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funny taste

joe
joe Posts: 8
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I bought a green egg yesterday and cooked rib-eye as my first meal. The steaks cooked very well, but I got a very strange taste, almost like burning plastic. I used the Green Egg lump charcoal and lit the coals with the green egg fire starter.

Does the grill need to be seasoned, before you use it? If not, any ideas why the strange taste.

Comments

  • My bet is that you didn't let the Egg heat up and let the bad smoke clear after you light the Egg. It will usually take 15-20 minutes with new lump for the VOC's to burn off. The smoke will become a clear to clear blueish color when the coals are ready to cook on. The smell of a ready Egg should smell more like wood burning. No seasoning is needed for your new Egg. There is a slight learning curve to the Egg that you will over come quickly. Here is one lesson you have already learned. So go forth and Egg, practice makes perfect. :)
  • Broc
    Broc Posts: 1,398
    Ditto to above -- with one slight addition to PJ's advice.

    When you think the Egg is ready to cook on, wait another 10 minutes.

    BTW -- Fire starters can also add "plastic" tastes to the food. I hate them thangs!

    Before I converted to starting with a gas weed burner, I used to use three paper towels, each twisted up like wicks and oozled [yes, thet Be a word!] with olive oil.

    A little slow -- but nice fire, with no after taste.

    Good luck!

    ~ Broc
  • Craig
    Craig Posts: 72
    I've had the exact same thing happen and I agree with what everyone said above,and I'll add one thing. Use less lump. I used to use the amount recommended in the BGE manual. Unless I'm cooking for a few hours, that's too much for me.

    For normal grilling, I use just enough lump to give me about a single layer of lump, or maybe just a little more. I think when I use more than that, a portion of the lump is perfect and ready too cook, but other portions haven't even ignited yet. Once I start cooking, and the fire continues to spreads to the unignited lump, I start getting that nasty smoke and smell in my food.

    That's just my theory. I don't know exactly why it happens, but I do know that when I started using less lump, I never got that nasty, sooty, plasticy, taste in my food again.