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17 replies

My first bad cook...

FM Former Member
Probably my fault but I don't know. I did my first brisket last night. A 6 pounder. I used 2 chunks of pecan ( probably about 5 ounces, maybe 6 ). In all my other cooks I have used 4 ounces, and just wanted a "LITTLE MORE" smoke.

This one came out all bitter tasting. But also it cooked REALLY fast. Using the roughly 1.5 hours per pound rule, it should have taken about 9 hours. I set my polder up and 6 hours or so later, it was done.And I had set the dial to 215 degrees, not 225. The meat was tender and very juicy, but not so good on the flavor. Kinda tasted, I don't know, like some kind of chemical flavor.

Do you think too much wood caused this?
Or, since the only thing I cleaned before this cook was the wood box, could that be it?

I do think it was me. One other thing I though of... is it possible that my vendor sold me wood that wasn't fully seasoned yet? It did look like it was. And I bought it from a fairly well known BBQ site.

What do you think?
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FM Former Member
Don't feel like the Lone Ranger...I've done that twice and for the same reason! Trying to get a little more smoke flavor. I read a suggestion on the Forum, I think it came from Smokin', to put the meat in the smoker cold so it has more time to absorb smoke. Now what I do is put the brisket in the freezer for an hour to really chill it before smoking and cut back on the wood to about 2 1/2 oz. It solved the bitter taste problem and got the taste that I was looking for.
FM Former Member
I never found that bitter taste from too much wood... usually do a 6-lb flat with two chunks of wood and one or two charcoal briquettes (gets a little bit of smoke ring). You mentioned that you cleaned the wood box... how exactly and what did you use?? Maybe some chemical residue?? btw, I also find that those flats cook in about 1 hr per lb.
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by chateaubeyond:
[qb]Don't feel like the Lone Ranger...I've done that twice and for the same reason! Trying to get a little more smoke flavor. I read a suggestion on the Forum, I think it came from Smokin', to put the meat in the smoker cold so it has more time to absorb smoke. Now what I do is put the brisket in the freezer for an hour to really chill it before smoking and cut back on the wood to about 2 1/2 oz. It solved the bitter taste problem and got the taste that I was looking for.[/qb]


I did that. My meat temp was 34 degrees when it went in....
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by woodburner:
[qb]I never found that bitter taste from too much wood... usually do a 6-lb flat with two chunks of wood and one or two charcoal briquettes (gets a little bit of smoke ring). You mentioned that you cleaned the wood box... how exactly and what did you use?? Maybe some chemical residue?? btw, I also find that those flats cook in about 1 hr per lb.[/qb]



I just wash it with regular dish soap and then rinse. As far as the unit, I will just scrape it down. Never clean it with anything.
FM Former Member
Have to agree with the others. A "bitter taste" or an off taste is usually the sign of a wood problem. It can be bad wood, but usually it's just too much wood.

I never clean my smoker with anything that's likely to get in my food. If I DO, I definitely do a little seasoning with nothing in the smoker, just to burn off the flavors. Could be residual from the soap?

If the texture and tenderness of the brisket was what you want, just do it over.

Sounds like a small brisket, was it a flat, can't tell. Won't have anything to do with the off taste just wondering, when we say 1.5 hours per lb, it's usually for the packer trimmed briskets. An 1 per, mostly works with brisket flats.
FM Former Member
i had a similar problem. a whole case of ribs and a bunch of chickens all came out bitter. i thought, after reading various post, that i had used too much wood, but that was not the case. it was indeed the wood. i could smell the same bitterness in the whole box of wood(shipped in mesquite). so, i threw out the ribs, chickens, and wood(crying and screaming all the way) and started over. next batch was great. now i carefully smell the wood before using, and i smell the smoke before putting in meat.
FM Former Member
i haven't yet tried oak. once, someone brought me a log to try and said it was oak. well, whatever it was smelled terrible so i didnt use it. all the other q joints around here use oak and their meat is terrible. there are so many types of oak. is there a particular kind that smells better than the rest?
T tomMember
Mornin' tjr,

Superwally is injecting everything that can be injected.

The stores that carry Smithfield's injected
ribs all seem to have a strange "hammy" taste.

As you know,their beef is all select-unless you get lucky occasionally.

Now that Tyson took over IBP,you can bet the direction.

I'd call your local Sam's and check them.

So far we are still getting all choice beef and non injected pork.

Single packers run $0.20/lb more than case,but they will order them-if they aren't in the case.
FM Former Member
Right, they're the same owner, but SuperWal seems to cater to the cheap and in a hurry (and that's not a put-down, I shop there, just don't buy meat any more), while Sam's at least pretends to cater to the pros. Actually, here there's no walkin foodservice store like GFS Marketplace or Smart&Final, so pros probably do buy some stuff at Sam's.

Can you tell the difference between grades? If you're an average joe, I suspect it depends. Looking at lean cuts like round or sirloin tip, some Select has almost no visible marbling, while Choice seems to always have at least some.

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