BGE-recipes without (too much) smoke flavour?

chrg

Hello all,
As a Christmas gift from my wife, I received a BGE L. After spending the remains of the winter months building a table for it, I've used it twice: spare ribs & grilled chicken. Apparently, after these two cooks, it seems that my wife is not really a fan of the smokey flavour. Other guests liked it, so I'm convinced it wasn't my fault :-)  I currently use Grill guru charcoal with (very limited) cherry for smoke. Any recommendations on lump brands and recipes that have a milder smoke flavour? Keep in mind that I'm in Europe, so availability of brands is... different :-)

NPHuskerFL

I'll bite. So...what are the available lump brands?
Keeping brand non specific one tip is to wait for "good smoke" ie no sooty creosote stuff. 

Acn

Also, omit the cherry wood; even if limited it’s imparting additional smoke flavor.  See if the wife likes it with just the charcoal.

chrg

I realize it's s strange question, but worth asking. Following are available:
- Big Green Egg brand
- Black Ranch (all types of wood)
- Kebroak
- Schmitz
- House of charcoal (Black Wattle-wood ex South Africa)
- Flames & Flavour (Western Africa)
- The Bastard (Quebracho wood ex Paraguay)
...
and of course lots of housebrands from big box/grocery stores.

jtcBoynton

Focus more on the wood you add rather than the charcoal.  Chicken takes up smoke a lot and is easy to over do it.  Try cooking without adding any wood. Add small amounts on subsequent cooks to learn how much smoke your family likes.

fishlessman

skip the smoking wood altogether, wait til the smoke smells clean and you no longer see smoke before adding food,  cook hotter and faster(less time in the smoke). it takes longer to start cooking after startup if its been humid or rainy. that gasket is so clean you may be getting some gassing off from the gasket itself, that will go away

johnnyp

A couple of things. 

1st, skip the smoking wood.  If you don't want smoke, eliminate the source.  

2nd, wait until your charcoal is ready before you add your food.  New charcoal and/or dripping from your last cook will be burning off undesirable compounds.  The smoke coming from the top of your egg should be thin, whispy and almost colorless (slight blue-ish, grey).  If your smoke is thick, white and billowing, it will impart a stronger flavor onto your finished product.

3rd, Use your nose.  In addition to the visual cues mentioned above, your smoke will begin to smell different once it's ready.  Immediately after lighting, it may smell like a campfire.  Once the white smoke clears, it should smell much more inviting.  Your palate will thank you for your patience. 

CarolinaCrazy

all the above...

Most important is to let the egg burn for a while and really clear out the volatile chemicals and smoke before you put food on. If you are only burning charcoal, and no smoke wood, then there should be just clear blue smoke when you are ready to cook..

JethroVA

Two questions.  Where in Europe? Consider putting location in your signature line.   And what the heck is under the cover on the wheeled platform?

Legume

I would buy ‘The Bastard’ lump just because, what a great name for charcoal.

Rest of the advice is spot on, start early, let it burn for a while with some supervisory beverages.  Tell the wife, “I’ll be outside supervising the Bastard”

SciAggie

You are getting good advice above. Earlier you were advised to wait until the smoke smells clean - I'd like to expand on that statement. Even if the egg is up to temperature it takes a bit of time for it to burn off the VOC's and produce "good smoke". There really shouldn't be much visible smoke and what you do see should be wispy and blue (if you are trying to minimize the smoke flavor). Also, hold your hand directly over the top of the egg in the exhaust for a few seconds - then smell your hand. What you smell is what will be deposited on the food. If your hand smells good then the food will likely taste good. If it is an unappetizing smell - well then remember your food is bathing in that smoke... I hope this helps.

Nature Boy

Definitely good advice above! It's not the recipe, it's getting your fire right. Remember a few things, and you will rock this. Using less charcoal is a good thing in many cases. Hotter the cooking temps, the cleaner the smoke. And finally, trust you nose. Happy cookin'! Chris