too much smoke?

Unknown · June 2001

I bought an Egg over the weekend, and the first thing I made was something simple -- hamburgers -- just to get a feel for how fast the Egg cooks. No sense ruining an elaborate dish on my first try, right? As it turns out I may have ruined hamburgers, at least as far as my wife is concerned. She said they taste too "smoky." Since the Egg is a smoker and a grill, is there a method to avoid too much smoke flavor? FYI: My wife loves grilled food of all kinds. Our Weber grill cooks with the top down and the vents open slightly (just like the Egg), but she says it is not as "smoky" tasting. I thought the hamburgers were great... very juicy, a bit smoky perhaps, but something I can acquire a taste for, I'm sure. I just want to tame it a bit.

bdavidson · June 2001

scott langford,
I cook burgers like I do steaks...hot and fast. If you cook them at high temperature, there's not much smoke created. What temperature did you use?

Wise One · June 2001

scott langford, I am assuming that you cooked only with the lump with no added smoking wood. You will get a certain amount of "smoke" taste with only the lump but some lump has more taste than others. Another consideration is how much smoke is being contained. Cooking at a high temperature allows for less time in the smoke and therefore less smoke taste. I cook my hamburgers at 600-650 for about two minutes on a side and then let them "dwell" (both vents shut) for about another four to six minutes. I like the taste and don't think it's smoky but it is quite distinctive.

Tim M · June 2001

scott langford,[p]Smoke is a personal taste and I don't care for much of it. My web pages have very few refferences to adding wood, I like the small amount I get in using the lump alone.[p]Foul (turkey, chicken, etc) really absorbs smoke so use none and add some on the next cook if you wanted more. You can turn people off to BBQ if you throw to much smoke at the food (IMHO). Grilling at 350 and up produces little to no smoke but you still get more tatste than the "no taste" gas monsters so do more grilling and see if the wife likes you cooking again.[p]Tim[p]

Spin · June 2001

scott langford,[p]A strong smoke taste is unusual, especially for someone used to grilled foods with the top down. Are you using lump charcoal for fuel? Briquets will give a strong flavor when used in the Egg. The second possibility is you are starting the cook before your Egg has achieved a regulated cooking temperature. A white, blue, or yellowish colored smoke indicates that the fire is still growing and this can produce a stronger smoke flavor in a meal.[p]With both top and bottom vents wide open, start the lump, close the dome, and allow the temp to rise freely to about 50°F below your intended cooking temperature. Close down on both vents (the bottom one provides the most control) to catch and hold the rising temperature. An Egg regulating the cooking temperature will produce little to no visible smoke out the top vent.[p]Spin

Zip · June 2001

scott langford,[p]The one point that no one has considered is grease from the burgers. If you use cheap burger that is better than 15% - 20% fat, this can cause a problem. Wood creates smoke and so does grease. I would assume that the burgers probably had a noticeable red tinge or coloring around the edges and the egg was belching some serious white smoke. If this was the case, I would suggest trying some burger with a lower fat content and stay away from those frozen pre formed burgers......[p]Ashley

WessB · June 2001

Spin,
Good day to ya Mr. Spin..
One experience I would like to add to your post for other newbies..which I dont ever remember reading here before....when you light the egg with starter cubes and close the dome (in my eggsperience) the temp rises to the 300° range and then drops back to the 200°-150° range as the firestarter burns out and the lump begins to burn..so you dont want to adjust the vents prematurely as I did several times before becoming aware of this fact...I`m sure you Eggsperts have had similar eggsperiences and probably just take this for granted..but my first low and slow I had to re-light the egg as I snuffed it almost completely out...
Hope this is helpful to some..[p]Wess

Unknown · June 2001

Spin,
I'm using lump, although in my Weber I always used Kingsford briquettes. I'm sure there is a slight difference in taste from lump to briquettes, but the smoky flavor was strong enough to draw complaints from my wife. I did not use any wood chips to add flavor or more smoke, just the lump. How much lump do you recommend I put in the firebox? The manual says to add about two inches of lump, although I've seen posts from folks who say they fill the firebox to the top. [p]Someone else also asked what grade of burger I used, and it's true it was some cheap, not-so-lean grade of beef. Remember, I did not want to risk ruining an expensive dinner on my first try! It did drip quite a bit onto the coals, but the burgers were done all the way through and they were still very moist when finished, so I think I cooked them for the proper amount of time/doneness. They were just very smoky flavored.[p]

Unknown · June 2001

Wise One,
I used lump. But how much lump do you recommend. I followed the manual's directions and used two inches of lump for starters, but I have read other posts saying to fill the firebox to the top. Suggestions?[p]Also, I kept the heat between 350 to 400.[p]
If I cook at a high temp, then shut the vents down, doesn't that generate a lot of smoke inside the lid that will make everything taste like too much smoke?

Unknown · June 2001

bdavidson,
I cooked at 350 to 400 the whole time, keeping the ceramic lid half on the top vent

JimW · June 2001

scott langford,
Having read the posts below, I think you had the burgers on the fire too long at too low a temperature. Run your dome temp up to 600F to 650F. I use about 15% fat content in ground chuck. Make your patties about 5/8 to 3/4 inch thick. I like my burgers a bit rare so I only cook them for 3 minutes a side. If you like them more done, try between 3 1/2 and 4 minutes a side. At those temps and for that short a time you won't get too much smoke taste.
JimW

too much smoke?

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