Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 2 & 2D - The Middle Kid => Topic started by: Spolvs on September 08, 2015, 12:16:13 PM
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Hello everyone, Joe from Toronto here. I'm a little late to the show, have owned a model#2 since March 2015, have had about 8-10 smokes so far and can't help but notice everyone on the forum site saying they're turning out amazing Q, not the same for me, it seems my #2 has a strange taste on all food that is smoked and I can't pin the nail on it. I followed the seasoning instructions to the T, I use minimal wood on smokes and it seems I was turning out better ribs in my oven and gas bbq than the SI, does anyone know what the problem might be? It's almost like a funky grease flavour that on the meat, I wipe down my smoker after each smoke so I'm puzzled at this point.
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Welcome from Delaware, Joe! I have not heard of the problem you are describing, but I wonder if another seasoning might help?
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Hey Joe,
Welcome from Saint Augustine Florida.
What you are experiencing is not usual at all for this smoker. Maybe some questions might help sort this out.....
What are you using for wood (never use green wood) and how much are you using in each smoke (do you have a scale)?
You said you wipe down the smoker after each use, do you mean the outside or the inside. If it is the inside what are you using?
When you did you initial burn-in did you go the full 4 hours (you might consider placing about 4 oz. of wood and burn-in again).
Are you using foil on the bottom of the smoker and if so making sure it does not touch the element. Also when using foil on the bottom, did you remember to poke a hole in the foil to allow air to flow from bottom to top (drain hole)?
I sure others will chime in also, but if you can answer some of those questions maybe we can find out what is going on.
Best Greg
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Thanks for the warm welcome!😃
I'm using warm water and a rag to wipe the interior only, fouled the bottom and the hole is punched, using hickory that came with the si, I would say I'm not even using 1oz because the wife is pregnant and can't stand too much smoke so it's definitely not the smoke. Anyone know how to strip the seasoning and start fresh? Dont get me wrong, the food looks fantastic! Im just noticing a funky taste that's driving me mad!!!! Lol 😡
We have a few bbq joints in town using cookshacks and the ribs are fantastic so I know te si should be pimping out the same results.
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Thanks for the warm welcome!😃
I'm using warm water and a rag to wipe the interior only, fouled the bottom and the hole is punched, using hickory that came with the si, I would say I'm not even using 1oz because the wife is pregnant and can't stand too much smoke so it's definitely not the smoke. Anyone know how to strip the seasoning and start fresh? Dont get me wrong, the food looks fantastic! Im just noticing a funky taste that's driving me mad!!!! Lol 😡
We have a few bbq joints in town using cookshacks and the ribs are fantastic so I know te si should be pimping out the same results.
No you are right, the stuff you get out of your SI should be at least as good, but I think you will find it much better.
If you have as few smokes as you say there is really not a lot to strip. When my unit gets over greasy, I just run it with just the firebox for 4 hours. I would suggest you do the same and then on your next smoke, don't use any wood and see what the results are.
Greg
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Thanks for all the help Greg, much appreciated. I have to admit, this forum is pretty active when you submit a post and get an answer within 5 mins, I had a feeling I was buying into something good when I ordered te SI. I'm sure I will figure it out, I'm going to run a cleaning cycle on all the racks/side rails, give her a nice wipe down and do a 4 hr cycle with no wood and see if that does the trick.
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Thanks for all the help Greg, much appreciated. I have to admit, this forum is pretty active when you submit a post and get an answer within 5 mins, I had a feeling I was buying into something good when I ordered te SI. I'm sure I will figure it out, I'm going to run a cleaning cycle on all the racks/side rails, give her a nice wipe down and do a 4 hr cycle with no wood and see if that does the trick.
Glad to help, keep everyone here posted, this is a weird one!
Greg
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I don't ever wipe down my sidewalls. That is just the seasoning coat and I don't want to wipe that goodness off.
I do wipe down the floor of the smoker because no matter how well I foil, the bottom still gets greasy. But I just use paper towels. Once or twice a year I do a more thorough cleaning.
I think we need more details a out your prep and smoking process.
Give us an example of one of your smokes from prep all the way to the end.
