IndyNick 0 Posted April 26, 2018 Hi guys new to the forum and a new owner of the pit boss 22” from Costco. I’ve been cooking on many different smokers for years and finally decided to give a Kamado a try. So I’ve done probably 6 fires in mine now but I’m getting a wicked chemical smell coming from my grill. I started with a couple of small fires and then gradually ramped up to over 800 to try and burn it off. No luck. I tried throwing just some hotdogs on for the heck of it to see if they would pick up the taste and yep they sure did. I use cowboy lump with the Weber charcoal lighter cubes. Never had an issue with those in my other smoker. Called manufacturer to no help. They just said they hadn’t heard of it and to return it. That would certainly be quite the hassle as these things aren’t exactly light and I destroyed the box getting it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RRL2 69 Posted April 26, 2018 Thats definitely not normal and the 1st I hear of it. I dont think the manufacturer can do much except tell you to send it back and pick up another one... I think any of the kamado companies would say the same if in the same boat. most places shouldn't care about not having the box though.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShowMeSmoke 198 Posted April 26, 2018 I'd try another brand of lump before deciding if the smell is from the grill itself. Perhaps some uncarbonized pieces are the source. Not too many folks like the Cowboy brand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ndg_2000 194 Posted April 26, 2018 (edited) As Show me smoke said give the kamado a good clear out of your old lump and Ash and try a different brand of charcoal could be something in the bag you bought. Edited April 26, 2018 by ndg_2000 Spelling Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IndyNick 0 Posted April 26, 2018 Ok I’ll grab some green egg or royal oak lump and give it a try. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Savski 0 Posted April 26, 2018 Hi I had this issue on my Pit boss K24, I bought the kamado last March, and struggled from then until around this March, I tried everything, to no avail, and then a light bulb moment. I did a 700f burnout, then a few days later I used my small weber chimney starter to light the lump, poured that onto unlit lump let the temp settle, and bingo No horrid smell. I really cannot tell you how close I was to my wits end, I am a very patient person, and have thrown countless amounts of meat away, my better half had no interest in kamados whatsoever, after enjoying 10 years of really quite special Weber kettle food. I hope this helps in some way. All the best. Craig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RRL2 69 Posted April 27, 2018 ahh I thought the chemical smell was from new (before any fire was put through) are you guys letting the coal enough time to heat up and clear? I usually give my coal at least 30 mins so it has a clean burn. I find if I put my meat on too early the smoke coming from the coal gives a stronger and off taste at times. but by no means was it a chemical taste and smell. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ndg_2000 194 Posted May 20, 2018 @IndyNick Did you resolve your problem? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IndyNick 0 Posted May 25, 2018 On 5/20/2018 at 11:41 AM, ndg_2000 said: @IndyNick Did you resolve your problem? On 5/20/2018 at 11:41 AM, ndg_2000 said: @IndyNick Did you resolve your problem? Kinda sorta. I did try a different brand of charcoal but I just don’t get that typical Kamado cooking flavor that I’m used to with the other brands of cookers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Watkins273 0 Posted May 31, 2018 i always have this problem with cowboy lump. I only buy royal oak. also i never use any sort of chemical to start my fire. twigs and sticks. in a pinch i will use a rutland firestarter cube on my weber. the starter cube is made of sawdust and paraffin wax. you can get a box of 144 cubes for $20 on amazon. 1 cube is enough to light the coals. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chasdev 317 Posted June 1, 2018 I tried pretty much every brand I could get my hands on and finally settled on FOGO, lots of good size pieces, very little "crumbs", it lights right up, no weird smells and it burns a long time with very little ash. Some of the lumps are so large I have to bust them up with a hammer...but I'm tempted to try to burn one of the big ones just to see what happens, temp control wise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ndg_2000 194 Posted June 1, 2018 Great to hear you have sorted your problem Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joejoe 0 Posted June 13, 2018 New to this forum, just purchased a pit boss from Costco as well and a wicked chemical smell as in the original post here. I read through the comments here but was not clear on how the problem was resolved. Was the smell burnt off with use? The smell is definitely coming from the Kamado and not from the coal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m-fine 196 Posted June 13, 2018 I would try getting it really hot. Light a chimney of charcoal, or a small pile in the bottom. Then, dump more charcoal on top to fill it up with a good sized load. Once the fire gets going, close the lid and open the vents all the way and let it rip until the fire goes out. It should get to 800+ and hopefully air off any residual chemicals from the factory. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites