Darkening of meat

I guess I must be old fashioned because I only use hickory pellets and my ribs come out just fine. My own personal opinion is that I already have enough to worry about in cooking ribs that I don't want to worry about having to change the pellets at a specific time also.

I know this is not the question you asked but I wanted to share my results with you.

I can't answer the direct question,because I've never seen anyone using pure flavor pellets to cook with.

I know we were warned ,by one of the flavor pellet manufacturers,not to cook with pure flavor pellets.

They wouldn't produce the BTU s and would give a lot of fly ash.

Maybe someone else will chime in.

With stickburners,a lot of folks will use 70% oak,with about 30% flavor.

Maybe that will work.

Cooking pellets are traditionally about 30% flavor.

Tom-Fl

In my contests cooks, I get the color not from the wood I'm using, but from the glazes, sauces, rubs I use.

I don't use very much flavor pellets, if at all.

Russ

scott,
i'm like okie and tom in that i have never used pure flavor pellets to run my fec (the only exception i guess would be the oak/oak pellets i use from bbqers delite but that would be the only pure pellet)

as far as color goes pecan gives me a nice mahogany color on chicken and as you have found out cherry will really give some color. this can be used to your advantage on brisket as it gives one heck of a smoke ring. if you do sliced pork it will give the same effect.

since you are getting too dark try this
go with:
50% oak
25% cherry
25% apple or pecan

reason for the oak is like tom pointed out it doesn't impart much color and, for me, it is hard to oversmoke with.
hope this helps some
but for the life of me i can't figure out why you haven't had both fire staying lit and increased cooking time due to lack of btu's. but hey if it's working for you good on ya mate and maybe you just hit a secret method

jack

The only place I've had trouble with BTU's is on the higher settings (over 275).

As for cooking times, I cooked a 18.45# brisket last weekend using the step method (ending @ 275) in 13.5 hrs.
Best brisket I ever cooked. Solid 1/4" smokering without nitrates. Very moist and extremely tender.

First brisket I've cooked in the FE that I thought was actually better than what I was producing in my offset.

I do get a lot of ash, but none on the food so I just roll it up in the foil and toss it.

I'll get my hands on some oak pellets and see if that helps.
Thanks, kc

Gotta open my mouth...

Back during blind taste testing of each of the BBQr's Delight favors (3 Weber kettles, same amount of charcoal, foil packets of pellets for smoke, unseasoned boneless skinless chicken breasts, 4 consecutive cooks to get all 12 flavors done), the one wood that produced the most even beautiful smoke color was OAK! The lightest color (and flavor) was sugar maple. Interesting that oak imparts beautiful color, but not a bunch of flavor. It's the smoke flavor I recommend for cooking for folks who don't like to burp smoke rings. Used by lots of restaurants for this reason.

Thanks Candy Sue.

Yep ,that oak has always been the queen of woods.

Now that our second season of the year is starting in Fl,are you coming over for any of the cooks?

Tom-Fl

Don't know. I'd like to. Especially Lakeland. My bosses think I contest way too much as it is. I've only done 15 this year, cooked 12 and judged 3. I don't think that's too many, do you?