Are you using any drip pans or water pans?
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Joe, Welcome from SW Arkansas! My advice would be to get you some different wood and try that. Now people will argue on here that the dowels that come with the smoker are just fine but I did not like the flavor that it left either and stopped using them. Before you go spending money on more expensive wood I would test some cheaper wood to see if that makes a difference in what you are experiencing to try and narrow down the problem. I suspect since you are experiencing the same result using the same wood that that is the culprit. Buy you a bag of hickory or some other variety of cheaper wood from a big box store like Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart etc. and try it as a test and see. If that is the problem then purchase you some better wood from Smokinlicious or Maine Grilling Woods.
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+1 on switching out the wood. That was my first thought. If your dowels are hickory from SI, then try apple, cherry, pecan, or maple instead. Sometimes people just don't like the taste of certain woods. Good idea on running for 4 hours without wood to try and purge some of the flavors in there.
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I agree that trying different wood would be a good idea. But, I disagree about buying the junk wood from a big box store. We use such little wood in our smokers that I would hate to have to use up a bunch of kiln dried big box wood.
I would get some Cherry and Maple (great full flavored yet mild smoking wood) from Smokinlicious and avoid the big box wood.
My 2 cents.
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So here's my full run down on prepping/cooking spareribs...
I start off with rinsing/drying and removing membrane.
- salt and let that sit in order to draw out some moister.
- mustard followed by dry rub (I used bone sucking sauce rub for the first time)
- wrap ribs in plastic wrap overnight (about 15 hrs)
- take out of the fridge the next day and let the, come up to room temp (30min-45min)
- I use 2 3x 10 aluminum foil trays that fit perfectly beside the fire box
- place the ribs on the highest rack, close door and turn on the smoker to the 225 setting and let them rip for 5 hrs no peaking. (I used to foil previously but read on the forum that it was not needed so I skipped the foil and never looked back)
-also wanted to add that I just purchased a maverick 733 and noticed how much the smoker temp control was off, we're talking almost 75 degrees on some swings. I smoked pork shoulder last night and decided to moved the pans above the heat box and noticed that I got really good temp control with 25 degree swing at the most.
I used both pecan and hickory chips which were store bought because I thought the wood sent with the SI might have been bad so that's another area I covered. The end product looks fantastic however, they look better than they taste. Once every couple of smokes I get a good turn out but for some reason the usual taste that I can't pin point always makes an appearance. I was trying to upload some pics from my iPad but it just hangs and doesn't allow me to attach, not sure if I have to use an actual cup in order to upload pics?
I wanted to say thanks to everyone who reached out to this post, great to see how involved everyone is on this forum and hope that I can contribute to future discussions.
I will try uploading some pics.
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See attached pic
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Pulled pork!
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I still wonder if it is the flavor specific to the wood species. Sounds like you've used hickory a fair bit? Have you tried cherry or maple? I would stick to using just one flavor of wood per smoke and experiment.
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That's definitely an option sconnieQ, I'm going to first run a cycle without anything in it and then try my next smoke without wood and see if I still get the taste.
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So here's my full run down on prepping/cooking spareribs...
I start off with rinsing/drying and removing membrane. Great!
- salt and let that sit in order to draw out some moister.
- mustard followed by dry rub (I used bone sucking sauce rub for the first time)
- wrap ribs in plastic wrap overnight (about 15 hrs) Up to here is good, too!
- take out of the fridge the next day and let the, come up to room temp (30min-45min) Skip this step! ...COLD meat in a COLD smoker. You will get better results.
- I use 2 3x 10 aluminum foil trays that fit perfectly beside the fire box Use one water pan...2 is overkill. An aluminum mini-loaf pan should be plenty.
