Where's the smoke...?

vb4677

I did a lo-n-slo on a 7 lb split turkey breast.  Injected with some chicken stock for juiciness and rubbed with a little cajun seasonings I had in the cabinet. 



I ran it around 200-210F indirect for about 2 hours until 165F internal over a lot of cherry wood chips.  I had been reading that cherry makes for a good color and flavor on turkey.

But SWMBO was looking for more of the 'traditional smokehouse' deep smoke flavor than what I was able to get from my LBGE.  I think on my old gasser, there was more combustion of the chips going on, so I got deeper smokiness on things like chicken breasts.  The turkey was very juicy, quite tasty and good... just not a lot of smoke to it, though...





Anyone suggestions for getting more smoke into the bird?

Oh, and it was the first cook after putting on the Rutland - major props shout out to the man, @RRP !!  That thing didn't leak one iota of smoke and locked the cooking temperature in like mutha...

tarheelmatt

We'll, you locked in the smoke with the gasket, but you also locked in the asbestos.  


Just kidding... I think. 

Splain  your definition of a lot of chips? 

Usually one chunk is enough for chicken and honestly most times I don't add any. 

Did you add the chips early when the bird was not on?

nolaegghead

You could always inject liquid smoke.

vb4677

About half a bag of cherry wood chips (not chunks) sprinkled all over the top of the lump. 

CanDid

@vb4677 - The chips were probably ash after about 10 minutes. Use chunks in the BGE. I usually make a line with the wood chunks from the center of my fire to the edge of the firebox, depending on how much smoke you want.

Hans61

I stir in a couple handfuls of chips into the lump with the ash tool then add a chunk or two right on the edge of the fire, run the temp higher for better smoke for turkey breast I'd be closer to 300-325

lkapigian

I don't know,looks like a winner to me.Not a big fan of heavy smoke on poultry. but I think you nailed it

IMO you can't really get the traditional "Smoke House Smoke"on the Egg as it is more of a Smouldering Cook, and is high humidity. Yesyou get smoke,but not in the way I think you are referring.  To me there is Smoked, BBQ'd and Grilled, Smoking usually occurs below 200 for a long period of time

EggMcMic

Here is what I did. http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1208127/pulled-chicken#latest
I think it had a pretty good smokey flavor and I used two chunks. Could have easily used more, scattered around the coals, for more smoke.

vb4677

Ok, sounds like I need to chunk more and chip less...
I'll have to give it a try on the next one!

vb4677

EggMcMic said:

Here is what I did. http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1208127/pulled-chicken#latest
I think it had a pretty good smokey flavor and I used two chunks. Could have easily used more, scattered around the coals, for more smoke.

WOW!  8.5 hours!!  That's crazy long... smokey looking as all get out, but crazy long cook... 

Theophan

Wow -- I honestly think this is the first time I've ever heard someone say he didn't get as much smoke as he wanted on a poultry cook!  Most people don't seem to want a lot of smoke on poultry.  I usually don't.  Main exception is I usually want some smoke on jerk chicken.

But to the question:  You didn't say what you meant, exactly, by "lo-n-slo," but in my own experience, I think it's hard to get good smoke in a BGE if the dome temp is below 250°, so if you cooked it at 225° or even lower, the first thing I'd suggest is raising the dome temp to 250°-275°.

Also, again in my own experience, I seem to get better smoke and more of it with chunks of wood than mixing chips in the lump.  I usually bury a chunk or two in the lump pretty centrally, and then start the fire also centrally, and when the temp has stabilized, I add 3 or 4 more chunks sort of radially around the fire, put in the plate setter, and start the cook.  I get a VERY smoky flavor on ribs, brisket, pork butt, etc., that way.

Woodchunk

vb4677 said:

Ok, sounds like I need to chunk more and chip less...
I'll have to give it a try on the next one!

Yes, chunk more

Egghead_Ty

tarheelmatt said:

We'll, you locked in the smoke with the gasket, but you also locked in the asbestos.  


Just kidding... I think. 

Splain  your definition of a lot of chips? 

