Black Gunk Dripping on My Fish

[t_dub]

not sure how to fix this.  every time i smoke salmon, all the moisture from the salmon condenses on the top of my OBS and drips black creosote looking gunk onto a good portion of the fish.  it pretty much ruins a handful of pieces each time.  i've played with temperatures and keeping the top vent from fully closed to fully open, but still get the drips each time.  any ideas on how to fix this cause i'm all out of ideas and it's really starting to piss me off?

[KyNola]

Yep, open the vent 100% or better yet remove it.  If that doesn't fix the issue(and it should) put a piece of cheesecloth or one of those paper coffee filters on your top rack so if the condensation drips it won't drip on your salmon.  100% vent open 100% of the time should fix your issue though.

[Salmonsmoker]

I have the same problem with my six rack. Vent's always full open. Mine seems to drip only from around the vent area and stains the piece right underneath. I'm going to hang a throw-away aluminum pie tin beneath the vent to catch the drips, leaving ample room for smoke and moisture to exit the vent. I think it's cool enough around the vent for the the moisture to start condensing before it's escaped into the air. I don't seem to have this problem when the ambient temps outside are warmer.

[t_dub]

good ideas.  thanks guys!!!

[watchdog56]

I run with vent fully open all the time. You may want to start with lower temps and run them up slowly. Start at 120-130 for 1 hour then up to 140 for 1 hour then 150 for 1 hour then 160 until done.

[ghost9mm]

Yep, open the vent 100% or better yet remove it.  If that doesn't fix the issue(and it should) put a piece of cheesecloth or one of those paper coffee filters on your top rack so if the condensation drips it won't drip on your salmon.  100% vent open 100% of the time should fix your issue though.

X 2

[Habanero Smoker]

I find the vent useful in controlling temperatures in the winter, and it depend on what you are smoking and the size of the load you have. If you swapped out your bowl for a large pan, that exposes a large surface of water that is evaporating, that is going to add moisture and I can see running the vent full open.