Hi all, quite some time ago I posted about smoking shrimp in my offset. I've done it many times in the kettle or the Big Green Egg. When I did it in my offset smoker I couldn't get them to have the same nice golden color, and neither did they taste smoked. I used the same temp, and the same time (18-20 minutes). Back then I couldn't figure out what the difference was. But yesterday I was cooking in my offset, watching the smoke stack. As usual, the smoke is invisible. And then I thought: "hey, that must be the difference!"
So, here goes my theory, let's see if you agree with me or not. I need to think about this one, to see if it holds up.
A) When using a kettle with some wood chunks the smoke is clearly visible. It is a light white smoke. It has a distinct smell, as the wood chunks are smoldering (not burning freely/cleanly like in an offset). So, technically 'dirty', but still good though.
B) When using an offset with a good draft, the combustion of wood is so much cleaner, producing zero visible smoke.
The reason for B) being good is that when smoking briskets/butts/chuckies in an offset for a long time you get that nicely balanced smoke flavor that doesn't take over. It is applied through hours of smoking. Time is of the essence, as the clean burn needs plenty hours for the smoke to affect the meat. This would be equivalent of a pellet grill which also has a very clean burn.
On an ordinary kettle/kamado with a few coals lit and a smoldering wood chunk the smoke is much more distinct, and the smoke is visible. This adds flavor (and color) in a very short time. Hence the smoked shrimp turning out way better in a kettle than an offset.
Does this make sense? Or can you find a flaw in my hypothesis? I'm eager to learn and improve, and this came to me last night, and I thought: what better crew to double check with than the Pitmaster Club members?
So, here goes my theory, let's see if you agree with me or not. I need to think about this one, to see if it holds up.
A) When using a kettle with some wood chunks the smoke is clearly visible. It is a light white smoke. It has a distinct smell, as the wood chunks are smoldering (not burning freely/cleanly like in an offset). So, technically 'dirty', but still good though.
B) When using an offset with a good draft, the combustion of wood is so much cleaner, producing zero visible smoke.
The reason for B) being good is that when smoking briskets/butts/chuckies in an offset for a long time you get that nicely balanced smoke flavor that doesn't take over. It is applied through hours of smoking. Time is of the essence, as the clean burn needs plenty hours for the smoke to affect the meat. This would be equivalent of a pellet grill which also has a very clean burn.
On an ordinary kettle/kamado with a few coals lit and a smoldering wood chunk the smoke is much more distinct, and the smoke is visible. This adds flavor (and color) in a very short time. Hence the smoked shrimp turning out way better in a kettle than an offset.
Does this make sense? Or can you find a flaw in my hypothesis? I'm eager to learn and improve, and this came to me last night, and I thought: what better crew to double check with than the Pitmaster Club members?
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