Gravity vs wsm taste

[scott3705]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by pjtexas1

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]

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]

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

[scott3705]

Originally Posted by el luchador

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]

Originally Posted by scott3705

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]

Originally Posted by el luchador

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by robert-r

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]

Originally Posted by scott3705

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