No smoke flavor in meat


 
S

Sam Meyer

New member
I have tried doing brisket several times now. Don't get smoke flavor although I do see a smoke ring.
Tried oak and oak and hickory mix. About 5 to 7 chunks. Done at 250 degrees.
When do uou add the chunks? I add it in the very beginning. Please add any advice to get some good smoke flavor in the brisket taste.
 
When are you noticing the lack of smoke 'flavor' ? If shortly after smoking, that is totally understandable due to being sensitized to the smoke. Smoking wood looses its flavor as it ages. Since only a few chunks are used in the WSM (unlike a stick burner), it's best to use wood chunks that are full of flavor.
 
on big pieces, especially butts, I like to go a lot heavier with smoke since there's less surface to meat ratio, especially if it's going to spend much time in foil. I've even been known to throw on a handful of chips on the coals a couple times too.
 
When I'm doing a long cook like brisket or pork butt I bury half the chunks in the charcoal and add the remaining wood when I put the meat on. This provides a steady supply of smoke throughout the cooking process.
 
I rarely cook brisket, but get plenty of smoke in everything else, I'm not a 3-4 chunk guy, usually use 5-7 chunks up to fist size added at beginning, partly covered with charcoal. I like to get a couple chunks burning right away and the rest spread out.
 
I put my wood chunks at the very bottom, some in the middle and a few around the perimeter of my lump. Oak and hickory gives me a nice smoke flavor.
 
For Brisket, I always use 4 fist sized Hickory buried in the middle all the way around , and it turns out with a nice smoke, but not overpowering flavor.
 
Many people (probably most here) advocate using just a few pieces of wood in the WSM.
I am not one of those people.
I cook on the WSM a lot and for a brisket I use 8-10 fist size wood chunks distributed across the coal bed.
I use the center Minion fire starting method and cook low/slow overnight.
If you are not getting enough of a smoky flavor the solution is simple, add more wood.
Use the Minion fire starting method, put one big chunk right on top of the lit briquettes, and then distribute the rest across the coal bed.
 
Again, I like using wood with the right moisture content cause less is more.:wsm:
But I agree, you get jaded hanging round the smoker and sorta lose your sense of taste.
It's all good, try something different next time.

Tim
 
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