newbie with TOO much smoke

Unknown

I tried chicken breast today, direct at 350. I used BGE lump, which I lit with 4 pieces of starter brick. I let the temp get close to my goal closed down the vents and let temp stabilize (5 minutes from start to placing food on grill). Went inside and came back 7 min. and to my dismay smoke was pouring out of my BGE. This had stopped by the end of my cooking. Needless to say the food was too smokey for my family. What am I doing wrong? Should I let the lump stay at temp. for longer period of time before cooking? How do I grill without adding a smoke flavor?

Drivr

Yogi,
let the grill warm up for about 15 minutes or unitl the smoke coming out of top thins out to a barely noticable blue tinted smoke. when you got that you have a good clean smoking fire. If you want less smoke flavor use fresh lump, let it get warmed up good and dont use any extra smoking wood.

Haggis

Yogi,[p]I'm not sure I completely understood what you used to start the fire and how long before you cooked. What is "starter brick?" I'm guessing that its a wax/paraffin starter cube that is intended to get the lump burning. And did you say only five minutes from when you lit the starter to cooking? [p]If I understand you correctly your mistake was that you misinterpreted the heat generated by the starter cube as your lump charcoal burning. It takes considerably longer than that - may ten mintes, maybe even more. The initial blast of heat will often drop off and the lump will take over. And if you smoke was white, it was most likely from the wax burning off. [p]Next time give it longer. You shouldn't put the meat on until the smoke thins out considerably - almost out of sight. And if you then add wood chips you'll get another blast of smoke - its your choice whether you want to live with that or whether you want the chips to burn down before you cook - the latter will give a much more subtle smoke flavor.[p]

Toy Man

You are way over the speed limit. Slow down. Wait at least 15 minutes for the charcoal to light (and you did put in a lot of it in, right?). Do at least another 15 minutes for the temp to settle down. Fresh lump might take as long as 45 minutes to stop smoking.[p]Starter sticks (4 is too many IMHO) give off quite a bit of black nasty smoke. [p]Have a cool one (or two)[p]Toy Man

egginator

Yogi,[p]Here's a great thread on the subject;[p]
[ul][li]clean fire[/ul]

dhuffjr

Yogi,
Were the pieces on top of the lump?
"5 minutes from start to placing food on grill"
and the number of starter brick pieces sounds to me like the starters were flaming and the sorce of the heat not the lump. When you closed down the vents you caused the firestarters to smolder, producing the smoking.[p]My take anyway.[p]Dennis

stike

Yogi,
if it's billowy white, and you have only waited five or ten minutes before putting on the meat, it's likely the starter cubes. they smolder without enough oxygen, and shutting the lid will cause them to stop flaming, and instead smolder.[p]use fewer cubes. keep the lid open for about 5 minutes after you light the cubes. this'll get them fully involved, and when you shut the dome, you'll have enough draft from them that they'll continue to have active flames on them.[p]then, wait until they are totally spent, and the lump is going.[p]if you aren't adding wood, the smoke has to be from the starters if it's in huge quantitie. the lump smokes, but not as much as you imply you are dealing with