Smoky Taste

Gloria · January 2002

We just cooked for the first time on our large Big Green Egg and the cooking procedure was as smooth as a baby's hinney! However, I want to know if everything one cooks on the Egg will have a "smoked" taste? We did a pork loin and so the smokey taste was fine but I do not want my steaks nor hamburgers nor lamb to taste of smokey flavors. We are going to cook a leg of lamb tomorrow to make gyros with and I definitely do not want it to taste like the pork. I have wanted an Egg for a number of years but it was only after returning from a month in Italy that whetted the hybby's desire for something resembling brick-oven cooking without having to construct one himself. We're just too damn old to be building a barbecue pit and the Egg looks like the perfect answer for us.

Vegas Slim · January 2002

Gloria,
truthfully i have not had that problem if the fire has been going for a while it should be a clean burning fire with very little smoke did you have a drip pan under the loin? the drippings will cause more of a smoke flavor to the meat
(i think)

Gloria · January 2002

vegas slim, I forgot to mention that I put several branches of fresh rosemary (soaked in water) onto the coals just as I put the pork loin on. A good bit of smoke came from the hole on the top. Could this have been the reason for the smokey tast? Thanks for your response

Bordello · January 2002

gloria,
While you're waiting Vegas to jump back in, may I say that if very well may be your problem. Try cooking something with a clean burning egg, (let it run till you don't see any smoke coming out the top) and see if that taste O.K. for you, if so you can start to put a few wood chips that have been soaked to see if you like the flavor it will add to the meat. Be sure to let the egg get past the starting phase (smoke coming out the top) before putting your meat on. If you need more help others will jump in at some point.
Best of luck,
New Bob

Tim M · January 2002

Gloria,[p]Using lump charcoal will always provide "some" amount of a smokey taste by itself. It will range from very very mild to heavy like dragging your tongue thru the fireplace. It depends on three factors:
temp
smoking woods
grease and food build-up[p]Since you added some wood - you're going to get smoke if the dome temps are under 350 deg. Above that the wood chips/chunks soaked or not will flame and not smoke much. So grilling yields less smokey taste than cooking at 250 deg -- with or without adding wood. The best smoke yield (I have found) is around 225-250 deg. [p]Clean your Egg after a sloppy cook or the smoking remains will impart some strange tastes - the easiest way is to bring it up to 500-600 deg and hold it for 10 min or until the smoke stops rolling out the top. Heck, at this point you might as well increase the temps to 700-750 (vent open and slide top wide open on the Egg will give you 700-750 deg) and do some steaks. [p]Tim

Marv · January 2002

Gloria,
Lump charcoal IS wood just burned down to embers and them all the oxygen taken away to they go out and not burn to ashes. You can actually say that it is a spice of sorts because it imparts a flavor on the food as does any other spice.
Maybe using the comercial birquetes with all of their unhealthy additives would be more to you liking.
Or maybe using the GAS grill so you will have that every so present and WONDERFUL taste of propane...yummmm.
All kidding aside, if you enjoy they type of cooking (BGE) you will get used to and like the hint of smoke after awhile.
My ex-sister in law moved from the Oregon desert to Alanta, Gerogia where smoke cooking reaturants are pleniful and do not like food cooked with that flavor. I guess the eat at McDonalds??
Marv

Gloria · January 2002

Marv, thanks for the info and humor! We did a leg of lamb yesterday and I did not put anything on the charcoal...put it on the v-rack and let it sear at 500 for 10 minutes, and then the hubby turned lowered the temp to 375 and it cooked for 1 1/2 hours. It was without a doubt the best lamb we've ever cooked. Am going to try some beef ribs tonight and I want them to tast smokey. You are right, "smoke joints" are everywhere in Atlanta and all of Georgia and we love hawg cooked over an open fire with all the lingering smokey taste. Oh, the lamb did not have that "smoked" taste. So I am glad to know that we have the best of both worlds in the Egg. I do think that I want the little bitty egg so that I can put baked beans on while our 'cue is going. I can tell already that one egg may not be enough!

Smoky Taste

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