How to Make BBQ Less Smoke (a quick guide)

Smoking from grills is a usual part of the cooking process, when this smoking becomes just too much, then it becomes a problem that begs for answers.

If you are searching for answers in this regard, then we have got you covered. 

The excessive smoke of BBQ can be unpleasant, this is felt more when you have visitors around. In this quick guide, you will find solutions to make your BBQ less smoky and why it smokes excessively in the first place. 

Why does your grill smoke 

The smoke from your BBQ is normal at times and it can be a burden at other times, this is owed to many reasons. The grill doesn’t just smoke on its own, so here are a few of such reasons you should take note of.

1. Manufacturer’s Coating: 

Let’s face it, new grills often smoke. There is nothing wrong with it, it will smoke on first use. Is like using your gas cooker after a long time, it will produce smoke for the first few days of use. 

So yes, this is a manufacturer coating and your new grills can hardly avoid it. Most manufacturers will advise that you heat your new grill for a few minutes before use, this way you will eliminate the smoke. 

2. Remnants of food: 

If there are remnants of food in your grill, chances are that it will smoke, especially when you are making your BBQ. These accumulated food remnants and oil from previous grilling sessions will smoke your grill when you are making BBQ. 

The best solution here will be to clean your grill after every use, especially if you have intentions of using it to make BBQ in a few days or the next day. Even with high heat, you will enjoy less smoke when you take this option. 

3. Cleaning residues: 

Residuals from cleaning chemicals used to clean your grill can cause smoke when you are making BBQ. This is so because the machine will need to burn off these residuals and this can happen during your BBQ session. 

4. High pressure: 

This is most noticeable with gas grills, high gas pressure always increases the beating flames, what accompanies this pressure is the production of smokes and this can get your BBQ Smoky. 

5. Types of coal: 

The truth is that charcoal grills smoke more than other grills. There is an increase in the smoke when moist gets its way, and this is mostly seen with BBQ, as your seasoning is often spiced with moist. 

Also, if you get to work with your grill, before the flames turn to gray, you will likely experience issues with smoke. So keep your eyes on this! 

6. Broken grill pieces: 

This is seen with the electric grills, when there is a broken heating process in the grill it causes smoke. You can observe if you have broken pieces here by turning off the grill and turning it on again. 

4 best ways to clean your grill and eliminate smokes with your BBQ

A dirty grill can breed hazardous fire, grime buildup, and accumulated grease all in one. These can cause issues such as unpleasant flare-ups, and a full-blown inferno. We have got the solutions for you, so you can have a smoke-free BBQ experience.

Let’s dive in with the 4 best ways to clean your grill and get going with the work at hand. 

1. Disassemble your grill:

When debris builds up in your smoker, sometimes they find their way deep inside and a simple brush approach won’t work it. Your cooker will always smoke, especially when you are making your BBQ. 

 Since we are posed to avoid this occurrence, having a deep clean is the best thing that you can do to have things completely figured out. Open and pull your cooker apart, from the main chamber down below the grates. 

Oftentimes food particles and grease particles always find their way down to the main chamber so get it cleaned of all debris possible. Also open the grates hood and clean them properly. 

2. Clean the tubes: 

The burner tubes are the first to always get clogged on the cooker and checking this out is an essential aspect of your overall cleaning that you must take seriously. You will experience low temperature with your grill, when it is clogged. 

The low temperature in addition, to the debris here, will get your cooker churning out smoke when you less desire it. So get it cleaned up, to enjoy the best BBQ experience you ever wish for. 

When it comes to the tubes you have got to show some extra expertise here, clean the holes on the tubes with steel wire or nylon brush. Be careful so you don’t push debris into the tiny holes, instead of clearing them out. 

The best way to avoid this will be to clean and brush tubes from the middle outward. This way you will be doing great on the job. 

3. Clean the interior: 

Particles and grease deposits are favorites to collect inside the machine interior and grill box. This is a great way to get your cooker cleaned up, and get you going. A good putty knife or an old spatula will get this job done with ease. 

You can use any flat tool, with a great handle so you can place your hands on it, a tool of this kind will get you going and get the job done. 

The case is different with wood and charcoal pellet grills, as ash has a way of building up within their firebox and coal trays. This means that you will have air circulation issues and this will affect your BBQ. 

Pellet grill ash can cause misfiring and firing, this happens when a large fuel catches fire at once. The finest thing to do here is to clean your cooker as we have listed here to avoid these issues from happening. 

Safety precautions

There are a couple of things you will need to stay abreast with if you are to have a successful cleaning process for your cooker. The goal is to have the cooker cleaned up, and ready for use. 

So here are precautions to take note of, so you stay healthy, without bruises after your cleaning. Remember you have BBQ  to make, once the cleaning is over, so let’s get started. 

1. Delay cleaning your grill after use: 

Avoiding the temptation of going to work with your grill after you must have used it, is a piece of fine safety advice that is worth millions. But you need to worry about the cost, it is coming free from me. 

Give your grill adequate time to cool off, it needs to be completely cooled before you get to work. This way you will not get yourself injured easily, and importantly you will avoid fire issues if you are cleaning with metal parts. 

Your safety is the thing here and placing it above any other requirement, is the best bite for this category. Similarly, ensure you don’t place your cooker cover immediately after use, allow air to begin the cooling for you. 

2. Trim down fats: 

While this applies to fatty fish used for BBQ, It applies more to the grilling of meat with a large fat deposit. You must trim down the fats in the meats and fish when you set out for your BBQ operations. 

Fat will cause fire and can lead to an inferno, if not taken care of. The goal is to ensure you can reduce fire as much as you can, and fatty fish if not trimmed can cause this. 

They also cause smoke too, so if you want your BBQ to turn out great and right? Ensure you thick this box off and have the fats trimmed. This will help you stay afloat as you grill your BBQ. 

3. Keep your eyes on the grills: 

With modern cookers allowing for WiFi and Bluetooth connections to allow you access to monitor the progress of your grills, you are a step ahead with real-time monitoring. And this leisure can be an issue if you abandon the cooker. 

Keep your eyes on the grills, irrespective of the fine connections and view you enjoy on the phone. This is important because things can go wrong at any time and if you don’t have your eyes on the grills you might be in for trouble. 

Conclusion

Getting the best out of your BBQ is the way to get things started, your preparation and cooker have got to be great. And when your cooker smokes now and then, you will have issues enjoying your grilling. 

This concern has been taken care of now, you have a list of options on how to clean the cooker and get things going. The precaution steps listed here will guarantee your safety as you grill your BBQ. 

Knowing what causes smoke and how to deal with it, will improve your BBQ experience and I believe you will find this article helpful in this regard.