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Reverse sear, unpleasant smoke flavor

This past Saturday did reverse sear on 1.5"+ strips.  Stabilized direct around 325 dome on XL.  Cooking 4 steaks.  Wifes goes on 15 minutes before the rest and she likes medium well.  Others went on, total time indirect was about 35 minutes to get the others to about 125.  Pulled all steaks off and then let it come up to about 550.  Let hold there for awhile (10 to 15 minutes).  Steaks were all cooked perfectly after about a 2 minute per side sear.  Everyone loved them except me.  I could taste and nasty smoke flavor.  I would say it is similar to the flavor you can get when cooking burgers sometime.

Any others have this before?  Do others go indirect verse direct?

Thanks,
James

Comments

  • johnnyp
    johnnyp Posts: 3,932
    When you first fire up the egg, wait for the thick, white smoke to clear before you put on the food.  

    Ideally, the smoke with be thin and whispy.  Sometimes blue-ish or colorless.  

    Good smoke is worth the extra wait.
    XL & MM BGE, 36" Blackstone - Newport News, VA
  • What type of lump were you using? Cheap lump (like Cowboy for example) can impart a nasty smoke flavor. 
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited March 2016
    Rib eyes?

    that's dripping fat burning
    EDIT: just saw they were strips. Hmmm no idea

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  • fruitguy
    fruitguy Posts: 303
    Egg stable prior to strips going on.  Good lump, used Joe jr since our ace does not have one of our fellow eggers brand. 

    Really lost on this one. Maybe just a fluke. Thought I would just check. 
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
    I used the kamado Joe lump once and thought it imparted a bad smoke flavor. 
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @fruitguy
    I actually have a couple of thoughts as to what may have caused the "off" taste. As with most things, I may be off by miles, so read it for what it is. My lowly and humble thoughts. Nothing more. 
    First, I see that you cranked the heat up to 550. This is good and proper. However this may also be the culprit. Above you said that you held 550 for about 10 minutes. That's just about the time that grease embedded in the ceramics from previous cooks will start off gassing. What I'm trying to say is that there is a good chance that grease from previous cooks could be the culprit. Even though you may not see grease, I assure you that it can be in the ceramics. 
    Secondly, gunk build up on the cooking grid will produce a crappy taste when heated to high temps. And the food certainly will pick it up. For clarity, I wasn't there to see your set up. So I can't say that either of the above was the culprit with any certainty. But I can say with 100% certainty that both will cause a crappy taste. Just thought I would share these two thoughts my friend. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,676
    Hans61 said:
    I used the kamado Joe lump once and thought it imparted a bad smoke flavor. 
    I picked up a couple of bags of Kamado Joe at Costco and I thought it was very good. No bad taste and nice sized pieces.
    I wish my Costco carried it all the time.
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
    GregW said:
    Hans61 said:
    I used the kamado Joe lump once and thought it imparted a bad smoke flavor. 
    I picked up a couple of bags of Kamado Joe at Costco and I thought it was very good. No bad taste and nice sized pieces.
    I wish my Costco carried it all the time.
    I wish I had that experience, it was a good deal, mine had come from Costco as well. No complaints on the size of the pieces, just thought the butts I smoked with it had an off flavor that I hadn't tasted before. The lump was the only thing different in my equation as far as I can tell.
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901

    SGH said:
    @fruitguy
    I actually have a couple of thoughts as to what may have caused the "off" taste. As with most things, I may be off by miles, so read it for what it is. My lowly and humble thoughts. Nothing more. 
    First, I see that you cranked the heat up to 550. This is good and proper. However this may also be the culprit. Above you said that you held 550 for about 10 minutes. That's just about the time that grease embedded in the ceramics from previous cooks will start off gassing. What I'm trying to say is that there is a good chance that grease from previous cooks could be the culprit. Even though you may not see grease, I assure you that it can be in the ceramics. 
    Secondly, gunk build up on the cooking grid will produce a crappy taste when heated to high temps. And the food certainly will pick it up. For clarity, I wasn't there to see your set up. So I can't say that either of the above was the culprit with any certainty. But I can say with 100% certainty that both will cause a crappy taste. Just thought I would share these two thoughts my friend. 



    Test SGH's theory and do a clean burn, then try it again! Hope it was the grease and not the lump, maybe that was my problem too... @GregW
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,945
    GregW said:
    Hans61 said:
    I used the kamado Joe lump once and thought it imparted a bad smoke flavor. 
    I picked up a couple of bags of Kamado Joe at Costco and I thought it was very good. No bad taste and nice sized pieces.
    I wish my Costco carried it all the time.
    Red bags during Costco roadshow are a great deal, and good lump.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • fruitguy
    fruitguy Posts: 303
    The grease is definitely the flavor that I would describe.  I thought possibly it was caused from agree hitting the coals for the 35 or so minutes I was cooking at around 325.  Never thought about the second part of the cook.

    As always will try again.
  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 894
    Steaks cooked indirect? Maybe the plate setter got fat splatter on it and grease smoked during the low temp part?

    "Others went on, total time indirect was about 35 minutes..."

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



  • tonyled
    tonyled Posts: 536
    GregW said:
    Hans61 said:
    I used the kamado Joe lump once and thought it imparted a bad smoke flavor. 
    I picked up a couple of bags of Kamado Joe at Costco and I thought it was very good. No bad taste and nice sized pieces.
    I wish my Costco carried it all the time.
    same.  spoke to the rep last week and he said there was internal speculation that it was made by wicked good but he had no proof
  • bboulier
    bboulier Posts: 558
    Never had this problem with a reverse sear.  However, I don't usually let it get up to 550 on the second leg of the cook.  I let it get only to (say) 400 and then cook for 3 minutes or so per side close to the coals.  I usually keep the thermometer plugged in and then pull it when it reaches the desired temperature.
    Weber Kettle, Weber Genesis Silver B, Medium Egg, KJ Classic (Black)