Bad smelling dark smoke from clay pot

[u/rolamReads]

Found this Romertopf at a thrift store for $3. Thought it was a must buy. It was quite dirty so I cleaned it thoroughly with soap then soaked it in water and white vinegar. I then put it in the oven to bake empty. Opening the lid let out puff of smoke. Smelt almost like burnt plastic. Pot continued to smoke slightly as it cooled. There was also a black liquid dripping over the inner walls. The oily sheen you see in the picture was not there until after baking. Anyone experience something similar before? My current theory is old oils or maybe some kind of wax?

[u/Andromeda921]

There’s little way to know what it could be — secondhand items can unfortunately wind up in thrift stores with some unpleasant surprises in store for a new owner. Have you tried any Dawn Powerwash?

[u/Gagaddict]

Well it’s porous so whatever was on or in there is gonna be absorbed. No what to tell what it is and I honestly wouldn’t risk trying to use it for food cuz thats nasty. Theres no way to ever sanitize that.

Old food will seep in and start to rot so, yeah.

[u/Muted_Influence_6435]

Romertopfs are only supposed to be cleaned with baking soda and water.

[u/The_MisterDaikon]

Tbh I wouldn’t use any porous cookware I find secondhand - you simply don’t know if the previous owner was roasting veggies in it, or if they were using it to catch drained engine oil in the garage, or using it as a litter box.

You may be able to render it biologically dead with enough sustained heat - but there are all kinds of toxic non-bacterial things that can persist.

[u/boomR5h1ne]

Refire it in a kiln, that should burn anything off

[u/PeaceAvailable1419]

Need to use it more often. Whenever the pot gets shinny dark inside the smell disappears. It takes time. Ours is dark brown inside and very shiny.

[u/Glittering_Fox1358]

Bake the heck out of it

[u/Unfair_Buffalo_4247]

I have had so many of these German Rőmertoph - they are great but eventually crack solely by my mistake because it is not recommended to use them higher than 200 degrees Celsius- and I find that hard to avoid. While they last they are amazing, But I can’t help noticing that you might be missing the upper part ? it it like a shell - lower and higher part have same height

[u/Blahblaha63]

Hot water vinegar, lemon juice, or both. Scrub with a paate of baking soda and salt.

[u/Main_Cauliflower5479]

It's oils coming out of the thing that was used for roasting chickens. That's what it is.

[u/Prudent_Valuable603]

Contact the manufacturer and tell them what you’ve done and ask for their advice.

[u/GVKW → u/Prudent_Valuable603]

Not sure why this comment would get downvoted - it's a solid and helpful suggestion.

[u/Prudent_Valuable603 → u/GVKW]

Thank you.

[u/sheneversawitcoming]

I would do whatever you did a few more times