Struggling with smoky taste

Teefus

My ribs turn out tasty, but not smoky. I use 4 or 5 egg size chunks of apple normally. Suggestions? Use hickory?

TEXASBGE2018

Teefus said:

My ribs turn out tasty, but not smoky. I use 4 or 5 egg size chunks of apple normally. Suggestions? Use hickory?

That’s wouldn't hurt. Post oak would also be good.

cookingdude555

Apple smoke is too mild if you want smokey. Move up to hickory. 

MaskedMarvel

Or mesquite! Yum!!

gdenby

Post oak is best, IMO

WeberWho

How far are you putting them down in your lump? Maybe the fire isn't reaching them during the cook

unoriginalusername

WeberWho said:

How far are you putting them down in your lump? Maybe the fire isn't reaching them during the cook

Agree. What temp are you cooking?  I put a base layer of coal in my kab then a bit more coal on top so it just covers the wood and then light the centre coals and wait until the white smoke dissipates 

Teefus

Yesterday I did a rack of spare ribs. I used yellow mustard as a binder for Killer Hogs "AP Rub" and "The BBQ Rub". They spent 4 hours on the smoke at 275* prior to foil wrapping. I had lots of white wood smoke nearly the whole time (several chunks of apple distributed in/on the lump). When I opened it to check progress the smoke aroma saturated my hands as the smoke rolled up the open lid. It just didn't seem to permeate the meat much.

The ribs were great, just not very smoky.

DoubleEgger

My recommendation is to move away from the fruit woods and move towards oak, hickory and pecan. I personally prefer the pecan. Additionally, place your chunks in an area where the fire will be on them in the early stage of the cook. That’s the time the meat is absorbing the smoke. 

DoubleEgger

One more thing... put away the mustard. You don’t need a binder and it’s creating a barrier between the smoke and the meat. 

1voyager

I use cherry for pork. It gives a slight taste of smoke but not overly so. 

GrillSgt

I’ve been into pecan for a couple of years now. Nice sweet flavor with a good smoke profile. 

pgprescott

DoubleEgger said:

One more thing... put away the mustard. You don’t need a binder and it’s creating a barrier between the smoke and the meat. 

I agree with this when cooking ribs on an egg. I think the binder is great on other platforms, but the egg is so moist to begin with that the binder just inhibits the bark/crust. Also seems likely to repel penetration on smoke. 

WeberWho

pgprescott said:

DoubleEgger said:

One more thing... put away the mustard. You don’t need a binder and it’s creating a barrier between the smoke and the meat. 

I agree with this when cooking ribs on an egg. I think the binder is great on other platforms, but the egg is so moist to begin with that the binder just inhibits the bark/crust. Also seems likely to repel penetration on smoke. 

I moved away from mustard a few years ago. I agree with the comments above. Plus I was never happy with the bark. Might be worth trying without it and seeing what you like

stlcharcoal

Try peach or cherry, and/or maple or pecan.  Hickory is too abrasive for me--pecan is milder.  But I like sugar maple with some fruit wood (peach is great for ribs).

Are the chunks burning up?  Sometimes, depending how the fire migrates around, it might miss some chunks.  Try chips or MojoBricks (compressed sawdust).

Here's our graphic...……...

TEXASBGE2018

stlcharcoal said:

Try peach or cherry, and/or maple or pecan.  Hickory is too abrasive for me--pecan is milder.  But I like sugar maple with some fruit wood (peach is great for ribs).

I always thought pecan was heavier smoke than hickory. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

stlcharcoal

You won't find a single competition team up here that uses apple or hickory.  It's all pecan and cherry.  Apple & hickory and the #1 sellers in the stores, but none of the pro's use them.  We'll take a whole pallet of wood to comps to give away sometimes and the hickory is untouched.....some will take apple for cold smoking or other non-comp stuff.  Cherry works with everything, and pecan is for the briskets.  I'm all about sugar maple though--love that stuff and it's finally starting to catch on now that people have tried it.

