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Tired of lump

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Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Anyone try a different combination of coal to get a different taste? I use RO and let it burn off pretty long before using just to eliminate some smokiness. On Saturady did some ribs, on Sunday some burgers. And I decided I just want a change in taste so I was thinking of just using briquets or a combination of maybe 50/50 lump and briquets. Regarding using other woods, I truly believe some are milder than others but they all pretty much offer the same taste.

Any suggestions?

Howard
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Comments

  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
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    I think the only thing briquettes will give you is a whole lot more ash. -RP
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    Howard,

    It has been a long time since I have used Cowboy but as I recall it has less smoke flavor imparted to the food than RO.

    Other than using smoking cheese I don't use bricketts.

    The Whiz's site has more on the subject. nakedwhiz.com

    Others will jump in.

    Kent
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  • Longknocker
    Longknocker Posts: 62
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    I stopped using RO because I had to let it burn a long time for it to clear and it had an overpowering yucky smoke flavor if I didn't, I couldn't stand it. Also once you let it clear at say 300 then say after an hour you wanted to raise the temp to 400 it would start to produce that nasty smoke again.
    I like Cowboy the best but I also have started using Ozark Oak and like that alot also.
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    Howard,

    I just had a another thought from Saturday's pizza cook.

    Open your top damper a lot more and control your temp with the lower vent. The theory is that the smoke will linger less in the dome.

    Saturday I was cooking pizza at 600° on the pizza stone and left the top damper completely off. I had very little if any smoke flavor in the pizza. One of my kids family was here and they all noticed and commented as to the point they couldn't taste the smoke for the egg.

    Kent
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  • East Cobb Eggy
    East Cobb Eggy Posts: 1,162
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    I would not use any bruquets. They are manufactured and full of chemicals.

    Have you tried smoking woods?

    My local BBQ galore has some really nice mesquite and hickory (my favorite) wood chuncks.

    Also, georgia backyard has Jack Daniel's wood barrel chips, wine chips and a variety of other woods.

    Also, there are smoking pellets, which I have yet to try but would like to.

    http://www.americasbestbbq.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=8069

    I hope this helps.

    Greg
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,747
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    try tossing in a rosemary branch, some dried grape vine, an onion, lots of things to try before brickets
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Luvs to shoot clay
    Luvs to shoot clay Posts: 774
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    Have you tried mesquite lump? Maybe it's a local thing but it is easy to find around here (near Houston) and the smoke doesn't seem that strong. Maybe that it's just because that's what most of the barbeque is cooked on around here and I am used to it. Most of the competition cookers I have talked to only use oak for heat and use something else for the smoke so it always made sense to use mesquite lump.
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    One problem you will have with briquettes is the enormous volume of ash that is produced. I haven't tested too many brands of briquettes but I did happen to mess around with the Wicked Good Charcoal briquettes and they produced about the lowest volume of ash that I've ever noticed. If you do decide to go that route, you might keep Wicked Good Charcoal in mind if you want less ash. Good luck!
    The Naked Whiz
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  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
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    I'd go with Grandpas Grub's suggestion of leaving the daisy wheel off and regulate the temp using the bottom vent.

    My wife says when I do the dwell method for steaks that is recommended by BGE they taste bitter. I then did a cook without the daisy wheel and got the "Wow, now this is good. What did you do differently?"
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  • ILL--EGGER
    ILL--EGGER Posts: 478
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    This sounds like a fantastic idea as my wife has concerns on wether we can produce completely "smoke free" foods. I'll try this on some of my upcoming cooks!
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  • Broc
    Broc Posts: 1,398
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    My experience has been that when closing the Egg down to drop temp to roast, smoke accumulates in the Egg.

    Once temp is down, open the LVent a bit, and the daisy a lot more [for the roast/dwell], so smoke flows out of the Egg.

    No more burn/bitter taste...

    ~ Broc

    PS: All my "roast" states have the bottom closed down nearly closed and the top relatively more open... gets rid of bitterness...

    ~ B
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    I ordered some lump and some briquettes from wicked good. I've actually decided I liked the briquettes better. There's more ash than the lump, but not that much more, and the lump had so many small pieces, it was a daily chore to get rid of them. It's much easier to just clear out the ash and add a few more briquettes. For the type of cooking I do - urban balcony, usually just steaks, chops, or seafood, briquettes suit me just fine.
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