grease fire. I would lean on thinking it is the pellets. Which brand did you use?

 

[Raqqq]

If it was cleaned like you said, and in a pan and the pan had no very small hole or holes to make a grease fire. I would lean on thinking it is the pellets. Which brand did you use?

They were Traeger pellets I bought from Costco.

 

[Elfcane]

Blasphemy!!!

 

[SmokeyJoseph]

The water soluble ( or able to desolve in water) orange juice that was injected, during smoking and heating up most likely some of which started to slowly and continualy flow back out the injection sight. These water based drips will attract and quickly combine with the highly water soluble nitrogen dioxide (NO2) created from the wood oxygen combustion process. These along with other black and smokey particles which also form on the inside upper part of your smoker where is also heavy in moisture collect. This slow flow out the injection locations I believe is collecting and then drying in the end to give the soot condition. Spraying with water based liquids will not unevenly collect this soot, but moisturizes the meat and evaporates.
Try a little less oj in the injections. And maybe if you can, inject from the cavity area outward.

Maybe this is the cause?

 

[Jjsaustin]

I'm new to smoking and wanted to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving in my Pit Boss Laredo, actually it was two small turkeys. Both turkey were completely covered in black soot, WHY? I cleaned my smoker after every use. I need to know if everything I smoke will come out black and how to prevent the soot from happening. My son-in-law has a Traeger and said to place a bowl of water on top of the grills to prevent the turkeys from drying out. I had to use a pastry brush to try and remove the black soot before serving. I don't want a repeat of this so can some one help me??
Much thanks!

Any pics?

I smoked a turkey for Thanksgiving on my Pitboss vertical smokey. I had the outside of the bird coated with mayonnaise and seasoning and it came out fine. This was the second turkey I have done and about a 10hr smoke.

 

[Steve In Pa]

Any pics?

I smoked a turkey for Thanksgiving on my Pitboss vertical smokey. I had the outside of the bird coated with mayonnaise and seasoning and it came out fine. This was the second turkey I have done and about a 10hr smoke.

That's a beautiful looking bird. Nice job. What was the temp you cooked at and what was the weight of the bird.

 

[Jjsaustin]

That's a beautiful looking bird. Nice job. What was the temp you cooked at and what was the weight of the bird.

Thank you... I think I had the smoker at 230 and the bird was almost 19 pounds.

 

[Steve In Pa]

Thank you... I think I had the smoker at 230 and the bird was almost 19 pounds.

That's a big one. I've not yet done a whole turkey. My son has successfully but he.goes a bit.smaller.that what your weighed.