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New User Experiencing smoky aroma and taste
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wright1314
Posts: 1
I don’t use any form of lighter fluid, use only the BGE charcoal and lighter chip.
How long should I wait after reaching desired temp to start cooking?
How long should I wait after reaching desired temp to start cooking?
Comments
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Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey. Above all, have fun.
Trust the nose regarding when the smoke is good to go. If the smoke smells good then you are there. Different brands of lump have different characteristics regarding time to burn clean, ash build-up, (edit) level of smoke etc. Lump discussions here are like debating religion. FWIW-
Also, BGE lump is private branded Royal Oak which is much cheaper to buy.
Give this site a look as there are all kinds of useful information about ceramic cookers, recipes and more:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm
Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. -
You really have to wait as long as the smoke smells bad or is thick and white. Once it smells good which typically means the smoke is blue or barely visible you are good to go. I use royal oak for the majority of my cooks. Sometimes it takes longer to get the good smoke. I’ve used other “higher end” lump and it usually doesn’t take as long to get to the good smoke. I am not a lump snob though.Pittsburgh, PA. LBGE
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Almost every single new person on here that posts this is using the bag of BGE lump that came with their egg. It has a very smoky flavor profile to me as well. Some like it, some don’t. Like the good captain said, you can get royal oak which is the same thing as BGE lump for far less $. And you can get it at Home Depot etc. If you don’t like smoky lump, there are more neutral alternatives out there.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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bikesAndBBQ said:You really have to wait as long as the smoke smells bad or is thick and white. Once it smells good which typically means the smoke is blue or barely visible you are good to go. I use royal oak for the majority of my cooks. Sometimes it takes longer to get the good smoke. I’ve used other “higher end” lump and it usually doesn’t take as long to get to the good smoke. I am not a lump snob though.
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Let the BGE heat for 30-40 mins before cooking. Also switch to Rockwood charcoal if you are still unhappy. You can buy a case here. https://rockwoodcharcoal.com/Charlotte NC - Large Big Green Egg (2009) w/Nest and Handler
Accessories: PSWoo, Woo, Adjustable Rig, Smokeware Cap and Temperature Gauge -
The other thing you mention is the "lighter chip". If that is one of those pressed wood shavings/cardboard like material you really need to wait until it is completely burned out. They really put out an acrid smoke and one can smolder for a long time.Nerk Ahia LBGE
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I use the Weber starter cubes primarily to start my lump they’re cheap and fast
great advice up there
i used royal oak for years the last year I’ve been using rockwood exclusively“There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
Coach Finstock Teen Wolf -
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I always wait until there is a light blue smoke showing.
Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket, Minimax and various Weber's.
Floyd Va -
Totally understand your situation. When I started Egging in 1998, I was putting too much smoke on everything. The time it takes to get clean smoke depends on a lot of factors. Moisture in lump. Amount of lump. Amount of air flow. Method of lighting. But the bottom line is trust your nose. If the smoke smells strong and makes your eyes burn....and you walk away and can still smell it on your upper lip...it is probably still not ready for food. It doesn't take long for the strong smoke to get on your food, and it won't go away. So trust your nose, and wait until your nose says go
Clean smoke to ya!
Chris -
You have good info above. Welcome aboard.Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax
Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
Run me out in the cold rain and snow -
Welcome to wallet genocide. The least expensive aspect of owning an egg is your initial purchase. Trust me. You will see.
The smokey rancid flavor can be mitigated by allowing your fire to burn until you see no heavy white smoke escaping from your top vent. Once that morphs over to clear or slightly bluish, you should be about where you want to be. It takes about 30 minutes.
You may also wish to try something else besides BGE Lump. I tried Rockwood, at the kind suggestions from the forum lead me to, and have not looked back. Huge difference, in my perception of flavor. Another I like, but hard to find, is Carbon del Sur. Very nice product, no acrid taste, burns very clean.
Great advice on here from several of the chefs. This is a great forum, have fun and hope this helps.
"Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber
XL and MM
Louisville, Kentucky -
Did anyone else think this was going to be a sarcastic post after reading the subject?
LBGE/Maryland -
I used 100% RO when I started about 5 months ago. Slower cooks had a lot of smoke flavor. Not bad but more smoke than I like. When Ace ran their sale, I bought 8 bags of Rockwood. Used it for the first time this weekend to cook a beef tenderloin. Big difference. Hardly any smoke flavor (or maybe I am just getting used to it :-)
Anyways, I will save the Rockwood for slow cooks or expensive cuts of meat like Prime Rib, Beef Tenderloin etc. For pizzas and searing/grilling, I will continue to use the RO. At high temps I can't really detect the smoke that much.
Well, this is my plan anyways. Good luckLarge BGE - 2017
PSWoo with extention
Thermopen and DOT
Boston, Mass -
The nose knows. Trust it. Welcome!Simi Valley, California
LBGE, PBC, Annova, SMOBot -
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Biggreenpharmacist said:
XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys -
I used nothing but BGE charcoal (as someone else said, same as Royal Oak) for YEARS and loved it! But I loved the mild smokiness that it gave everything, wood added or no wood added. But after years of seeing people rave about Rockwood, I finally broke down and tried it, and I like it better, and that's what I use, now. Rockwood has much less "bad" white smoke, often none at all, whereas with BGE charcoal I always had to wait a while for the white smoke to go away.
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I converted to Rockwood recently after trying a few brands...BGE, Louisiana Grills, Pit Boss, Royal Smoke & I’m sold. I’ll be using Rockwood exclusively. Was thinking I’d use Royal Oak for clean burns but don’t know if that’s possible.Tyler, TX XL BGE 2016, KJ Classic 2019, MES, 18.5 WSM, Akorn Jr, 36"&17" Black Stone, Adj Rig, Woo, Grill Grates, SS Smokeware Cap, KAB, FB 300, Thermapen
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SSQUAL612 said:I converted to Rockwood recently after trying a few brands...BGE, Louisiana Grills, Pit Boss, Royal Smoke & I’m sold. I’ll be using Rockwood exclusively. Was thinking I’d use Royal Oak for clean burns but don’t know if that’s possible.
I start the egg by putting a chimney starter on the gasser side burner, always use off brand for that.
Also use RO for clean burns, lighting the fire pit, taking camping, among others.LBGE
Pikesville, MD
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