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Any way to reduce smoky taste?

Pjoe
Pjoe Posts: 224
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
Continuing the earlier post, the chicken was excellent but DW thought it was a bit "smoky" for her taste. Is there any way to reduce the smoky taste other than putting it in foil after a while? I used the BGE lump and did not add any chips or smoky flavorings.
LBGE AR SMALL BGE WOO RING
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Comments

  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,677
    wait until the fire is burning clean before adding the food. very common mistake for new users.
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    Let the egg burn a little longer once you have it stabalized, you don't want to put meat on with thick smoke coming from the top..also don't be fooled by the temp of a burning starter cube as being an actual egg temp, if you are using cubes..
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  • Pjoe
    Pjoe Posts: 224
    Thanks. Can you elaborate on what to look for when it is "burning clean"?
    LBGE AR SMALL BGE WOO RING
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  • thebtls
    thebtls Posts: 2,300
    No smoke coming from the coals = clean burn. Also, cook with the lid up as often as your recipies allow, that virtually eliminates the smokey taste too.
    Visit my blog, dedicated to my Big Green Egg Recipies at http://www.bigtsbge.blogspot.com You can also follow my posts on FaceBook under the name Keep On Eggin' or the link http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Keep-On-Eggin/198049930216241
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  • Jolly Bill Barker
    Jolly Bill Barker Posts: 119
    I have found that if you wait until you have a clean burn and you don't use the daisy wheel this really helps.
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  • Irreverent
    Irreverent Posts: 22
    Welcome!

    I find that, especially with fresh lump, it takes AT LEAST 30-45 minutes to get to a clean burn. You never want to put food on sooner.

    When the charcoal is burning cleanly, it will add NO flavor to the food. I have baked several key lime pies in my eggs, and you could not distinguish that they were not done in my electric oven. Same thing with bread and pizza. If you're getting an UNPLEASANT smoky flavor in the food, you are putting it on the egg too soon.

    However, when you want smoke flavor, you need to add smoking wood. Cherry, oak, hickory, apple, etc. are all excellent ways to add desirable smoky flavor to food. I use small split logs and have great success.

    Hang in there. You are on the way to some great and versatile cooking!

    Peace.
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,704
    What everyone said about stabilising the temp first. Also, cooking raised direct (grid elevated to gasket level or higher, using nuts/bolts or fire bricks on side), or indirect using platesetter, would help reduce burning of skin/fat which contributes to smoky taste of the bad kind.
    Gary
    canuckland
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    I never cook anything on my eggs with the lid up..defeats the purpose of the radiant heat of an egg..
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  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    I'm Being a SMARTA$$!Use the oven for her's.Or a gasser! ;) Meant no harm. :)
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  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    AGREED! ;)
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    I usually give it about 20 minutes to burn clean (though with some batches of lump I have had to wait an hour or more).
    Here's an excellent explanation on the subject of smoke:
    http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2004/02/introduction-to-barbecuing.html

    Light the fire and then go in and start preparing your food.(but keep checking on the temp so you don't overshoot it)

    Stike has the best test method - sniff the smoke first and if it smells good, it's good to cook. if it smells like dirty smoke, sooty, etc. it still needs to burn awhile.

    Everything I cook on the Egg has a distinct flavor, which is sometimes considered too smoky by my family. Any hint of smoke sends my wife running and my kids aren't always too crazy about it either. chicken and bread/pastries are especially sensitive to smoke.
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  • Egg Master 3000
    Egg Master 3000 Posts: 323
    And even if you do want to smoke your food, you still have to get a clean burn in the beginning because that white smoke coming from your charcoal tastes nasty!
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  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Along with what everyone else has said, leave the top off and just control the heat with the bottom vent. That way all the smoke will exit faster and not be in you food.
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  • Grub Blogger
    Grub Blogger Posts: 48
    Is it too "smoky" or too "ashy"? Might need to clean out the ashes from previous cooks. Stir up the remaining lump so it falls through the grate or just take it all out, get rid of ash, and put back in lump. Otherwise, ash can move around with the convecting air and affect the food. At that is how I solved my wife's initial complaints about food being too "smoky".

    Also, after every few cooks you should go "Hiroshima" on the egg, letting her rip with everything all the way open. This will burn off any ashy residue or other yuck from previous cooks that can alter food.

    Hope that helps.
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