- place the ribs on the highest rack, close door and turn on the smoker to the 225 setting and let them rip for 5 hrs no peaking. (I used to foil previously but read on the forum that it was not needed so I skipped the foil and never looked back)
-also wanted to add that I just purchased a maverick 733 and noticed how much the smoker temp control was off, we're talking almost 75 degrees on some swings. I smoked pork shoulder last night and decided to moved the pans above the heat box and noticed that I got really good temp control with 25 degree swing at the most. Don't worry about monitoring box temp, and I definitely recommend keeping the water pan on the floor, not between the meat and smoke box. If you watch temp swings, you will possibly go insane, and we don't want that. :o
I used both pecan and hickory chips which were store bought because I thought the wood sent with the SI might have been bad so that's another area I covered. The end product looks fantastic however, they look better than they taste. Once every couple of smokes I get a good turn out but for some reason the usual taste that I can't pin point always makes an appearance. I was trying to upload some pics from my iPad but it just hangs and doesn't allow me to attach, not sure if I have to use an actual cup in order to upload pics? See comments below...
I wanted to say thanks to everyone who reached out to this post, great to see how involved everyone is on this forum and hope that I can contribute to future discussions.
I will try uploading some pics.
Hey Joe,
I personally believe your problem is your wood, more than anything else. First, you mentioned "pecan and hickory chips;" are you using a chip screen, and soaking them? If they are chunks, are you doing anything to prevent combustion? Most store-bought (big box, hardware) wood is VERY dry, and prone to burning. Your problem sounds more like wood combustion (bad smoke) than anything else. I would recommend ordering some good-quality wood from smokinlicious.com, fruitawood.com, or mainegrillingwoods.com.
Also, you mentioned the amount of wood you use... 1 oz? This is also part of your problem. First, that is such a small amount of wood, you probably wouldn't even notice the flavor it imparts. And, if you are using dry wood, I bet you don't see much smoke coming out for very long! Wood smoke is actually a VERY big part of good BBQ flavor profile, so up that amount and get your smoke on! At least 3-4 oz for ribs. Trust me, my wife doesn't really like most smoked food, but she devours my BBQ! Most BBQ joints actually over-smoke. You should be using 5-7 oz on those pork butts.
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Splovs - I would forgo the cleaning/wiping down the smoker with water. Clean the racks but as for the interior of the cabinet, let it alone. If the 'patina' becomes so thick that it alligators (cracks) then I would use a clean stiff brush to remove the loose particles. Also, you say you use 2 "3X10 foil trays. Assuming this is for water or juice to help maintain moisture, you could be creating something akin to acid rain/liquid soot in your smoker as it liquifies the patina from prior cooks and some of it drips onto your food. I realize I am way out on the limb with the acid rain/liquid soot remark but try smoking without adding moisture. I hope this helps.
Dave
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I'm thinking you guys might be right. How do you tell if there's combustion, what will I notice? This past weekend I experimented with lining the fire box with foil and rapping 1 piece of wood (SI hickory) in foil (put holes in foil) and noticed it produced a slower smoke stream and left a black chunk of burnt wood at the end where's before it was leaving white ash. I'm assuming it should leave something after its burnt out or should it be leaving ash?
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I also forgot to mention that when I'm using chips im not using a screen but I am soaking the chips. I'm also using the chips separately, if I'm using pecan it's only pecan and vice versa. The reason why I'm using such little wood is due to my wife who is expecting and she can't handle too much smoke at the moment, but you have me thinking that maybe the smokers to strong because of combustion? I always had that in the back of my mind but it's not a creosote taste, it's not bitter or unbearable to eat.
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First, for me I do not use chips unless I am smoking something like Jerky or cheese where I am smoking at a very low temperature. I really prefer chunks for 80% of my smokes.
The reason for this is that chips will start smoking earlier albeit for a shorter time than chunks and have more tendency to combust (regardless of soaking which I never do). The other time I would use chips would be if I was using a combination of chips and chunks and wanted to stagger my smoke. The chips will start early and the chunks will keep going after the chips are done smoking.
There are 4 main methods of avoiding combustion that I am aware of:
1. Foiling the bottom half of your wood chunk which it sounds like you have already tried. Many have very good luck with this.
2. Ramp-up method - Don't bother foiling. Just add your chunks and run your smoker at 140 for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, bump the temp up to your desired smoking temperature. During the 45 minutes, you will typically get through two on/off cycles of the element. This gets the wood to start smoldering and just prior to when it would normally combust, turns the element off and gives it a break. After smoking at the lower temperature and upping the temp, I don't think I have ever experienced combustion.
