OMG help. do i have a problem with smoked food.!! WSM Purchase.


 
T

Tommy Scarano

TVWBB Member
first off ive been grilling weber since 1990. own a silver gasser and a performer(love it) . the last few cooks on the performer were not that great. turkey day i used apple wood from Lowes(purchased last year) and came to relive. i dont think i like the smoke flavor.... or my apple chips suck and are old.. the bird tasted like it was in a fire(smoke). no apple flavor.

so my questions are-

does lowes wood chips suck-
can apple chips go bad.

do you have to use wood chips in the WSM for butts, ribs and so forth. im really confused now as i wanted a wsm for xmass... are you supposed to taste apple in the smoke.? where can i get good wood.

sorry for the ramble and i hope you get where im coming from.
 
I believe that the chips can go "bad" in terms of the smoke aroma and flavor. Cut the wood from your next couple of cooks, and then reintroduce small (one or two chunks) amounts of good wood chunks and see how that works. Harry Soo says something to the effect that "Less is more" when it comes to smoke and it is very easy to overs smoke poultry. Also, knowing when to add the meat is important. Too early and you get the nasty smoke that can add a bad flavor to your meat. You're looking for the "thin, blue smoke" that comes maybe 30 minutes after the fire is started. Billowing white or gray smoke will make you want to shave your tongue!

Pat
 
You might also try using lump charcoal but no additional wood. That'll give you a little smokey flavor (since it's never totally carbonized) but nothing excessive.

Note that the wood doesn't make it taste like the fruit... apple wood mostly adds a bit of smokey sweetness.
 
Tommy,too much wood can cause a bitter taste. Like the other guys said,either stop using wood,or cut way back. For Thanksgiving,I used the smallest chunk I had,then split it in even smaller pieces. Just a touch of flavor.
 
Tommy, smoke imparts a unique flavor and it also defines the color of the bird. Cherry wood doesn't necessarily give you a cherry flavored bird. You'd need to use some kind of injection or brine to do that. However cherry does give the bird a much lighter color when done, assuming you didn't use 10 lbs of wood to smoke. Same thing with apple wood. I use chunks of wood rather than chips. Apple and cherry for poultry and fish. Hickory,oak,and mesquite for butts and briskets. Not to say you can't use hickory and those woods for fish and poultry but you can easily overwhelm what your cooking by using too much smoke wood.
 
Ok thanks- so considering i used 2 big handfulls of apple 1 on each side im guessing i used way to much-

also. it sounds as if you can use the WSM to cook with a very little smoke(wood)

correct?
 
How much to use depends on one's taste and the meat or fowl or fish being smoked. Many do not care for much wood with light poultry - like chicken or turkey.

Pellets (compressed wood) work best when allowed to smolder - and chips are no different. Make a foil pouch for your chips. Follow the instructions here. You'll use less this way too. Try just one for light poultry. Make 2 or three for ribs, 3 or 4 for brisket or pork butt. They can be placed into your cooker one after another - say, 20 minutes apart. See what you think.
 
Sounds like too much smoke was used.

I would suggest even going with 'no wood', just charcoal or lump, to test if you really don't like smoked food.
 
Tommy, as Kevin says it's up each individuals taste. Personally, I like a lot on butts and briskets but not as much on poultry. It can turn bitter real fast.I'd err on the side of a little then go from there.
 
The following is from Harry Soo of Slap Yo Daddy BBQ. He uses WSM's for competition. Hope it helps. For the record I use Weber hickory chunks. I would not use chips in a WSM.

(From Slap Yo Daddy):

A common beginner mistake is too much smoke.

Brisket and Pork Butt: 6-10 tennis ball sized chunks
Ribs: 3-5 tennis ball sized chunks
Chicken: 1-3 tennis ball sized chunk
That's all you need for wonderful bark and deep pink smoke ring.

Rule of thumb is bottom grate is about 10 degrees hotter. My temp probe is always on top grate.

