Charcoal in FEC

Well,Dayton is not exactly in the "heart of traditional Southern BBQ",so there may be some difference in taste-or semantics about the terms.[I have family in Franklin,Middleton,N. KY]

If a lot of folks in your area grill,there are a couple thoughts.
Much charcoal has lighter fluid added in the bag-InstaLite,or folks use charcoal lighter to start fires.

Many of us that judge bbq can instantly spot that as a petroleum taste.

Hopefully your folks don't want that from you.

Most cooks think of charcoal as being a flavorless HEAT source,to which they add flavor woods for smoke at appropriate times.The better/more pure has less junk included in it.

Think of a coal burning furnace, that many folks had at home,and you have charcoal.

Now,folks that use their charcoal grill for burgers,chops,dogs,etc are cooking directly over the coals and the grease dripping on them produces the aroma and flavor of burning grease.

There are some restaurant adaptations that put racks four feet above the coals[typically stone/brick built into a chimney operation],that gives slow and low cooking,but also drips on the coals.

As to putting charcoal into the firepot to get the "charcoal taste",it might damage your fireplug,intefere with the burning of the actual flavor woods.

Hope this helps a little.

At contests, I pit a few small pieces of wood in the the firepot, and a couple of split logs on top of the deflector to smolder and give a little more smoke flavor and help the smokering, and I don't have to use TQ.

Yep Fred,but does your product taste like charcoal?Dayton is rite close to coal country,and not a lot of my kin want supper to taste like coal.

I forget,what does a piece of charcoal taste like,anyway?

Don't know. I am using wood.

Hee hee

Thanks for the input. I believe they are talking about the lighter fluid taste most people get from cooking on grills. I have also seen people around here use it to fire up their offset smokers. And FYI, as home to Wright Patterson AFB, we get our fair share of Q lovers through town. We take this very serious.

That's a good thing,then.

Comp cooks do very well all around the country,without changing what Eddy has found works.

Cater/vendors seem to do well,also.

I'd think,if you continue turning out fine product,your customers will pretty quickly adjust.

I'm not discounting the burning of dripping grease/juices, as all of us that have grilled are used to it.

The carmelized effect of direct heat,also has its own flavor,mouthfeel,etc.

I can't think of another way,except finish all your product on a grill,like a Belsen,etc.

Lets us hear from you.

Myron,

I'm right down the road from you in Miamisburg, and have an FEC-100 for personal use. Do you have a website for your catering business? Since we're so close it would be good to meet you sometime. PM me.

What are you cooking when they say this?

I have a couple buds from up that way and they cooked their pork butts by using nothing but charcoal and it was hot and fast(350+). Of course they had to wrap in foil. I'm thinkin that charcoal taste they are referring to is the tang of lighter fluid and the nasty soft coal that's imparted at the beginning of the cook before it's wrapped.

Best not to try and imitate that in your smoker. Maybe some way of keeping the stuff warm on a really low charcoal grill. IDK. Good luck!