3. Using a combination of 1 and 2.
4. Buy good quality wood from Smokinlicious (probably the best option of the 4). I haven't read here about anyone getting combustion from their Smokinlicious wood even without foiling/ramping.
I also think that Old Sarge may be onto something with the extra moisture from two water pans. I only use one small tin loaf pan and that provides plenty of moisture.
Hopefully we can get this figured out for you. Let us know how things go. This is a thread that I am curious about what is causing the issue.
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You probably are getting combustion on the chips without the chip insert/screen, even if they are soaked. I only use chips for fish, quick smokes or cold smokes. Try some chunks, and if they are kind of dry, use the "foil boat" method. I wrap all sides of my chunks tightly in foil except the side that faces up. When the cook is over, occasionally I will end up with a foil boat filled with white ash, but most of the time I end up with what looks like a piece of black charcoal. Folks here are pretty fussy about their wood. And for good reason. I don't have any of the fancy wood (have a couple bags of Weber chunks I'm trying to use up), so my wood is kind of dry. I haven't had any problems if I foil boat my crappy Weber wood, and the food tastes great. The smoke flavor is clean. But once my crappy wood is gone (or maybe sooner), I'm ordering some double filet chunks from smokinlicious.com. Seems pricey, but these smokers use such a small amount of wood, the per smoke price is very reasonable.
Since you said the taste is not dirty smoke or creosote, and more like a funky grease, I'm wondering if any of this will help, but it's a place to start. Is the grease taste at all like rancid grease? Like cooking oil that's gone bad? Or is it like a spoiled meat taste? Or more of a chemical grease smell like machine grease?
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When the wood catches fire, you will notice short "puffs" of white smoke coming from the top and perhaps even around the door. When combustion really takes off, you will see a huge "belch" of white smoke from the top and around the door. This usually happens within the first 30 minutes or so of the smoke, and then it typically does not happen again. I always watch my #2 for the first heating cycle just to make sure this does not happen. Have you noticed heavy white/gray smoke within the first 30 minutes, or seen puffs of smoke? Having said this, many of us have experienced combustion in the first heating cycle but go on to get great Q, so I doubt this alone is the problem.
For most of my smokes, I end up with some ash but mostly charred pieces of wood.
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To prevent combustion using chucks, just line the bottom of your firebox with a single piece of foil.
The result not more combustion and you don't need to change the foil.
Greg
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Steve/Greg, that's exactly what's happening! The first 20 mins of the smoke is white and then that's it, no more smoke, mind you I'm using such a small amount and that was due to an over smoke flavour probably caused by combustion/bad wood. I think you guys nailed it on the head, going to order me some premium wood and try out another shoulder and see how she goes. Once again I wanted to thank everyone for reaching out and putting your two cents in, I will hit you guys with an update in a week or two to let you know how it goes. 😊
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Sounds good, Joe. I agree with such a small amount of wood, it probably ignited and burned out pretty quick, leaving you with an empty box of no smoke! Try 3-4 oz of wood and see if you notice a difference.
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Joe, forgive me if I missed this in earlier posts but do you have a digital scale and are you using it to weigh your wood? If you are not, then you should get one so you know exactly how much wood you are starting with. If you are just guessing you may be way off on the estimation of the amount of wood you are really using.
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I think we're making headway.
Hopefully switching to premium wood will fix the problem.
I understand that you are trying to limit the amount of smoke for your expecting wife, but even with premium wood I would try a single 2 ounce chunk of wood. This is still a relatively low amount of wood and I think a bigger chunk (especially premium wood) will have a lot less likelihood of combustion than a 1 ounce chunk. And if you use a lighter wood like Maple or Cherry verses hickory that will make a more smooth smoke flavor.
Good luck on the next smoke, and make sure you let us know how it goes.
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+1
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+2
Greg
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no doubt about it boys, I think I'm going to try it out next week, should I be using foil to incase the chunk or should I just line the fire box with foil? Reason why I'm asking is because I already lined the fire box last smoke and got white smoke with ash remaining but once agin I was using the hickory that. And with the si
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I would skip the foil all together and use the ramp-up method. It has never failed for me.
