I'M Funnelsflex and I’ve been experimenting with different woods and cooking techniques for smoking meats and I’m looking for tips to achieve a consistent smoke flavor throughout a cook. I sometimes notice uneven smoke absorption or occasional bitter notes.
What strategies, wood combinations, or timing adjustments do you use to get a balanced, flavorful smoke without overpowering the meat? Any guidance would be appreciated.
Retired, living in Western Mass. Enjoy music, cooking and my family.
Current cookers Weber Spirit 3 burner with a full insert griddle added. A 22" Kettle with vortex, SnS and a Smokey Joe. The most recent addition is a Pit Barrel Jr with bird hanger, 4 hooks and cover. ThermoWorks Smoke 2 probe, DOT, 2 ThermoPops and a Thermapen MK4. A Thermoworks RFX Gateway 2 probe meat thermometer.
Welcome from Western Massachusetts. Yes, what's your cooker and any particular cuts you're having this with? Also the type of wood. Not flavor, chunks, sticks, chips.
Welcome. The most important questions have already been asked. What kind of smoker are you using and what kinds of wood do you have available in Pakistan?
Welcome from central Texas! I’m down to three smoking woods now. I use apple, oak, actually post oak, and mesquite. The mesquite gets the least use. I use oak on beef and apple on most other meats. The mesquite is for steaks. I learned here that cold meat absorbs smoke best so I put what ever I’m cooking on cold but defrosted. For me the first two hours of the cook are all the time I try to keep it smoking. Back years ago I learned from pork ribs that smoking through the whole cook gave me bitter ribs. In the kamados I use 2 fist sized chunks are all I need. I space them different distances from the center where I start the fire to extend how long I get smoke. There will be others along anytime now to add to this or show you their method. There are several paths to good bbq.
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
Lang 48 inch Deluxe Patio Model (burns hickory splits)
PK 360 (burns premium lump charcoal with wood chunks)
28 inch Blackstone Griddle (propane)
Rubs I love:
Yardbird by Plow Boys
Killer Hogs by Malcom Reed
AP Rub by Malcom Reed
Meat Church (any)
Three Little Pigs Memphis Style for ribs
Would love to try Meathead's commercial rub
Sauces I love:
Gates'
Joe's
Pa & Ma's
Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce
Disposable Equipment I use:
Disposable cutting boards
Tumbleweed chimney starters
Aluminum foil
Aluminum pans (half and full)
Latex gloves
Diamond Kosher Salt
Vice-President of BBQ Security, Roy
He's a pure-bred North American Brown Dog
He loves rawhide chewies
My wife calls me "Teddy" and I call her "Princess" and that's where "mrteddyprincess" comes from.
I hear you saying bitter or off flavors. That's unclean smoke coming from incomplete combustion. The solution is building a hotter fire and waiting to put the meat on until the smoke is clear to a light blue haze in it. White smoke is bad. So is gray smoke. Clean combustion equals quality smoke.
I have a Lang Patio Deluxe 48 inch offset smoker. If I put chicken on when the burn on my hickory sticks is young, I get terrible black residue on the chicken. When I put new splits on the smoker, I've learned to open up the cooking chamber and let the acrid, black smoke go away. When it turns back blue/clear, I close the chamber and resume cooking.
That's all about making sure you have clean smoke. Welcome! Smoke on!
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Currently own:
Weber 22 and 26 Kettle.
Regular gasser with rotisserie.
Custom built horizontal stick burner.
Custom built duel fuel "whole hog" cooker.
​​​Many other tools of the trade.
Greetings from North Carolina. All the pertinent questions have been asked above. I am intrigued as well to the international cooking/smoking. Please share some of your meals and prep.
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