Completely removing creosote/smoke from metal

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OppamaBrendan

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I am a homebrewer who is trying out some buckboard bacon (shoulder roast instead of belly) and dont have a smoker at home.
I work at a BBQ and Craft Beer restaurant so I could have the pitmaster take care of it for me but I wan't to do this myself.
I could use my clay Pizza oven but that would require cutting the meat down and doing it in batches (due to size)
I was thinking of using my large stainless brewkettle, hanging the meat from a steel rod across the top, with the lid on and the drain valve wide open for airflow. (the lid is hinged and has a vent hole where my immersion chiller goosenecks stick out) I think this will work fine, but my main concern is affecting my brews afterwards with off flavors.

I have access to line cleaners, both alkaline and acid. I have the ability to torch the metal to burn away creosote. I have microabrasive melamine sponges and steel wool to scrub anything.

Is there any big risk of off flavors if I do a good scrub and wash of the kettle after smoking?

Cheers!
 
I would not use my brew gear to smoke meat with.

Do you have a Kettle grill? If so, you can do it on that. When I make Buckboard Bacon I only use the Coppa Muscle (aka "Money Muscle") I use the rest of the butt to make sausage (Brats, Kielbasa, breakfast sausage, etc.). That make a nice manageable size to cure, smoke, and slice.

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Thanks, I went ahead and used the brewkettle. I probably won't again, not because it was tough to clean (it wasn't) but the hassle of loading the coals and wood chips from the top was not something I care to repeat. It turned out really nice but had to be turned a few times to smoke evenly. I ran the idea past my pitmaster first, he is also a homebrewer and wasn't concerned about the ability to clean up afterwards.

The line cleaner stripped the smoke/tar/creosote off very quickly, I barely needed to touch it with a sponge.

I'll brew a porter in it next, and let you know if it becomes phenolic or smoky.
 
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