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no doubt about it boys, I think I'm going to try it out next week, should I be using foil to incase the chunk or should I just line the fire box with foil? Reason why I'm asking is because I already lined the fire box last smoke and got white smoke with ash remaining but once agin I was using the hickory that. And with the si
With really dry wood, you can still get combustion. Get some good wood, and taste some real bbq! ;)
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I would wrap the bottom part of the wood in foil anyway. True, with good wood, you shouldn't need to, but it wouldn't hurt, and takes little effort. If you get a few good smokes under your belt without off-flavors, then experiment with no foil, etc. The ramp-up method is another good option, but for me, I like to turn it on and walk away. I feel like I would get distracted with something else, and 2 hours later I would be "oh no, forgot to turn up the smoker".
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I would wrap the bottom part of the wood in foil anyway. True, with good wood, you shouldn't need to, but it wouldn't hurt, and takes little effort. If you get a few good smokes under your belt without off-flavors, then experiment with no foil, etc. The ramp-up method is another good option, but for me, I like to turn it on and walk away. I feel like I would get distracted with something else, and 2 hours later I would be "oh no, forgot to turn up the smoker".
+1! Well-said!
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Hi Joe, welcome to the Smokin It family and nice to see a fellow Torontonian on the forum. I have had my #3 for a few few years now with no issues.
I do clean the bottom of my smoker with water and dish soap to degrease it, then a good rinsing with the garden hose does the trick to clean it out every few smokes, however I don't touch the sides unless I have to. The shelves and side racks will also go into the dishwasher for a cycle to get them degreased.
I have used both chunks and chip, both with great success, however I don't use more than 2 ounces of wood for my ribs because I like my smoke on the lighter side. For my first attempt I used 3.5 ounces for ribs and they were definitely not to my liking. It was just to much for me and my family. I can relate to the 1 ounce that you are using considering the circumstances. And I do use different kinds of chips even from our local big box stores with no issues. Just be sure to soak your chips.
I also only use 1 pan of liquid next to the smoker/fire box and my ribs turn out great. Patience is key, keep them in the smoker for 5 - 6 hours at 235 and no peeking.
You also mentioned that your local BBQ joint uses cookshack. I am assuming you are referring to Big Bone BBQ? If so, I have tried there ribs, they are not bad, but I prefer mine (as does my family) over there ribs. And the pulled pork and brisket that the SI produces is simply outstanding.
Have you tried smoking other meats such as a pork butt? If so, does it turn out greasy as well? Just seems odd, but I would give it a once over cleaning, then run it for 4 hours to season it again and then try another smoke.
Not sure where in TO you are, it's a big city, but I'm in the Northeast part of town.
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Hey Tony, thanks for the welcome and you are correct. Thebbq joint is Memphis Q, which is part of big bone, they were an extension of the purple pig out in Berrie and they opened Memphis bbq about 5-8 years ago in Vaughan and started franchising and ended up calling it big bone! Im located near king municipality about a 30-45 min trek outside of Toronto.
I believe everyone is right on this forum in saying that my wood is combusting because I've been doing some research and it looks like I'm getting the white bellowing smoke. I'm going to take your advice and the rest of the great ideas I got from the forum members and do a rinse, 4hr sry run and then a smoke. I'm going to wrap my wood as well, I will do this because the inside of my fire box is lined and it's still combusting, the wood I use is the hickory that came with the si, I also have pecan chips but always use them separate. I've smoked chicken, ribs and pork shoulder so far, te chicken wings have been good but noticed they take in a lot of smoke flavour with little amount of wood. I would say the shoulder came out really good but some parts were a little stringy, but all in all not over powered with the smoke flavour and I believe that's due to me not using a lot of wood that is needed in order to penetrate suck a big piece of meat. I still get that funny taste on all my smokes and it is nowhere near the flavour profile of say a big bone, they win hands down and I know that there is much better, going to try these new tips and get me some premium wood and hopefully that will do the trick!
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Hey Joe, the amount of wood is key to our individual flavour profile. Some people like the heavier smoke flavour while others prefer lighter taste such as myself. For ribs, I use no more than two ounces and for bigger cuts such as pork butt it brisket, I use 5 ounces. In time, you will figure out what amount best suits your preference.
