Smoke Taste Not Up To Expectations.

[Ghawtho]

I’m not satisfied with the smoke flavor on brisket smoke that was done on May 5th.
The smoke ring looks really nice but the taste isn’t the sweet smoke house flavor. I am using gourmet wood products (Texas Post Oak)
The wood has been in my garage since late last summer and the box is labeled kiln, dried and with very minimal bark. The seasoning is good though it was a little salty but the smoke flavor isn’t what it should be. I had a good burning fire never smoldering and was preheating my wood splits. The exhaust was 100% open with the intake at 75% - 100% throughout the cook.
Our altitude is 4,260 feet and wondering if that is effecting the smoke flavor. Again this is the picture at 5 hours and was wrapped at 6 hours.

[Donw]

Just wondering if you have tried non kiln dried wood. I’m only asking because kiln dried wood is usually very low in moisture. I personally only use wood naturally seasoned outside because it will have a higher moisture content and, I believe, more flavor from remaining sap and compounds from the original wood. Luckily I have small wood lot where I get all my wood. I know in the past where I tried smoking with scraps left over from a friend’s cabinetry shop I didn’t get the smoke flavor from that kiln dried wood. Just a thought.

[Ghawtho]

I use the kiln dried Texas Post Oak to smoke my baby back ribs and the flavor is fantastic. Should be good on the brisket too.

[Richard Chrz]

What was the temp when you wrapped, just curious?

[Ghawtho]

It was about 162 degrees.

[Ghawtho]

I really need to attend a competition cook and the taste testing. I might learn something.
Being a runner the oxygen level at 4,260 feet compared to an elevation of 1,240 feet the oxygen difference at 1,240 feet is around +2.6%
higher which is actually a HUGE difference. Others burning a fire at a lower altitude your probably getting a much cleaner burning fire than what am getting.

[STEbbq]

Keep in mind that competitions typically really emphasize bold flavor as they need to sell the judge with just one bite. I mean, it can be good, but it is not the same as making a meal for the family.

[captainlee]

I hear you. I smoke at 8500 feet, cooking everything is so different. I am satisfied with my smoke flavor on the Yoder, i use BBQ Delight pellets. I'm not into a heavy smoke flavor though.

[tstalafuse]

Cooking at altitude I have noticed a couple of differences. I typically add a water pan because the humidity is so low, which also creates a more "sticky" surface for the smoke to adhere. I also lower the cook temp to around 210-215 (takes longer to cook and more to do with the boiling point of water than smoke profile), but the also meat stays in the smoke longer before wrapping once I hit the stall. I don't think the elevation has anything to do with the smoke profile for a couple of reasons. Lower oxygen level just means it is harder to cook at high temps and if your fire isn't as clean because of not having enough oxygen it would smolder more while picking up a lot of unpleasant smoke flavor.

[Ghawtho]

I am getting some unpleasant smoke flavor and don’t know where that’s coming from.
I have used a water pan and that’s not helping anything. I’m getting about 50% sweet smoke and about 50% dirty tasting smoke. I have used wood yard seasoned wood and the dirty taste is worse. My fire is burning nice and hot and am breaking up the coals from time to time. I started leaving all vents at open nearly 100% and controlling temperature with fuel not air. I’m at a loss.

[tstalafuse]

Ghawtho If you aren't seeing dirty white smoke during your cook, my best guess would be something is wrong with the wood or maybe creosote has built up and that is what you tasting. I think I would try cleaning the living crap out of it, re-seasoning, and I trying a different brand of fuel and see if that helps. If that doesn't work, I would say it is time for whole new smoker...

[captainlee]

I think that the fan in the pellet smokers really helps with getting a clean smoke and fire at altitude. I have never tried a water pan, maybe something to think about. And yes everything takes longer to cook here.

[Ghawtho]

captainlee
You have a Yoder pellet grill and am using the Yoder offset stick burner. I had thought about getting the Yoder pellet grill before getting my stick burner. I probably should’ve got the Yoder pellet grill. The reason not getting the pellet smoker was told by the store that sells them I wouldn’t get the same flavor from stick burner to pellet.

[Ghawtho]

I think the problem is my exhaust was going from white heavy smoke to thin blue smoke every time adding a split log. Even with the split log nice and hot the exhaust was heavy white smoke but once it was on the fire 30 minutes the exhaust returned to thin blue smoke. Throughout my cook it was heavy white smoke then turning to thin blue smoke. It was repeating this about every 50 minutes.

[Sid P]

Kiln dried is a no no for stick burners because it’s too dry. This is from the KBQ website.

