"OverSmoked"?

[Doog]

My thoughts are vertical vs horizontal. Vertical your getting more direct smoke than on an offset.
But agree dirty smoke.

 

[gtr]

I got some ribs off a BBQ truck this week that left me feeling like I drank bongwater. It used to be a good truck, but I think it changed hands. :tsk: I ate one rib and flung the rest.

 

[SmittyJonz]

The dreaded bong water ............:shock:

 

[jermoQ]

A lot of what i grew up knowing as BBQ

was cooked by my Grandpa with a over and under stick burner with a bad design, a design that I have now. He would stuff the fire box full and light it up, after which had Q that gave you "throat burning smoke burps". That to me was always called too much which equals creosote in my mind.
This method is how I started also out until some great brethren gave me good advice on burning a fire.

 

[Sean "Puffy" Coals]

Ding, Ding, Ding..... :shock: ....so it's not really "OverSmoked" but "Over Dirty Smoked"........

Agree. Also, I believe most stick burners burn their first load of wood down to coals while heating up/before putting food on. I don't own one, so I'm not sure.

 

[HickoryBill]

Another smoke question

I just finished building an electric smoker, and I'm trying to figure out how much smoke is good, and how much is too much.

I have separate heating for the cooking chamber and the smoke generating chamber, so I have a lot of control.

This is what I get with the temp in the smoke generator at 370F

The temp probe is in the air, so I know it is only a reference temp.

Here is the view inside.

Here is the smoke generator underneath so you get an idea of the design.

More heat? less heat? ideas?

 

[SmittyJonz]

Convert to Charcoal n Wood Chunks....... :heh:

 

[blazinfire]

Smitty, I asked the same question! When I first got my WSM I always wondered why people told you to only put 2-3 chunks in. Has to be clean burning fire vs dirty fire. I loaded my WSM with 10+ chunks before because I didn't have enough charcoal. Food wasn't oversmoked!

 

[SmittyJonz]

Smitty, I asked the same question! When I first got my WSM I always wondered why people told you to only put 2-3 chunks in. Has to be clean burning fire vs dirty fire. I loaded my WSM with 10+ chunks before because I didn't have enough charcoal. Food wasn't oversmoked!

Long as you don't choke it down n run dirty to get low temp.......... :thumb:

 

[KevinJ]

You know what they say, wood is good.

 

[Brew-Bq]

I argued w my friend yesterday while we were Qing on my new reverse flow. First all wood burning pit Ive had. After reading a lot on here and watching a few vids I started her w 2 chimneys of briquettes and smaller kindling pieces adding some oak barrel staves to heat it up and build a nice coal bed. After 45 minutes I was up to temp and adding normal size splits. I ran w the stack wide open and controlled temps w the size of the fire. Burned clean all day long w either thin blue smoke or just heat vapor. He was wondering aloud if the food would lack smoke flavor because the stack wasnt producing much visible smoke. When he used it before he was choking the stack back and getting bouts of the thick white stuff. I told him the good flavor isnt from the thick smoke. He also has an OK Joe with no fire grate so sometimes Ives seen his fire starve for air and burn dirty. Sometimes his Q gives me the smoke burps and tastes oversmoked, but most of the time its delicious.

 

[SmittyJonz]

:mrgreen:

 

[woodburner]

I found out the hard way that most all of the time less is more, even the original uds started with the kiss method. I think good tasting bbq is no different!
My best results either in competition or from catering was from from best fire management.
My best always came from when the exhaust was so clean that you couldn't tell the pit was even lit, if I use my stick burner I preheat the splits that are "sized" to allow a clean burn, and if I'm cooking on my drum, or smokey mountain,I only used 3 chunks that where fist size, and I always have a deep smoke ring every time. If I use straight lump charcoal I don't use any wood chunks. You just have to experiment on what works best for what you want for your end result.

 

[SmittyJonz]

:boxing:

 

[4ever3]

What Brew said, it's not about how much smoke, it's about what KIND of smoke.

 

[erichasaces]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mQPjKSVe1tQ

It's our team tradition to play this song as soon as I get back from taking brisket to turn in. The kids love it.

 

[cyberstrategist]

I remember my first time doing a brisket where the smoke was just off. I mean way off. It was bitter and a terrible way to end a cook. It was an expensive way to learn not to rush the fire. I ended up throwing away a whole brisket that day.

In the end, though, that was one of the best learning experiences I had in my early learning phase. Not only did I learn about fire management but also different ways to achieve the desired temp and smoke levels. I devoured information and watched videos and talked to people and watched how they did fire management at the local successful BBQ joints.

It was an expensive mistake but well worth it today.

-Cyber

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

This is a real instructive thread!
Thanks for sharing your opinions !

 

[VoodoChild]

I use only mesquite and cant get enough ! Bad Smoke ..yes Oversmoke .. Nope

 

[scrub puller]

Yair . . .

As has been mentioned this is a real instructive thread.

I make my own charcoal and when cooking on the Weber or drum I never add any smoke wood.

Stick burners are not common around here (or any sort of smoker for that matter) but the couple of times I have tried meat or chicken cooked on an offset at fairs I sure got the "smoke burps" . . . very unpleasant.

I realise now it was probably the fault of the cook and not the cooker.

Cheers.