I have been to the Big Bone BBQ at the Markham location where I live and it is great, but I get better results from my SI #3. For the bigger cuts, try brining them the day before. I have tried both brining va not brining and I have had equally great results.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Btw, I was in the King area not long ago for my son's soccer tournament.
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Joe I had kinda of the same issue. The dowels were good for the original seasoning but left an odd taste with food. I know the majority of the folks on the forum prefer chunks but I've had great success with large high quality chips. I make a foil boat (looks like a football) about 5 inches long and leave a small opening in the top - almost closed just enough to let the smoke out. It's long enough that I place it in the back of the box and the other end is roughly centered. I get amazing results with 1.5 ounces for ribs and chicken and 3 ounces for pork butts. It's all what you like just buy good wood and stay away from the box store stuff.
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thanks for the feedback NFAA, i've been running some empty cycles and was tinkering with wrapping the wood in foil and noticed a huge difference. I immediately noticed the smoke lasted over an hr when it used to burn out in about 20mins and i also noticed that blue smoke color everybody mentions when the wood is burning clean which got me excited lol. unfortunatley i was not able to smoke anything this last week ue to a hectic schedule but im aiming to throw a rack on sometime this week! one thing i noticed was that when the i turned the unit off was that the wood in the fire box was still in tact but charred whereas before it was wehite ash so i think im doing something right in terms of controlling combustion. im going to give her a go this weekend and provide everyone with an update....crossing my fingers!
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I'll post a picture of how I do my "boat" this weekend.
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I'll post a picture of how I do my "boat" this weekend.
I am interested in this, I have a large amount of mixed chips that I used to use in an old MES and would like to use them in my #3.......
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Welcome Joe, I did a brisket last month and also had this funky taste............I'm all ears here!
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Please do NFAA, that would be great! I was wrapping the whole piece of wood and punching holes in the foil with a nail, it seemed to work but I was getting mixed smoke, some white and some blue but no combustion which was great.
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My "boat" with 3 ounce of chips - less wood make a smaller boat. You want to keep the chips bunched together not spread out laying flat. It's placed in the back of the box. Preparing for an overnight 9lbs pork butt smoke.
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In regards to the original post about a "funky" taste. Who knew that there were so many flavor compounds emitted from the wood at so many temperatures. I wonder if there is some personal objection to one of these. I just saw this episode from Steven Raichlen's new series, Project Smoke. Queue up the video to 07:06 if you just want to watch the little section about the science of smoke.
http://video.mpt.tv/video/2365526373/
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In regards to the original post about a "funky" taste. Who knew that there were so many flavor compounds emitted from the wood at so many temperatures. I wonder if there is some personal objection to one of these. I just saw this episode from Steven Raichlen's new series, Project Smoke. Queue up the video to 07:06 if you just want to watch the little section about the science of smoke.
http://video.mpt.tv/video/2365526373/
I tried watching this, but with the new computer and bose speakers a lot of the videos from youtube sounds fuzzy or weird to the point cannot make out what they are saying. :(
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Odd. The video is on public television website (Maryland I think) rather than YouTube. Wonder if others have trouble. I am on Mac (Apple) so... stuff works. Using Chrome browser. Hope you can see.
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Hey Kari, I too am using chrome, but have also tried firefox and microsoft internet browser. All with the same results, some of the new videos will play perfectly. Others can see but cannot get a quality sound from them. This started happening with my old desktop and now continues with the new one.
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Hello Everyone, it's been a while since i got back to everyone with an update, been real busy the past few weeks with the arrival of a new family memeber (Baby boy!) and had little time to smoke anything but did manage to get a rack on over the weekend....it was not good. The look and texture of the meat was bang on, made the foil boat for the hickory chips i had on hand and the meat did not taste good what so ever. I believe it was bad smoke probably due to over dried wood, i didnt have time to go out and get some premium wood and should've put in an order with fruitawood istead, but whats puzzling me is why does this smoker not burn wood properly??? i used to use the same chips on my gas grill and never had an issue, it would smoke clean and the food wood get a nice smoke ring with great smoke flavour, it seems like the SI is incinerating whatever you put in the smoke box and its really frustrating. i have the 800 wat element and im starting to think it might be to much for such a little space, i lined the fos box with foil and also made a thick foil boat to coer the chips (buched up the chips) and still getting a horrible taste, i ended up throwing the rack out, the wife had one rib and said she couldnt eat them!
