Paul D. CA
New member
It was a hot summer day in central California. Most people were hunkered down in their air-conditioned homes or their neighbors pool as the temperature was rapidly passing the three-digit mark. It was on this day that our intrepid smoker decided to try out his new 18" WSM cooker. He chose the tri-tip for this maiden feast! The setup followed the owner's manual instructions exactly. A full chimney of fresh charcoal covered the chamber while a half chimney of charcoal was set ablaze. When the coals reached their full potential, they were gently spread out on top of the waiting unlit coals. Three chunks of mesquite were added to impart that rich smoky flavor. One gallon of water filled the pan to ensure the low and slow process would be flawless.
What a wonderful story if it only had a happy ending. We actually all lived happily ever after but the meat didn't turn out as expected. So, I am asking for some help with my cooking. As for my prose...beyond help.
After adding the meat and the lid, the internal temp quickly passed the 300-degree mark and smoke streamed out of the lid vent. To control the grill temp in the 250-degree range, the lid vent was left full open while two of the lower vents were completely closed. Eventually the third lower vent was almost completely closed. From this point on, there was no smoke. There was very little smoky aroma and no smoke. After about 3 hours the tri-tip was done. When slicing the meat, I immediately noticed that there was no smoke ring. I have previously cooked tri-tip on the Weber kettle grill; higher temp, no water, indirect heat and wood chips instead of chunks. The meat always had a nice smoky flavor and thick smoke ring.
It seems like I had choked off so much air to keep the temp in the 250-degree range that the wood chunks never burned, they just blackened.
I was expecting a thick smoke ring, billowing smoke and rich smoky flavor. I didn't get any of this. Were my expectations unrealistic?
What a wonderful story if it only had a happy ending. We actually all lived happily ever after but the meat didn't turn out as expected. So, I am asking for some help with my cooking. As for my prose...beyond help.
After adding the meat and the lid, the internal temp quickly passed the 300-degree mark and smoke streamed out of the lid vent. To control the grill temp in the 250-degree range, the lid vent was left full open while two of the lower vents were completely closed. Eventually the third lower vent was almost completely closed. From this point on, there was no smoke. There was very little smoky aroma and no smoke. After about 3 hours the tri-tip was done. When slicing the meat, I immediately noticed that there was no smoke ring. I have previously cooked tri-tip on the Weber kettle grill; higher temp, no water, indirect heat and wood chips instead of chunks. The meat always had a nice smoky flavor and thick smoke ring.
It seems like I had choked off so much air to keep the temp in the 250-degree range that the wood chunks never burned, they just blackened.
I was expecting a thick smoke ring, billowing smoke and rich smoky flavor. I didn't get any of this. Were my expectations unrealistic?