Question about smoke?--Nature Boy

BYC

I was looking thru the Eggfest 2006 recipes and hints on WessB's site and read the below from Nature Boy. Granted I wait until wood chunks are caught up versus just smoldering but seems to me that to wait to run thin or blue before cooking would take 30-40 minutes in some cases. Furthermore, on a slow cook would the best part of smoke not be lost by then. Or perhaps this does not apply to slow cooks? Thoughts?[p]""Of all the egged food I have eaten over the years...by friends and at the fests....the most common (and noticeable ) mistake that people make is putting their food on before the smoke is right. Tan,
white or thick smoke, gotta wait. Thin or blue smoke is good. No visible smoke is just fine too. Also, folks should put their nose into the smoke.""
Nature Boy

Celtic Wolf

BYC,[p] The lump and wood chunks are smoking all through the cook. That thick smoke in the beginning is all the bad stuff on the wood and lump. Like grease from the last cook...

thirdeye

BYC,[p]Yep, 45 minutes or an hour is what it takes for the smoke to settle down (in an Egg). This is very important on low-n-slo cooks because of the length of time your product is geting smoke flavor. Below is a link to a page on my site that addresses this subject in detail with photographs, mainly because it is so important for newbies.[p]~thirdeye~

[ul][li]Intro to Q[/ul]

BYC

thirdeye,[p]Extremely Helpful! Thanks TE

BYC

Celtic Wolf,[p]Understood and I always wait for all of that to clear. My question was more from the time that I add the new wood for smoking. ThirdEye's site spelled it out.[p]Thanks CW

BYC

thirdeye,[p]So another question...I have noticed a couple of competition cookers cold smoking for the first couple of hours, which really produces nothing but that tan/white smoke that you speak of. They are running wood only at 150-175. Is this bad and does this approach usually produce the bitter result that you write about? Some weeks they win and some they do not.[p]Thanks

thirdeye

BYC,[p]I know nuttin' about competition barbecue, I am strictly a backyard country boy cook. With all of the different pits out there, a good understanding of specific heat flow and fuel type is needed before one guy can answer a question about another mans pit. I doubt these guys you have seen are cooking beef with that amount of smoke, maybe it's their shoulders? My BDS will produce some white smoke, but it is a direct style of cooker and the fats hitting the coals produce white smoke.[p]I can tell you when I was a stick burner a load of wood would get burned to coals in the pit before adding any meat, this took about 3 hours. Small sticks or splits along with mesquite lump would get added during the cook for heat and smoke flavor.[p]The coldest smokers I use are some Big Chiefs. They are electric and burn wood chips and small chunks. They are smokers and don't really get hot enough to barbecue anything. I use them mainly for smoking cheese and fish. I have used them for flavor smoking ribs before moving to a barbecue pit like my Egg or my BDS, but I only do it for about 90 minutes and use one pan of chips.[p]~thirdeye~[p][p][p]

BYC

thirdeye,[p]Yah it's all shoulders and your point is valid about needing to know more about their cookers. We rolled into a couple of THEIR competitions and placed in the money both times. It still has them scratching their heads. Tonight I watched the smoke carefully and did not add the butts until I found that blue smoke you speak of. Also noticed the smoke odor turned sweeter once settled. Thinking now that I can have them scratching their heads even harder next time. Thanks--David