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Hey Joe, First congrats on the baby boy and glad to hear both wife and baby are healthy. I remember you first said you was getting a funky taste on your ribs. I normally use oak and maple woods on my ribs about 5 oz. And the wood will look like charcoal blocks when the ribs are finished. I just wonder if you using foil on the bottom of your fire box and making a foil boat for the chips is causing your meat to taste bad. I normally just use chunks on my smokes. Also in my #1 I have the chip screen. Try soaking your chips for maybe 20 min. in warm water before smoking. And leave the foil boats off to see if you get a better taste. Also what is the rub you are using. Is it one you have used in the past and had good results with? You might try some wood from http://www.smokinlicious.com/. I have used their wood with very good results.
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I believe it was bad smoke probably due to over dried wood, i didnt have time to go out and get some premium wood and should've put in an order with fruitawood istead, but whats puzzling me is why does this smoker not burn wood properly???
Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy!
Regarding your rib smoke, I thought we had this all hashed out and you agreed that it was the bad wood that was causing the problem?
So, why are you still using it? For the money you wasted on the ribs, you could have bought some good wood from Smokinlicious.com.
One other small but important thing to note. In your comment you asked "why does this smoker not burn wood properly?" The answer is that you do not want to "burn" your wood. You want it to smolder. Burning wood is what is most likely causing your problem.
To go back to your question, I would rephrase it as "Why does my smoker burn my wood instead of letting it smolder and smoke?" And the answer is that your wood is to dry. Instead of smoldering, it is combusting. If you really want to use your chips, you are going to have to soak them for days, not minutes. But, I honestly would not waste any more meat until you get some premium wood. While Fruitawood and Maine Grilling Woods are great options, the trend is strongly moving to Smokinlicious.com.
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Thanks Gregg, your 100% right, I know it's the wood and should've got the premium wood, I just don't understand why I don't get the same results when I use the gas grill? It should combust in the gas grill if too dry correct? Either way I was craving some Q and thought what the hell let's try the new technique with the foil boat and it made no difference lol I will definitely be ordering some premium wood and provide everyone with the proper update.
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I am guessing that you aren't putting the chips 1/2" away from the burners on your gas grill like they are in the smoker.
To be fair, I have had some belches that were caused by combustion with my wood chunks and have not had any bad meals yet. And that was not even with the high quality wood from Smokinlicious. I think chips are just better used for low temp and/or cold smoking situations. For ribs and any 200+ degree smokes, I would strongly recommend chunks verses chips.
I just hate to see you ruin any more meat by getting too much combustion. But, here are a couple of ideas if you want to experiment some more with your chips.
One thing that comes to mind is where in your smoke box are you placing your chips? I know in mine and a lot of others here the rear/back of our smoke boxes get hotter than the fronts. Should you want to do some more experimenting, you could try placing your chips further to the front of the smoker.
Also, I see that you have tried foil boating which has not worked. But I do not see that you have tried the ramp-up method yet. I have never foiled any of my wood and don't really plan to. I prefer and use the ramp-up method as it has not failed me yet. Run at 140 for 45 minutes, before going up to your smoking temp. This allows that initial heating cycle (sometimes 2) to be broken right before the wood combusts and gives it a bit of a break before cycling the burner on again.
Just a couple of ideas. I feel bad for you because you have had some bad experiences with your new smoker. But, never fear. We'll help you get it figured out.
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A few things to consider...
Comparing the smoke flavor you achieved on a gas grill as your "standard" (even with a foil packet of chips) will be much different than on a dedicated smoking device. It might just be your personal taste that dislikes the more pronounced smoked flavor you achieve with a long, low smoke.
Chips are more likely to combust over chunks, even if you soak or foil boat. For low and slow ribs, etc, if chips combust, the flavor is different than chunks that don't combust (turn into black pieces that look like charcoal).
