Any tips for avoiding soot when cooking on a grill?

[Kim Shook]

Not sure where this question should go, so if it needs to be moved - thanks!  

 

I occasionally need to sear something in what the TV chefs like to call a screaming hot pan.  Even opening windows and turning on the exhaust, you get a LOT of smoke.  My lungs just can't take it and I cough for hours and feel breathless (long ago I was diagnosed with largely asymptomatic asthma).  Our gas grill has a burner and it occurred to me that it was the answer to this dilemma.  It was, but created another problem.  When I went to clean my iron skillet, the bottom and outer sides were covered with a thick layer of soot.  It took at least 5 washings to get it off.  Is there something i can do to prevent this?  I thought maybe covering the bottom with a couple of layers of heavy duty foil (like you do a springform pan in a water bath), but Mr. Kim thinks it would just burn up the foil.  Any ideas??  Thanks!

[Smithy]

I hear you with regard to smoke in the house! Anything smoky or grease-spatteringly messy happens outside around here.

 

In my (limited) experience, soot like that suggests that the burners aren't burning cleanly. Is there any way to clean the burners - say, make sure the ports are clear? I'm not sure I'd know how to do it with our gas grill, but we have a lot of tinkerers on the forum (@dcarch, are you listening?) who may be able to help.

 

Another possibility is to use a pan that you don't mind getting and leaving sooty for the season. We have one dedicated to outdoor work that hangs on the outside wall. A variation on that would be to put a griddle atop the burners and let it be the one to get sooty, then put the pan atop the griddle. The pan shouldn't get smoky then. I don't think the heat transfer would be as good with that setup, though.

[Okanagancook]

If there is an adjustment for air, you may need more air for an efficient burn.  My outdoor burner is like that.  And yes, I now do my searing in the outdoor kitchen area.

[Spork]

Coat the outside of the pan with dish soap before putting it on the grill. 

[AlaMoi]

if any pan heating on top of a gas flame is collecting soot, there is absolutely no question - the burners need adjustment/maintenance.

[Joe Blowe]

The answer, as Smithy already stated, is that you need a dedicated cast iron pan for high heat searing. (Where's the flame font when you need it?)

 

Soot aside, you will do nothing but burn away your well-seasoned intentions over time by using your favorite pan over a screaming-hot burner. I use a cheap Lodge pan for searing duties over my charcoal Vortex.

[dcarch]

5 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Not sure where this question should go, so if it needs to be moved - thanks!  

 

I occasionally need to sear something in what the TV chefs like to call a screaming hot pan.  Even opening windows and turning on the exhaust, you get a LOT of smoke.  My lungs just can't take it and I cough for hours and feel breathless (long ago I was diagnosed with largely asymptomatic asthma).  Our gas grill has a burner and it occurred to me that it was the answer to this dilemma.  It was, but created another problem.  When I went to clean my iron skillet, the bottom and outer sides were covered with a thick layer of soot.  It took at least 5 washings to get it off.  Is there something i can do to prevent this?  I thought maybe covering the bottom with a couple of layers of heavy duty foil (like you do a springform pan in a water bath), but Mr. Kim thinks it would just burn up the foil.  Any ideas??  Thanks!

 

Are you sure you are talking about soot? I am not sure your can get soot from burning gas. I could be wrong. What you may be getting is grease/fat dripping down on the fire and vaporizes. The vapor gets condensed on the bottom of your cookware and gets carbonized.

 

I don't know soot can get caked on bottom of cookware. If it is soot, you can wipe it off with a paper tower. What you are describing sound more like carbonized accumulation of cooking oil/fat.

 

To tell if your gas burner is adjusted properly: if the flame is blue, you are OK. If the flame is orange, it needs to be re-adjusted.

 

Soot and smoke are airborne  microscopic particles. If they create problems for you indoors, you may be able to get your doctor to write you a prescription to buy an electrostatic sir cleaner.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, dcarch said:

 

Are you sure you are talking about soot? I am not sure your can get soot from burning gas.

  

 

I used to work for a company that made carbon black (soot, if you will) by burning natural gas with insufficient oxygen for complete combustion.  Incomplete combustion may mean the stove is misadjusted.

 

[Okanagancook]

I have this one

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/master-chef-stand-fryer-0853259p.0853259.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw27jnBRBuEiwAdjQXDE4QtQzcYYlKVV2iRrtM_uMBvCPDZr0ddjT2dxc7furiyCPx_LDKuxoCJ1IQAvD_BwE#store=351

 

where the hose connects  the shaft is open and the stainless steel slide is moved back over the shaft to the appropriate spot so the gas burns blue.

[Kim Shook]

Thanks so much, everyone.  I'm going to get Mr. Kim to look at this thread.  Sounds like the grill needs some work.  

[btbyrd]

I was going to suggest incomplete combustion as well. This is strange and is not something that should happen with gas burners, even the side-burners on grills. If you dial back the gas flow and double check that there's proper ventilation, that should solve the problem. As Okanagancook points out, there's probably a simple adjustment you can make on your grill that will get things working; check out the grill's manual, as it likely has instructions on how to do exactly this. Side burners on grills are often used infrequently, and often get neglected. I know that's the case on my family's grill. Over the seasons, they can go from functioning well to in need of a servicing. Pollen and spiders like to clog things up, and hot-cold-hot seasonal cycles can make connectors and regulators wiggle ever so subtly. We must be forever vigilant in our battles with entropy.

 

Also, if anyone's looking for a cheap gas burner for outdoor searing, I highly recommend the Iwatani 35FW butane powered stove. It is the most powerful portable gas burner on the market, and the fact that you can take it anywhere is a real game-changer -- even for those of us lucky enough to have outdoor grills with side-burners. If it's raining outside, I can sear on my front porch instead! And if I ever need to go to someone's house and don't trust their stove... or go to a picnic or camping... or start a catering business... or...

[AlaMoi]

the usual and customary suspect with grills/outdoor stuff is spiders/etc inhabiting the piping during idle periods.  nests/egg sacs /etc block the air flow....

 

the portability factor can come into play if all the components / air flow gates / etc were not snugged down after proper adjustment/set up.

if loose those parts can bounce out of position a lot easier than on a kitchen stovetop....