[smokin fool]

If your like me blame your taste buds not the post oak, I don't use post oak anymore because I find it doesn't give the smokie flavor I'm looking for either.
Cherry, maple, pecan or a mix thereof, I get the smokiness I'm looking for.
Closer to sea level here so can't help with that theory.

[Histrix]

Brisket God Aaron Franklin uses/prefers post oak that has dried for about a year. He says that one should avoid using kiln dried wood for much the same reason as KBQ manufacturer Bill Karau - it's too dry.

Unfortunately, any wood that crosses state lines is supposed to be kiln dried. If you can't find a more local source of wood and just have to rely on importing kiln dried wood then you'll just have to accept that the flavor is going to be a bit different.

[klflowers]

Where did you hear this? From the fruitawood website: All our wood is fresh, & naturally cure wood. NEVER KILN DRIED. Kiln drying wood removes all the moisture as well as natural sugars in the wood.
https://fruitawood.com › pages › ab...
About Us - Fruita Wood

[Histrix]

I should not have used "kiln" dried as not all states require kiln dried wood for moving from one area to another. "Heat treated" is often acceptable. Wood can carry invasive insects and plant diseases and there are numerous areas where there are restrictions/requirements for transporting wood from its native location to another (even within a state in some cases).

Here's a link to a site for more info - https://www.dontmovefirewood.org

[Huskee]

I recall you saying you rinsed the brisket off in the sink before wrapping? I'd definitely skip that. Smoke particles stick on the outside like bugs on a windshield. If you dry brine ahead of time (overnight or 24hrs) the salt is inside not on the surface, so rinsing is not rinsing salt off, but instead it's rinsing off smoke and rub, in other words, your flavor. Also, delay wrapping until well past 160. Try after the stall, say 175-180. I hope this helps.

[Panhead John]

+2 Big no no, rinsing off a brisket.

[Ghawtho]

I had to try something to knock the salt down by rinsing not knowing the rub was as salty. I have high blood pressure and too much salt has caused adverse heart
conditions. Going forward my brisket will only have a pinch of salt. I had a heart doctor tell me awhile back I needed to stay 100% salt free as much as possible. It is boring limiting my salt intake. For some time my wife was cooking using zero salt ingredients and using salt free broths and it got where I couldn’t stand to eat.

[Huskee]

Ghawtho Whatever salt level you can tolerate safely, I recommend adding that the night or morning before your cook as a dry brine. As a baseline, the usual recommended is 1/2 tsp coarse Kosher salt per lb of trimmed ready-to-smoke meat so if you need yours cut by 50%, or whatever, the math should be easy, but dry brine with that adjusted amount a day or so before. Don't rinse the brisket, delay wrapping, more smoke exposure = more smoke flavor across the board.

[58limited]

Caveat: I am at sea level and have no experience with high altitude cooking.

To avoid as much white smoke try splitting/cutting your wood smaller. It is normal to get a little white smoke but if it billows for 30 minutes after adding wood then there is an air flow problem or the wood is too big; or the coal bed is too small. I usually get white smoke for 5 - 10 minutes when I add a log.

I control burn/ temperature with both the fire box door and the exhaust vent: fire box vent is open half way and the door is cracked 1 1/2 - 2 inches. Exhaust vent is open about half way. This keeps me at about 250^o - 275^o or so. I cook briskets and chucks at 250^o and pork at 275^o usually. I'm using an Oklahoma Joe Longhorn offset.

Kiln dried wood loses some of the flavor components as well as excess moisture so the flavor will usually not be as strong as air seasoned wood - having said that I do use some kiln dried wood, mostly cherry and apple.

I prefer to wrap briskets as they are coming out of the stall - about 170^o - 180^o or so.

[STEbbq]

A few links that might help:

AR on smoking with wood

AR on brisket

[TripleB]

Two things I learned through operating my offset and one has been mentioned:

1. Don’t use kiln dried wood. Use seasoned wood.
2. Warm the wood up before putting in the firebox. I keep wood inside the cooking chamber or on top of the firebox. Warm wood catches faster and less smoldering.

FWIW….

[JLR]

I tested some kiln dried wood with a moisture meter and half of it didn’t register any moisture. The other half was all below 5%. I would retry the smoke with seasoned wood.
Secondly, it appears you had almost no bark on your brisket at 5 hours. If you didn’t get a substantial bark before you wrapped, you wrapped to early. If you don’t get the results you want with the seasoned wood, I would encourage you to wait to wrap until you get a good bark. Always go by the bark and not the internal temp for wrapping. The bark should be very dark and set, meaning when you run your finger along it, it’s stays put. The best bark usually forms during the stall. I think doing a full brisket or pork butt without wrapping is the best way to learn about bark.