When you are done with a smoking session, are your chips white ash? Or do they look like black charcoal?
Maybe the fact that your chips burn out so quickly on your gas grill gives less smoke flavor, and is preferable to more smoke flavor from the SI. But you said you were using very small amounts of wood, so still confused.
I have used Weber, big box, dried out wood chunks on my SI, and have not experienced anything too disgusting to eat. Far from it. In my opinion, these SI's produce darn tasty food, without much fuss (and I am known to my friends as a serious foodie). SI's are actually very simple, wood, meat, time. I think people are stretching in this thread to come up with a solution, and over-complicating things, to what seems to me, might just be a personal preference to the taste of smoked food. I know my mom absolutely hates smoked food. She is okay with food on the grill, but beyond that, not her thing.
Besides you and your wife, have you gathered other opinions from friends, neighbors, on the taste of the food? Can you describe the bad flavor you are experiencing? Bitter? Clove? Burnt? Ashy? So far, you've just described as bad.
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Joe, first and foremost, Congratulations on your new son!!
Everyone is giving great advice. Gregg has a very valid point about why you are still using those chips, and Kari is spot-on with the issue of taste. I believe your problem has more to do with crummy wood than taste. I fully endorse Smokinlicious.com, and it is now the only wood I use. One thing that I may have missed is what kind of wood chips were you using (type of wood)? Smoke flavor is a major flavor profile, just like any other spice, and you simply may be using a wood smoke that you don't like! Smoke flavor is very subjective. Lots of folks hate mesquite, but I love it. Lots of folks love apple, but I hate it! You have to learn what you like and dislike.
And yes, the chips on a grill are going to react differently than in a dedicated electric smoker. My recommendation is to save the chips for the grill, and get some good smoking wood.
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Until you've tried the really good wood, and other suggestions here, you can't rule everything out. But maybe the more pronounced smoked flavor of low and slow smoked meats is just not your thing. Maybe grilled flavor is more appealing. It is different. It's okay. I know a few people who just don't enjoy the long smoked flavors.
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Thx for your replies. I put more chips in this time around and was left with charred black left overs opposed to white ash, I'm placing the foil boat at the back of the firebox, Im pretty sure it's the wood and I should've known better but wanted to try and see if this new method would work. Im going to order some wood, any advice on storage?
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Just wanted to say congrats on the birth! I recently got my #2 and my wood is from Smokalicious. I'm using cherry these days and no foil. I've had a few belches but not every time. I can't detect any bad tastes with my ribs. Keep trying, it's worth it!
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+1 on the birth congrats. I am "Mr Mom" for a 4 year old.
Time flies by.....................trust me
Enjoy it!
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Congratulations on the baby boy! I have been using smokilicious wood with great success in my #2...the double filet cut fits nicely in the smoke box. I put my wood in the back of the box and have not had combustion problems with their wood.
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...any advice on storage?
I store mine in the box it comes in, no problems. If you keep the wood indoors, in the colder weather, there will be less moisture in the air, so you might consider keeping the chunks in Ziploc bags to preserve moisture.
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Hey Tony, Seems like I remember Greg putting his wood ziplock bags and vacuum sealing them? This sounds like a good idea.
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As of now, I have my wood in the box that it came in stored in the garage. They suggested cutting holes in the sides of the box, so I did that as well. I also have some Tupperware containers in the garage that I have used to store wood...I just add a wet rag in a zip lock bag (left open) to add moisture.
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As of now, I have my wood in the box that it came in stored in the garage. They suggested cutting holes in the sides of the box, so I did that as well. I also have some Tupperware containers in the garage that I have used to store wood...I just add a wet rag in a zip lock bag (left open) to add moisture.
Hey Steve, right now mine is in the box it came in also, just did not cut any holes in the sides. I am thinking about getting some large 2 gallon zip lock bags and storing it that way.
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That should work too, but you might want to check the moisture content from time to time. My packing instructions with the smokilicious wood mentioned punching holes in the sides, so I did that.
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Keep mine is ziplock baggies. Put them in the kitchen cabinets with no issues.