smoking Ash tray meat

winland

winland

Not sure what I might being doing wrong.
Novice at smoking.
Use my propane grill all year long for steaks, chicken, burgers, brats.
Bought a WSM and have used it about 7-8 times.
Smoked some pork ribs, couple of butts and today tried a small brisket flat.
Using regular Kingsford Original charcoal
Using real dried apple , cherry, hickory wood chunks, not packaged chips.

Most of my smokes have had a VERY smokey taste, bordering on a nasty ashtry taste.

What am I doing wrong?
 
winland said:
Not sure what I might being doing wrong.
Novice at smoking.
Use my propane grill all year long for steaks, chicken, burgers, brats.
Bought a WSM and have used it about 7-8 times.
Smoked some pork ribs, couple of butts and today tried a small brisket flat.
Using regular Kingsford Original charcoal
Using real dried apple , cherry, hickory wood chunks, not packaged chips.

Most of my smokes have had a VERY smokey taste, bordering on a nasty ashtry taste.

What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...
 
if the device is new and doesn't have the black plating crap (can't think of the name, right now), then it's probably not venting enough and the stuff is not really burning hot enough ...
 
i'd decrease the in-vent and increase the out-vent to allow more smoke to escape, and build a smaller fire in size that will be able to burn hotter to get a cleaner burn ... or use a skinnier snake, if you prefer.
 
.02
 
I'll usually wrap mine in foil 1/4-1/3 way thru if cooking with chunk wood or branches can't say I've ever used propane to cook with but wrapping works for me with charcoal
 
Cut back on hickory in the mix, clean the soot from the bottom (when it gets airborne it attaches to meat), and do not soak your wood.
 
I am using 2 chunks of wood in addition to the Kingsford. Each is probably the size of my size 12 shoe.
My 22" wsm was purchased new.
I always keep the top vent wide open and adjust the bottom vents to regulate the temperature.
I am using a Maverick ET-733 thermometer.
I do not soak my wood chunks
Entire unit is emptied and wiped clean after each use.
Adding additional charcoal 2/3 RDS of the way through the smoke does kick up some soot.
 
That sounds like too much wood to me. I have the 18 WSM and I probably use 4 or 5 chunks of wood...but they are only 2 or 3 inches by 2 or 3 inches. Try less wood and see if that makes a difference to you.
 
winland said:
I am using 2 chunks of wood in addition to the Kingsford. Each is probably the size of my size 12 shoe.
My 22" wsm was purchased new.
I always keep the top vent wide open and adjust the bottom vents to regulate the temperature.
I am using a Maverick ET-733 thermometer.
I do not soak my wood chunks
Entire unit is emptied and wiped clean after each use.
Adding additional charcoal 2/3 RDS of the way through the smoke does kick up some soot.
Click to expand...
if minion, try snake ...
 
Try less wood, a terra cotta saucer instead of water in the pan, and kingsford competition or stubbs charcoal.
Go to the weber virtual bullet for more info. Good luck!!
 
Try smoking with oak, and add your apple in. Hickory can do what you are saying.
 
No such thing as too much wood imo, but can be too much of the wrong wood. You can smoke entirely with wood and no charcoal you know. Oak is a great wood.
 
As stated, too much smoke, could be too high a temperature, maybe let it vent a little on the top. What color is the smoke?? You want a little blue in your smoke, not black/grey and not white.
 
I'm of the mindset it's the charcoal that is the culprit. But then i've never used charcoal in a smoke before. If I was to use a charcoal in a smoke it would be wood chunk coal like cowboy hardwood chunk coal. Not those gross little briquette things.
 
I agree with THP about the whole smoking bbqing with entirely wood.

The thing is, if the fire source/coals are not hotter enough or a decent bed the smoke created will be the bad tasting type. You can tell this by the color out the vents and the smell
The smoke should be almost see through and pleasant to the eyes and nostrils

If it is thick and white, burns the eyes a little it isn't hot enough or the coal bed isn't bigger enough to enable the wood to burn cleanly, it will just a smoulder
 
I agree with D3. Standard kingsford taste like garbage IMO. It burns a long time but is made with chemicals and soft wood, yuk. Try a quality hardwood lump coal. You may have to add more cause it burns faster.
I also agree with Boss. You can't beat oak, with a stick. If I had only one wood for smoking it would be oak.
 
yup switch to a decent hardwood lump charcoal and use a little less wood.  Clean blue smoke.  If you have heavy smoke(white or black) you will get nasty flavors.
 
If your wood has bark on it that can also create some bad flavors.
 
You are doing it right by running your exhaust wide open and controlling the fire with the intake.  I see to many people trying to control the fire with the exhaust vent while having the intake wide open which is backwards.  When you try to snuff a fire out it gets nasty, but when you starve it of oxygen it just kind of dies down.
 
I have been using the minion method for starting and continuing my long smokes.
I have not tried the snake method.
My smoke is often white/gray.  Guess this is what is causing my "ashtray" taste.
Have to learn how to have a nice hot fire but still keep my cooking/smoking temperature in the 230 - 250 range.
I get lots of white/gray smoke when I add charcoal at 2/3 or 3/4 mark in my smoke.
 
winland said:
I have been using the minion method for starting and continuing my long smokes.
I have not tried the snake method.
My smoke is often white/gray.  Guess this is what is causing my "ashtray" taste.
Have to learn how to have a nice hot fire but still keep my cooking/smoking temperature in the 230 - 250 range.
I get lots of white/gray smoke when I add charcoal at 2/3 or 3/4 mark in my smoke.
Click to expand...
 
I've noticed a couple minutes of blackish smoke when adding fresh charcoals. I suggest adding burning coals started in a chimney starter.
 
hogleg said:
 
I've noticed a couple minutes of blackish smoke when adding fresh charcoals. I suggest adding burning coals started in a chimney starter.
Click to expand...
 
I had not thought of that technique.  Will certainly try that next weekend.
 
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