Bark On Wood Chips

My wife complains about the same thing. She will not eat anything that has been smoked. I am using the CS Hickory wood too. Does apple give a milder flavor? I would love to enjoy BBQ with her.

I just finished a rack of ribs in the Smokette, I used only one chunk of CS wood, the wife loved em. I have used two chunks in the past. It still had a smoke flavor however it was mild.

You may be using too much wood. When I first got my CS I had a few cooks that were a little bitter, but once I discovered how little wood the CS needs in order to produce a nice product I have never had anything bitter come out of my CS. I usually only use 1 chunk of wood and never any more than 2 or 3, even with large pieces of meat like pork roasts. I only use 1 chunk with ribs or chicken, especially with chicken as it seems to absorb the smoke flavor a lot easier. Beef roasts use about the same amount of wood as pork roasts (1-2 chunks).

Experiment with different kinds of wood, bark on or off, and different amounts of wood until you find what works for you, and record your results, whether good or bad, so that you learn from your mistakes and can repeat your successes.

G'day,

Micah from Oz (Australia)

the apple and cherry give milder and sweeter tasting flavor, in my opinion...
on the lighter side, I did a two pound block of monterey jack yesterday in accordance w/ cook shack arc's it was fabulous..

I have found that if I do not have the chicken up too high on the top rack so that it is not blocking the flow of the smoke out of the top vent hole, that I have not had any bitter taste. I had a turkey that was set up too high and it did block the vent hole but I caught it in time. Also as mentioned by others you may be using too much wood.
I have found that Maple is very good for poultry and Oak is one of my favorite woods to smoke beef with. I bought a half Jack Daniels drum (Oak)at the local hardware / landscaping store for $25 and cut it up into small pieces. I put two pieces into the woodbox for brisket and it comes out perfect. With a little work involved in breaking the drums apart and cutting the wooden slats up I figure it cost me from $.50 -$.75 pound for the wood. No more than the cookshack uses it should last me for many years.

So,
did the wiskey give any help or can you tell the difference between regular oak and the wiskey barrel? just curious..

When I cut the barrel up I could distinctly smell the Jack Daniels whiskey. I can also smell the Jack Daniels when I open my wood storage container.
I have not really noticed a difference in the taste of the meat. Someone with a more subtle taste bud might be able to tell the difference.
I know they use to sell bags of the Jack Daniels chips in some of the chain stores and I have bought a bag before but only used it to help cure out some SID (moonshine) when I lived overseas. That in itself is another story.
Basically they sure make some good beef brisket and smoked sausages. For poultry & pork I have mixed and matched them with apple, cherry & pecan and everything has all came out mighty tasty.

Tahoe,

Back to the original question.

I've heard you should
I've heard you shouldn't

Me, I leave the bark and and I've had no issues with it over the years. I figure its a WHOLE lot of trouble to try and remove it and since I've had no problems.

Can you find the article you mention, on the internet? Was it a newspaper article, you probably can.

Smokin'

I cook on an offset as well as the Mod. 50 Cookshack. Also, do quite a bit of grilling using wood chunks for flavor. Over 50 years, I haven't removed the bark from any of the several kinds of wood I have used. I don't think it necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
[qb]Tahoe,

Back to the original question.

I've heard you should
I've heard you shouldn't

Me, I leave the bark and and I've had no issues with it over the years. I figure its a WHOLE lot of trouble to try and remove it and since I've had no problems.

Can you find the article you mention, on the internet? Was it a newspaper article, you probably can.

Smokin'[/qb]

I tried to find the article in the Tahoe Daily Tribune but unfortunately, no luck.