1. BBQ is ready when it’s ready (so don’t hurry)
2. Less is more (less smoke, less rub, less add-ons)
3. Opening your smoker is BAD!
4. Too tender is GOOD!
5. Foiling is GOOD!
6. Grilling is NOT barbequing; BBQ is low-and-slow
7. Always have FUN when you BBQ even if results are otherwise!

Spray ribs after 3 hours @ 275 so you don't open for 2/3 of the rib cooking time!

275 renders the fat better and faster. Faster is good so the rib does not dry out. Also, bark forms better at 275 on ribs.

I find 250 is best on butt and brisket.

275 is also perfect for chicken. Basically cook @ 275 for 1 1/2 hours; organic thin skin chicken; sauce before presenting. See my Jailbird recipe on my website also.

And I've tried every imaginable technique so I'm compressing your learning curve with these secrets.

I think you can find a WSM blanket on the Internet. I'm cheap so I get the water blanket insulation from Home Depot (see on the TLC Pitmasters) and it works really well.

a. It takes a while for a WSM or any pit to develop the right aroma and bark/gunk on the sides and dome.

b. I wouldn't recommend you enter a contest with a new pit. I season my new pits by cooking bacon strips or scrap pieces of meat (e.g. pork trimmings) to generate oil vapors, smoke, and grease to coat the inside.

c. I think it takes at least 10 cooks for a WSM to develop the right "seasoning" for consistent flavor.

d. Whatever you do, never cook hot dogs or fish in your WSM that you use to cook ribs, chicken, pork or brisket. Get a separate Weber kettle for hot dogs, hamburgers, fish, lamb, etc.
 
Think of smoke as a spice, just like salt or pepper. A little bit goes a long way especially is they are chips. Each one of those chips is going to produce a lot of smoke right up front. Whereas a chunk (fist sized) will sit and smolder giving off small amounts for a longer time.

Start with smaller amounts and increase later if you desire.

Russ
 
I think the problem may be related to using wood chips instead of chunks. I have found that chips burn too fast even is soaked. Slower burning chunks give the meat time to heat up. I have heard that as the temperature of the meat raises it absorbs less smoke.
 
Soaking chips or chunks does little. Chunks can be used as is. Chips should go in a foil pouch with a single small hole poked in one side. They'll work just fine.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Soaking chips or chunks does little. Chunks can be used as is. Chips should go in a foil pouch with a single small hole poked in one side. They'll work just fine. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Agreed

Tommy it sounds like you just put handfuls of chips right on the coals which would give you that bad smoke flavour. You need to pouch them.
That being said when I grill steaks and chops I throw a few soaked wood chips right on the coals since the meat is only going to grilling for a short period of time.
 
I've used something like this with good results. It allows you to leave some liquid in it so the chips don't burn as fast. I usually prefer chunks but I'll pull this out and use chips when doing high heat poultry cooks.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

(From Slap Yo Daddy):

A common beginner mistake is too much smoke.

Brisket and Pork Butt: 6-10 tennis ball sized chunks
Ribs: 3-5 tennis ball sized chunks
Chicken: 1-3 tennis ball sized chunk
That's all you need for wonderful bark and deep pink smoke ring.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Man that's a lot of wood. But it's all individual taste. I use one chunk for everything.
 
Thanks everyone- big help.
icon_wink.gif
 
If I can cook a perfectly fine turkey in my offset using nothing BUT wood, do you really think the AMOUNT of wood was the issue? No, a short dose of really bad smoke was the problem. The foil pouch already suggested is the only way to go if smoking with chips at high heat on the kettle.

The only other thing I'd say is that what's just as bad as bad wood smoke is smoldering turkey fat. Are you sure you didn't get some drippings on the coals?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill S.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

(From Slap Yo Daddy):

A common beginner mistake is too much smoke.

Brisket and Pork Butt: 6-10 tennis ball sized chunks
Ribs: 3-5 tennis ball sized chunks
Chicken: 1-3 tennis ball sized chunk
That's all you need for wonderful bark and deep pink smoke ring.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Man that's a lot of wood. But it's all individual taste. I use one chunk for everything. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's what I was thinking too.
 
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