Chemical taste and smell

Green_with_envy

hello big green egg chefs: we have cooked a pork tenderloin that we infused with garlic, olive oil, and rosemary  as well as a chicken we butterflied and used a dry rub. We placed them both on a rack inside a drip pan. Both had a horrible chemical taste and a white film. The inverter was legs up and the temperature was 400 degrees. Are we cooking too hot? The chicken and pork were fresh and perfectly seasoned however both were inedible. What are we doing wrong? 
Disappointed, and green_with_envy

loveTheEgg

How long did you let the fire burn before putting the meat on? What kind of lump are you using? 

Mattman3969

+1 on @lovetheEgg question. Was your pan sitting directly on the PS?

ChillyWillis

You didn't by any chance use lighter fluid to light your egg (or use match light charcoal) did you?

welcome to the forum! You're in the right place if you have questions that need answering. There are some very knowledgeable folks around here. 

ChillyWillis

Another question, if you didn't use lighter fluid then how did you light the egg? Did you use parafin cubes or any other sort of starter cube?

Zmokin

I have to ask, did you use lighter fluid to light the lump?

henapple

Was the meat in a pan? Don't worry. .you'll work through this

johnkitchens

I am guessing that the original poster put the food on way too early and was probably using BGE lump. I made the same mistake when I first started egging.

Fred19Flintstone

My guess is you didn't let the fire burn long enough to clear the bad smoke before putting your food on.  How long does that take?  It depends on the lump you're using.  Simple rule saves you here.  If your smoke smells bad (like chemicals), then your food will taste bad.  Wait a bit for the fire to burn that bad smoke out.  If your smoke smells good, then your food will taste good.

Welcome and cook something awesome!

Green_with_envy

Thanks y'all for your comments and suggestions. We used the lump charcoal from barbecues galore and the big green egg starter cubes. We let the temp in the egg reach 400 degrees. The meat was on a rack in the drip pan when we placed it in the egg. How long should we let the fire burn before we begin cooking? How do you keep the potatoes and vegetables in the drip pan from getting dry? 

Chubbs

Let the lump burn clean. Smell the smoke before you put meat on. If it stinks the food will too. 

NPHuskerFL

Also EVOO (although wonderful on many things) at higher temps and radiant heat can give off some unpleasant taste. 

theyolksonyou

Chubbs said:

Let the lump burn clean. Smell the smoke before you put meat on. If it stinks the food will too. 

Stick your hand in the smoke. If your hand stinks, your food will stink. 

It it depends on what lump you're using as to how long that takes. 

HendersonTRKing

Was the drip pan sitting directly on the plate setter (inverter?). An air gap between the pan and the ceramic (I use copper plumbing elbows) will keep acrid smell/taste from burning drippings from fouling a good cook. 

Jstroke

I'm going n a different direction. Was the dasy wheel on the egg? if so, BINGO. 

jaydub58

@lstroke, what affect would the DFMT have on this situation?
Just askin'

theyolksonyou

jaydub58 said:

@lstroke, what affect would the DFMT have on this situation?
Just askin'

Agree, cooked many a cook with a cap either smokeware or daisy wheel. Just burn off the bad smoke first. 

Chubbs

Jstroke said:

I'm going n a different direction. Was the dasy wheel on the egg? if so, BINGO. 

This has nothing to do with it unless on and closed. 

NCEggSmoker

I had a bag of lump that had a kerosine type smell to it that I never could get to burn clean. After ruining a meal from getting impatient and putting a pork tenderloin on over that stinky fire I finally tossed the bag. It's possible if the other suggestions aren't the reason then you could try a different lump. 

Jstroke

On higher temp cooks I leave the wheel off. I use the bottom vent to control my temps. you can get back presure which creates a nasty flavor