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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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11-12-2011, 07:29 PM | #1 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-23-11
Location: Orange, VA
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I just can't seem to "master" hickory?
First off, I don't currently own a dedicated smoker so I use my 22.5" Weber OTG. Whenever I smoke anything I always use the indirect minion method and regular Kingsford blue. The problem I'm having is that I just can't seem to get that light bacon type flavor out of the hickory chunks I use.
I know hickory is strong so I only use one or two small chunks depending on what type of meat I'm smoking. I even go as far as to pre-burn the chunks a bit in the chimney starter to achieve thin blue smoke right off the bat. Oddly enough though, the meat still turns out too harsh and bitter almost every time. For example, I smoked a small batch of chicken wings Thursday night using a single hickory chunk the size of two fingers and while they weren't unedible, they just had a harsh burnt wood type taste. I don't get it. I'm getting thin blue smoke the entire time. Could it just be that hickory is simply too strong for my taste? I've never had this problem with cherry wood in the past. Any tips or advice you guys and gals could throw my way would be greatly appreciated. |
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11-12-2011, 07:32 PM | #2 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 05-10-11
Location: East of Atlanta, GA.
Name/Nickname : Colin
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Is it fully seasoned?
It may still be a bit "green". If you have a couple of splits just knock them against each other. It should sound like banging two baseball bats together. CRACK!
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Colin - "Drinking alcohol can cause memory loss... or worse, memory loss" New Braunfels Hondo Offset New Braunfels Bandera (Refurbished & Improved) Char-Broil 450 (Purchased new in 1981) 1996 Blue Weber SS Performer Weber charcoal Go-Anywhere 2 Weber SJSs & modified stock pot Mini-WSM Weber rotisserie, Rib-O-Lator & Smokenator system Blackstone Tailgater Combo & STOK Island gasser |
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Thanks from: ---> |
11-12-2011, 07:35 PM | #3 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 10-30-11
Location: Dallas, TX
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Just went outside and tried the baseball bat sound thing. Sweet.
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Primo Kamado | Pitmaker Safe | Pitmaker Mobile | Klose Mobile "On Fire" limited edition Thermapen |
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11-12-2011, 07:42 PM | #4 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 01-26-10
Location: Virginia
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First, chicken takes smoke well so a little goes a long way. Secondly, you don't have to see smoke to get flavor from it and the clearer the vapor coming frmo your cooker the better the smoke flavor will be, IMO.
My suggestion would be try putting a chunk of hickory in your chimney when you start you charcoal and make sure the wood has burned to an ember and there is clear vapor coming from your chimney before you put the fire in the cooker.
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Operation BBQ Relief Founding Member - I am Obsessive Compulsive about BBQ. Google it. |
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11-12-2011, 08:00 PM | #6 | |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 09-28-11
Location: Harleysville, PA
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Quote:
Ken |
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11-12-2011, 08:01 PM | #7 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 03-01-08
Location: Akron, OH
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I dont like the taste of hickory. Tried it and tried it. Oak on the other hand, is probably my favorite wood.
I also like mesquite. For me I know it is the hickory because I have used plum, apple, cherry, wild cherry, pear, oak, sugar maple, walnut, hickory and silver maple and the only one I don't care for is hickory. Go figure . Jeff
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You do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do! Ole Hickory Ultra Que 2 18" WSM 18" Weber OTS Primo Oval XL NB American Gourmet offset smoker UDS Big Chief Smoker Turkey Fryer |
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11-12-2011, 08:34 PM | #8 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 02-28-11
Location: Dallas, Texas
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I agree with the others about the pecan. I use pecan on 75% of my smokes. It's very mild and goes great with just about all meats. I prefer hickory on larger cuts of beef like briskets.
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BGE large w/ lots of accessories; Lyfe Tyme offset; RED Termapen |
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11-12-2011, 08:49 PM | #9 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 08-23-08
Location: Gainesville, Fl area Gator Country
Name/Nickname : Qapla
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I use Hickory and have not had any bad results. Of course, I am using a smoker not a grill - not sure if that makes a difference.
I use my chips/chunks dry and "hide" them in the middle of the fuel load. I place some charcoal in my fuel bowl. I put some chips/chunks on top of the charcoal then fill the bowl the rest of the way with more charcoal. This tends to make the Hickory last a bit longer. Even though I use mine dry, you might try soaking your Hickory in water before you use it. From times when I did that when I had smoked on a grill I had effect so mild that I decided to quit wetting the chips/chunks. Personally, I find Mesquite a bit strong and bitter for my taste.
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Traeger Pellet Smoker free from a friend and Blackstone 36" Proseries Outdoor Cooking Station |
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11-12-2011, 09:42 PM | #10 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 06-23-11
Location: Orange, VA
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Thanks for the info so far folks. A couple things that I forgot to mention is that I'm using hickory chunks that I bought from Lowes and I do not soak them. Boshizzle, next time I'll try burning the chunks to a complete ember before adding them to the fire to see how that works out. I've got to say though that this really gives me a new appreciation of how strong hickory actually is. One of the things I love about cherry wood is that even when it's not burning cleanly it's still pretty light and sweet smelling. Oh well, every cook is a learning process.
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11-12-2011, 10:28 PM | #11 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 01-26-10
Location: Virginia
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Good luck, bro. But, VA BBQ (yeah, I'm biased ) means hickory smoke. It's just a matter of making sure the smoke is an enhancement to the flavor of the meat like salt and pepper rather than the main flavor.
Please keep us updated. I'm over in Chancellor (Chancellorsville for the Yanks) , so if you want to stop by sometime in your travels to Fredericksburg just let me know.
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Operation BBQ Relief Founding Member - I am Obsessive Compulsive about BBQ. Google it. |
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11-12-2011, 10:36 PM | #12 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 04-25-11
Location: Valdese, NC
Name/Nickname : John
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Try a mix of hickory with some other fruit wood like apple or cherry.
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11-12-2011, 11:35 PM | #13 |
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Join Date: 09-18-06
Location: Hurricane Deck Missouri
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If you are that sensitive to hickory, try just using straight lump, no other wood. Personally I like a deep hickory flavor.
Dave
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Let us have a drink and by God lets us not think about the things we ain't never going to know about. |
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11-12-2011, 11:47 PM | #14 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 10-23-10
Location: The Never Never.
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The only time I got that bitterness is when the hickory flamed and burned.
I'd try it after a soak, that may be all it is.
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Hold my dang beer... |
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11-13-2011, 12:24 AM | #15 | |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 12-03-08
Location: Pearl River LA
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Quote:
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