Usually one chunk is enough for chicken and honestly most times I don't add any. 

Did you add the chips early when the bird was not on?

I just read a different post in another discussion about the Rutland gaskets,  I'm a year into the stock gasket on my egg, it's definitely black and a little crispy in a couple spots but still passes a dollar bill test,  I was considering upgrading to a higher quality gasket when I do eventually replace it but maybe I should just stick to the bge brand felt ones?

As for your smoke chips,  are you soaking them in water at all?   That helps along with using the bigger chunks 

vb4677

I love mine! And @RRP is the MAN when it comes to BGE's and gaskets!  And I too, am 1 year into my factory original gasket.  And with this Rutland install, I had no more smoke leaks out of my LBGE.  I had gotten it 'as good as it was gonna get' and didn't have a lot of leakage, but now I've got 0.00% leakage.  As for the asbestos - I think that's all bunk as the gasket is fiberglass.  It may not be food approved, but so far @RRP hasn't had a problem in decades with his!

jtcBoynton

Egghead_Ty said:

...  I was considering upgrading to a higher quality gasket when I do eventually replace it but maybe I should just stick to the bge brand felt ones?...

I think you will find that the Rutland gasket replacement route is not only superior, but less costly.

gdenby

There won't be much smoke in the bird unless the meat is exposed. It will be on the skin. The skin needs to be rather dry to take the smoke. Wet skin may let the smoke drift back off as the water evaporates.

From what I've read about commercial smoking machines, the food is exposed to vaporized liquid smoke, allowed to dry, and then go thru the cycle several more times.

There's a business in my area that does chicken, and offeres their portable pits for fund raisers. The chicken comes out black, well smoked and flavored, and falling apart. I watched the operation a couple of times. I don't know how long the ckicken is in the contraption, but halves and leg quarters are sandwiched in a screen. The screen passes thru a tank of simmering solution, and then over a smoking and slightly flaming pit. The flames may be from drippings. This goes on for hours.

When I have the time, I've found a way to recreate that. I make some really good stock, stuff that turns to gel in the fridge. I heat it, and place rub into it. I dip the pieces into the pot, and then onto the egg. I repeat this every 15 minutes or so till the meat is falling apart. The layers of gel crisp up and hold the smoke really well. But it doubles the time it takes to finish, not including making the stock.

Photo Egg

A 2 hour low and slow, you burn so little lump and your fire never really expands much at all into your lump. A fire that does not expand and grow will not burn your chips spread all over the top. I would guess the little bit of chips in the red zone burned away rather fast and the rest never burned at all. Chips are good for quick cooks but stick with chunks, and don't water soak them. This just makes them smolder in the Egg.
BTW, turkey breast looks perfect. Might not have been what you intended, but perfect.

nolaegghead

Photo Egg said:

A 2 hour low and slow, you burn so little lump and your fire never really expands much at all into your lump. A fire that does not expand and grow will not burn your chips spread all over the top. I would guess the little bit of chips in the red zone burned away rather fast and the rest never burned at all. Chips are good for quick cooks but stick with chunks, and don't water soak them. This just makes them smolder in the Egg.
BTW, turkey breast looks perfect. Might not have been what you intended, but perfect.

Yes, presumably you light the top.  The low and slow fire dives down towards the air source.

It's a good idea to do a post mortem on your fire to see what it's doing. That helps you figure out where to put the wood next time around.

Carolina Q

Time to post stike's illustration again...

stlcharcoal

Mojo bricks are a great source of smoke for low and slow.  They're compressed wood shavings.......no binders.  They last forever 

SmokingPiney

For indirect cooks, I like to add my wood chunks ( a fair amount) right on the fire when it is fairly close to my desired temp. As soon as they go on, I put the plate setter, grate and the meat on to absorb the smoke. The Egg cools off, but the smoke rolls and the meat is absorbing it. 

Since I cook to IT and I'm not looking to sear, I don't need a dialed in temp on the Egg before I put the meat on. With enough wood chunks, it gets plenty of smoke. I'll let the cook absorb the smoke while I dial in the cook temp.