GrillSgt

Never had it. Will definitely give it a roll. Thanks 

Killit_and_Grillit

I tried maple for the first time a few months ago. Picked up a bag out of curiosity at Bass Pro. Good stuff. 

Teefus

Thanks for all the input. I use pecan when I do brisket or beef ribs. I’ll give it a go on ribs next time and save the apple for fish and poultry. This was my first time using mustard as a binder for rub. Usually I just apply a light coating of olive oil. I have access to plenty of maple and cherry (I live in the woods) and will give those a try too. 

OhioEgger

If you want serious smoke flavor, I second the recommendation of mesquite.

Teefus

Update......

Still struggling with getting a smoky flavor. The ribs are tasty and clearly the product of lump and wood chunks, but the smoke flavor is very subtle. My last rack I used two fist size pieces of Hickory. The ribs were prepped with very light rub. they sat on the lump at 275* for three hours prior to being wrapped. Even so, the smoke element is barely there. Next time I may put them in the cold smoker for an hour or two prior to the Egg,

Mattman3969

If you are using any kind of liquid in the wrap stage you are washing a lot of the smoke off the protein.   Another thing I’ve notice is after a long smoke and checking on the protein several times we get desensitized to smoke because of being in and out of it a bunch during the cook.  

bikesAndBBQ

100% agree with being a little desensitized by smelling the smoke for hours. If you want more smoke, don’t wrap at all.  Don’t wrap in butcher paper or aluminum foil. You are only exposing the protein to smoke for 3 hours. I would imagine it would have a lighter smoke flavor at 3 hours. It will never be an offset, but I get plenty of smoke flavor no matter what I cook. I also think the egg gives better smoke flavors at 300ish. 

ColtsFan

If I'm doing ribs or something to that nature and I want a long smoke duration, I'll add 6-8 chunks to the fire box. I also cook ribs naked the entire cook, as I do most things

For reference, I use Rockwood chunks so roughly 2" squares

fishlessman

i dont taste smoke if im near the smoker during the cook as well, i have to leave the yard during the cook. others that eat the same ribs taste it and next day cold i can taste the smoke. some times its too smokey next day

Legume

Agree with not wrapping, try putting the ribs on straight from the fridge so they are nice and cold when they hit the smoker.

stever1888

Teefus said:

Update......

Still struggling with getting a smoky flavor. The ribs are tasty and clearly the product of lump and wood chunks, but the smoke flavor is very subtle. My last rack I used two fist size pieces of Hickory. The ribs were prepped with very light rub. they sat on the lump at 275* for three hours prior to being wrapped. Even so, the smoke element is barely there. Next time I may put them in the cold smoker for an hour or two prior to the Egg,

Are you cooking enough that you have some leftovers the next day?  If so, does the smokiness of the leftovers seem different/better to you?  Alternatively, after you've done the bulk of the cook, are you getting away from the grill for a while, taking a shower, changing clothes, brushing teeth, etc., to clear out the smoke on you and more importantly to clear out your nose and taste buds?  When I am outside with the smoke all day long, I will sometimes not notice the smell of the cook (other than pure smoke) and tastes will be different at the end.  If I get away from the grill for a while and get the smoke off/out of me, the smell (meaty) and taste (smoky) will be thereafter be much more noticeable.  Like cleansing your palate.

Griffin

Try taking a shower and changing your clothes after you pull the meat and let it rest. Chances are you are desensitized like others have mentioned.

FearlessTheEggNoob

Interesting observation. Makes sense.

Photo Egg

Just for curiosity, try cooking with post oak or mesquite.
If still not getting enough smoke flavor then it's just your taste buds.
Ping me your mailing info and I will send you some post oak for your next rib cook.
Post Oak is fantastic on brisket but I don't use it much on anything else as it's more smoke than I like. Cherry is my fav mixed with Apple and if friends are eating over I will add a small piece of PO, Pecan or Hickory for a little more smoke kick.