How does food get "too much smoke"?

[Ole Man Dan]

That's why I use a base of pecan, with apple or cherry, or both for a smoke profile.

There are lots of Pecan trees in my area. I've had a steady supply of wood that I dry for a couple of months. Lots of folks in our area use Pecan. I like the flavor in Ribs and Chicken.

I used to soak mine, but thanks to the guys on this forum,
I've graduated to TBS and mostly use dry wood. (Taste better too)

It may just be my UDS, but I get a cleaner burn at 240-250 Degrees
without having to keep adjusting the air.
(I may use too much charcoal to start my fire. I've been using a little more than 1/2 a chimney full of
Royal Oak Lump and cooking with Royal Oak.
It seems to burn hotter than Kingsford. )

Bottom Line: I can live with my 'low and slow' being closer to 240-250 Degrees.
It just smokes a little faster...

 

[tmehlhorn]

All good comments on smoke, well said, so i will only comment on the foil. If you choose to foil you need to get the foil tight, in which case your smoke will not get any more smoke flavor and there is no need to use anymore smoke wood. However i will not harm anything if you still have smoke going

 

[Oldschoolbbq]

Snyper, Dude`........................

I do a lot of pre-burning of wood,(I know,how I afford the wood-I beg),can only get told "NO".
When it turns to 'embers',I place it in my FB.The only smoke I get is Bluish,sometimes you have to really look or smell to know. My temps. stay around 225*f(because of a small , hot fire) in my cooking spot-yes I have a hot spot right next to the FB, but plenty of other space to cook on.
Once my FB is buzzing alnog(about an hour into my smoke, after the heat-up),I add a stick about the size of my forearm, which I have pre-heated on the top of the FB. The wood usually starts to burn immediately,no white smoke.
It takes patience (and calibrated Threms.)and some more patience, I have the privilage of having the time to do this, as I am Disabled:hand:.
White Smoke is Bad JuJu. Just sayin'.............

http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb404/oldschoolbbq/Things I cook/Betty014.jpg

 

[garyk1398]

snyper77, you ask alot of great questions! The first one in your title is easy to answer...."How does food get "too much smoke"?

For me its too much wood for the amount of meat I'm smoking.

 

[Hub]

The two most common problems I see in the meat that comes to the judging table in a contest are (1) over-smoking, and (2) over-saucing. Too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing.

There's been lots of good input in this thread, so I'm sure you can make adjustments as necessary to perfect your cook.

 

[prudog]

I too believe that adding wood chunks to charcoal cooker (i.e. WSM, Stumps, etc.) is different ballpark not to oversmoke compared to large offset. When using an offset, I burn mostly hickory because of availability and it is common flavor in Alabama. To specifically answer your question, I offer the following things I have observed.

1. We often tend to start cooking too quickly before the fire has settled in with a nice, hot, properly sized bed of coals. Plan for at least an hour, but depends on wood and fire starting method. I sometimes get the smoker really hot to clean it (350*F) and then wait until it settles back down and wood is added again before starting. A few use Oldschoolbbq mod to preburn wood, especially in simple cinder block pit with whole hog.

2. Like Dave Russell said, there is no substitute for proper fire management in offset. Add wood too soon and it is too hot. Add too late and it will smolder until going again. Wood should be properly sized and moisture content for your feed rate (2 sticks per 45-60 minutes is common for me)

3. Wood moisture is not discussed often, but I find that wood can become hard to cook with after several years when it gets really dry. Think paper... it just burns quick and hot and fewer coals. Maybe most folks don't have wood around that long, but I used to cut wood a few times a year to maintain different lots. I keep it under shed and off the ground and split anything over about 5-6 inches. Since I bought my Stumps, I don't manage my wood actively to maintain that perfect moisture content.

4. You need to control the fire by controlling the draft through the intake vent while leaving the exhaust open. This means never overloading the fire with wood. It is convenient to use the exhaust damper to choke the fire (you see results almost immediate), but you are paying with thick smoke from a smothered fire. Cook on a windy, rainy day and don't be surprised to lose control of the smoker draft, temps, and smoke flavor.

My first cook was with my brother and we used week old, fresh-cut hickory. I think you already know how dumb that is. I still laugh about it. I will try to set you up with an experiment soon!