Smokey Flavor and Charcoal Brand

CoachWiggs · January 2016

I have had my egg for a couple months now and seem to always get same smokey flavor. Have made some really good things and love it. I smoked some thighs this past week with pecan wood.

Tonight I did NY strips direct at 600. They had a distinct smokey taste. I didn't do anything to charcoal from smoke earlier in week all I did was stir it up and clean ash from bottom. I'm using BGE charcoal. Is the smokey taste due to me not cleaning it out and probably some wood left as well as using the BGE charcoal?

Suggestions and tips are appreciated! Also, I read Ozark Oak was great but not available anymore. Charcoal recommendations would be appreciated too.

Thanks in advance

luckyboy · January 2016

I'm afraid your stuck with the distant smoke taste, its the nature of the beast. I've tried different brands and the are basically the same. You don't want to put your food on the grill until the smoke clears after lighting.
Good luck to you.

Darby_Crenshaw · January 2016

"Smokey taste" doesn't really mean anything. We're cooking over fire. It's going to have some smoke

so

'Bad' smoke flavor?

if so, you are putting the food on too early after starting up. Smell the smoke. If it smells good it will taste good.

That, or you are doing the 'sear/dwell' method. Where you sear, then shut vents and let it coast/roast to final temps. That traps the sooty fat-burnt smoke in the egg as your fire chokes out and it coats the meat with the foulest smoke imaginable. This is possibly the worst texhnoque for cooking a steak, and yet i think it's still in the offical BGE repertoire. Nix it

if not those two things, then maybe it's too much good smoke. Over-smoked

if that's the case, sear with the lid open.

clifkincaid · January 2016

Darby_Crenshaw said:

"Smokey taste" doesn't really mean anything. We're cooking over fire. It's going to have some smoke

so

'Bad' smoke flavor?

if so, you are putting the food on too early after starting up. Smell the smoke. If it smells good it will taste good.

That, or you are doing the 'sear/dwell' method. Where you sear, then shut vents and let it coast/roast to final temps. That traps the sooty fat-burnt smoke in the egg as your fire chokes out and it coats the meat with the foulest smoke imaginable. This is possibly the worst texhnoque for cooking a steak, and yet i think it's still in the offical BGE repertoire. Nix it

if not those two things, then maybe it's too much good smoke. Over-smoked

if that's the case, sear with the lid open.

I was a dweller...not anymore. I just go to 30 second flips after the initial time i wanted for each side. So much better.

XLentEGG · January 2016

clifkincaid said:

Darby_Crenshaw said:

"Smokey taste" doesn't really mean anything. We're cooking over fire. It's going to have some smoke

so

'Bad' smoke flavor?

if so, you are putting the food on too early after starting up. Smell the smoke. If it smells good it will taste good.

That, or you are doing the 'sear/dwell' method. Where you sear, then shut vents and let it coast/roast to final temps. That traps the sooty fat-burnt smoke in the egg as your fire chokes out and it coats the meat with the foulest smoke imaginable. This is possibly the worst texhnoque for cooking a steak, and yet i think it's still in the offical BGE repertoire. Nix it

if not those two things, then maybe it's too much good smoke. Over-smoked

if that's the case, sear with the lid open.

I was a dweller...not anymore. I just go to 30 second flips after the initial time i wanted for each side. So much better.

I too used to be a Dweller. Now I'm a Broiler. I split my egg in half with my Ang-L brackets and after the sear I move them to the " cold " side and let them broil at @ 500 Dome and pull them at @ 145 or so depending on how done they need to be.

JethroVA · January 2016

Try a less smokey charcoal such as Rockwood. BGE charcoal is repacked Royal Oak charcoal by the way.

YukonRon · January 2016

With BGE lump, I always wait about an hour, others on here will likely give you a better time frame for a start time to cook. I set it up, light it, adjust for the temperature I would like, prepare the food, then when the thick heavy smoke is gone, I start the cook. You may want to try others that provide a more neutral smoke.
Hope this helps.

FarmerTom · January 2016

While I too like Rockwood, I don't think the BGE lump should be adding that much more smokey flavor. You mention having used pecan wood earlier. If any of that remains that hasn't fully carbonized, that may be your smoke source. Try cleaning out the egg, but don't throw that charcoal away, save it for a cook where you want some smoke. With a clean egg, add more of your lump of choice and fire it up. But let it burn until the temp stabilizes and you no longer have that thick white smoke exiting the egg. Once stabilized, you should barely be able to detect any smoke leaving the egg. Smell the exhaust, that is what will be flavoring your food.
With that said, as Darby mentioned, we are cooking on charcoal, a certain amount of flavoring is to be expected. After all, that is why we are cooking on a grill.

buzzvol · January 2016

@CoachWiggs you mentioned having cooked thighs. If you had chicken grease in the coals for the steak cook, that can cause a bad taste. But you can burn this out as well.

pgprescott · January 2016

buzzvol said:

@CoachWiggs you mentioned having cooked thighs. If you had chicken grease in the coals for the steak cook, that can cause a bad taste. But you can burn this out as well.

Bingo!!!!!

CoachWiggs · January 2016

Guys thanks for all the help. Still leaning and the help and suggestions means a lot.

Smokey Flavor and Charcoal Brand

Comments

Categories