Gravity vs wsm taste

scott3705 · Feb 11, 2018

I know there are a million threads related to this but could never find my specific question...

For someone who does not particularly care for the taste off a wsm, does a gravity fed unit have a different flavor than a wsm or is it basically the same since its the same fuel. I have a wsm which i love for chicken (no pan with grease dripping on coals) but i feel like i taste too much charcoal on brisket and pork for long cooks. I run a bbqguru with the minion method with 3 pieces of cherry. Tried just about every coal except for kingsford competition.

I do have a stickburner but i struggle to find time to use it as often as i would like with family committments scattered throughout the weekend.

Thanks

pjtexas1 · Feb 11, 2018

Do you have a pan with brisket? Maybe too much dripping on the coals? Also, more wood chunks might help on longer cooks.

I find the flavor on my gf is a really clean/light taste. Not enough wood in the ash pan and the flavor is lacking. Very different than my Jimmy (homemade wsm).

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LloydQ · Feb 11, 2018

Have you tried not using the minion method? Let the whole charcoal pan ash over before putting on the meat to get rid of the white smoke?

patrickd26 · Feb 11, 2018

Also, consider using lump instead of charcoal. Those are two different flavors. Not a good vs bad argument, but rather they truly have different flavors.

scott3705 · Feb 11, 2018

pjtexas1 said:
Do you have a pan with brisket? Maybe too much dripping on the coals? Also, more wood chunks might help on longer cooks.

I find the flavor on my gf is a really clean/light taste. Not enough wood in the ash pan and the flavor is lacking. Very different than my Jimmy (homemade wsm).

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I do use the pan with a clay pot with my brisket and pork shoulder. I personally like cooking without ever wrapping, so maybe gf may be good? Ive done a few briskets 5 hours on my lang and finished in the oven unwrapped and liked the results.

I have never not used the minion method. Not sure how long the coals would last. Usually the smoke seems pretty clean running out of it after it gets temp in the beginning.

el luchador · Feb 11, 2018

as patrick said, try lump charcoal, i believe some people can taste the difference between lump and briquettes and you may be one of them.
also,what wood do you use for flavor? too much hickory for example can make long cooked foods slightly bitter.

robert-r · Feb 11, 2018

You might give the Weber briquettes a try. They are superb.

scott3705 · Feb 11, 2018

el luchador said:
as patrick said, try lump charcoal, i believe some people can taste the difference between lump and briquettes and you may be one of them.
also,what wood do you use for flavor? too much hickory for example can make long cooked foods slightly bitter.

I started with royal oak lump and actually ended up liking the briquettes better. I use cherry.

el luchador · Feb 11, 2018

scott3705 said:
I started with royal oak lump and actually ended up liking the briquettes better. I use cherry.

understood. but did you like it better for flavor, or some other reason like more consistent burn?

scott3705 · Feb 11, 2018

el luchador said:
understood. but did you like it better for flavor, or some other reason like more consistent burn?

Actually taste. I felt the briquettes had a cleaner taste. I do prefer lump for grilling. The best way i can describe how my palate interprets lump in a wsm is that it is if the brisket spent 24 hours in my charcoal container absorbing the scent even before it started cooking.

Dweverett · Feb 11, 2018

I think some of us are more sensitive to the taste of charcoal. Based on comments I’ve read, including Paul’s here, it might help. That said, I suspect that a lot of the folks who get a light smoke flavor from a GF don’t notice the charcoal taste the way I do.

Given the price of entry (not a lot of cheap GF units), I might try a pellet grill next if you haven’t had one. Meets the hands off criteria very well and definitely has a different smoke profile than charcoal.

Smoking Piney · Feb 11, 2018

I have an Assassin gravity feed and I use briquettes exclusively now - easier to manage without worrying about bridging. I have used KBB, Stubbs, and RO briquettes in it. Once the the initial light-off smoke clears and it's thin, I have not noticed a "briquette" taste - it's neutral and just heat.

I need to add wood chunks to the fire box to get some smoke flavor to the cook.

JS-TX · Feb 11, 2018

Try some pecan or oak, cherry imparts a unique flavor IMO. It's been a while since I used it, but I remember it having a different taste. For a long cook like brisket, that taste may be more pronounced.

Cook · Feb 11, 2018

robert-r said:
You might give the Weber briquettes a try. They are superb.

I have one smoke & one grilling session on Weber briques...so far I like them. Probably not even a full chimney total used so far...that makes the 20# bag at $11.99 not too bad.

el luchador · Feb 12, 2018

scott3705 said:
Actually taste. I felt the briquettes had a cleaner taste. I do prefer lump for grilling. The best way i can describe how my palate interprets lump in a wsm is that it is if the brisket spent 24 hours in my charcoal container absorbing the scent even before it started cooking.

have you perchance used lump with no wood for flavor. I have practiced with that a lot and can say that good lump(I no longer buy RO lump) has almost no flavor

thigpen1 · Feb 12, 2018

el luchador said:
have you perchance used lump with no wood for flavor. I have practiced with that a lot and can say that good lump(I no longer buy RO lump) has almost no flavor

What lump do you use. I use a BGE and RO, I don't taste the lump when cooking pork, but when I cook beef or chicken on the BGE with lump I definitely get a funky taste from the RO

el luchador · Feb 12, 2018

thigpen1 said:
What lump do you use. I use a BGE and RO, I don't taste the lump when cooking pork, but when I cook beef or chicken on the BGE with lump I definitely get a funky taste from the RO

I got a little weird taste from the RO too.

I use B&B hickory. very neutral flavor.

I also LOVE mesquite lump(its AMAZING on chicken by itself) but its a long drive for me to get it and the stuff I can buy is 1/3 powder.

scott3705 · Feb 12, 2018

el luchador said:
have you perchance used lump with no wood for flavor. I have practiced with that a lot and can say that good lump(I no longer buy RO lump) has almost no flavor

Maybe I need to try something other than Royal Oak then. In my neck of the woods, it seems like all I see is Royal Oak or Cowboy. (My understanding is that BGE is Royal Oak... just different packaging?)

el luchador · Feb 12, 2018

scott3705 said:
Maybe I need to try something other than Royal Oak then. In my neck of the woods, it seems like all I see is Royal Oak or Cowboy. (My understanding is that BGE is Royal Oak... just different packaging?)

I get my b&B at Academy sports but I also understand walmart now carries it?

Badjak · Feb 12, 2018

I have seen some threads coming past about high temperature brisket.
Maybe that's worth giving a try?
I would assume that the brisket will have a bit less of a wood/charcoal taste because it's on it shorter?
Personally, I use hardwood lump on my wsm. I hardly ever add extra wood as I find that a bit overpowering in taste (combined with the lump charcoal)

Gravity vs wsm taste

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