No Smoke Flavor

You might try cutting your initial temp back by about 40° and see if that helps. You can create all the smoke you want by lowering the temp.

I'm cig smoker, and my taste buds are all screwed up, but I can still taste the smoke in the meat from the FE100.

Maybe someone will jump in and help.

Your taste buds are just used to a STRONG smoke profile. It's pretty difficult to get that heavy with an FE, it just burns the pellets too clean.

When you say needs a "little smoke flavor", that's what you're getting, you're just not tasting it for whatever reason. It's there. I think, what you're wanting to taste is a LOT of smoke flavor. It's really not a right or a wrong, you need to get the smoke you like and want.

Keep in mind a couple of things about smoke. Are you talking about the smoke that lingers on the outside or the smoke that penetrates. When you're REALLY talking smoke, you need to know what it is you like so you can know what you're trying to achieve.

Internal smoke (penetration) if a function of how long the meat is exposed to smoke at lower temps. Lower your initial smoking temp and put the meat in cold so it stay longer below 140.

External smoke. Realize, you don't have to see smoke to get smoke. Many stick burners produced WHITE smoke and that's the smoke that carries a lot of impurities and heavy particulates that cling to the meat, so that tends to give a strong taste. Blue/clear smoke doesn't have impurities and will give a cleaner taste.

Your only other option, like EZ said is longer/lower temps. there is only so much smoke and if you're not getting enough, you have to 1) keep the food at a lower temp longer to get more smoke or 2) add more wood (not a real option in the FE).

If the 100% pellets and lower temps don't work, I'm not sure you can ever get there. That's the normal cure and for most it works.

Not every smoker fits every person, but that's okay too.

I don't know what the temp of your meat is when putting into your smoker,but the lower the temp of the meat is before starting to smoke, the longer it will have a chance to take on smoke.

I have never had a question about the smokyness in my foods. I used to own a Kingfisher, and it was a stick burner. And I find that I have just as much smoke flavor in the meat from my FEC's The FEC's are designed to burn very clean. That is why the smoke is to hardly visable when the units are coming up to temps, or working to maintain the temps. And alot of smoke while they are holding or waiting for the need of more heat.

When I had my stick burner, I always used good dried hard woods, and had a good hot fire, and it also produced very little smoke while I cooked. I had several people who burned thier hands checking for heat coming out of the smoke stack.

The fact that many, not just a select few, win at big and small comps with the FEC 100. Says alot about the quality of the product.

It sounds like your doing everything right, the only thing I might try would to go ahead and drop to 170 degrees to start off you smoke. I know mine puts out a lot of smoke at 180, and at 170 it will be much more. Also maybe try putting a remote probe in to make sure the gauge is correct.

I love all my units and wish you the best luck.


RandyE

mwynnconcours
A few months ago I had the opportunity to sample brisket, pulled pork, ribs and chicken cooked by Chris Hart of IQUE (Jack Daniels GC 2009) Chis cooked on his Jambo pit...regarded by many as the Rolls Royce of smokers.

My first impression was that the smoke profile of the meat was very similar to that produced by my FEC; not overpowering. The Jambo is designed to burn wood very efficiently, just as a pellet smoker does. Point of the story? A lot of competition cooks are opting for a lighter smoke profile. Chris is one of them. He would prefer to wow the judges with seasonings and sauces vs presenting a heavily smoked turn in that minimizes other flavors.

You seem to prefer a heavier lay down of smoke...nothing wrong with that but that's not what the FEC was designed to do. Here's a work around that a friend and fellow forum member came up with to boost smoke in his FEC (he competes in the North Texas IBCA, where heavy smoke is still common). He rigged up a wire Z-shaped shelf that provides space for 6"-8" log to sit over the FEC firepot. He uses green Mesquite for optimal smoke.

I doubt this tweak fits in with your 2 year warranty but just thought I'd throw it out there.

I have three good friends that were all top circuit winners using Langs and they can lay a heavier ,deeper smoke,and typically smokering than the FECs.They are still top winners on the circuit and don't dislike the product from their old Langs,but would never consider giving up the FECs.

Hopefully, the experienced cooks here can help you achieve that workable middle ground ,as well.

Does your left over food have a mild smokey smell? I know when I cook on my cooker I can't taste or smell anything the day I cook, to much smoke in my face, but the next day I can smell it, not like a stick burner I'm sure.

Thanks to all the replies. I love the cooker and have done all the suggested steps listed. This cooker is awesome but does not provide the smoke flavor I spoke of. I will keep at it until I prevail.
Thanks to all that replied

I have a smokette with the same problem. I don't seem to get that real deep smoke flavor. I recently ate smoked turkey from the local bbq restaurant. The smoke flavor was all the way through the meat. When I smoke a turkey the flavor is only on the outside edges.
He uses a large indoor wood fired smoker and cooks boneless turkey breasts.
I guess that he burns wood throughout is the major difference. I may try a boneless breast next and see how that works.

I hear ya man...What I have done is switch pellets to cookshacks mesquite. I am not advertising but thru trial and error, I have found these to work the best on my FEC100. Mesquite will give you a heavier smoke that hickory or the other flavors. Give it a shot.

I'll have to admit this is my one and only complaint about the fec. I don't know if it is even a lack of smoke, but a different flavor of smoke. From the traeger pellets to candy sue's to the fe pellets same complaint.

I have noticed that candy sue's cherry or peach leave a darker smoke ring, but only a little more flavor.

I tend to put a chunk or 2 of real wood on the brim of the fire pot and I am considering building a little stand where the flames can just barely touch the chunks.

I have noticed that people can be very defensive about the lack of smoke flavor, but look at the number of posts that refer to it.

You need to look in to an add on product that will produce smoke while you are cooking. I did that with a Traeger I used to own. It did the trick and it was not that much money.

Well i thought i would through in my two cents then i remembered the experiment i did awhile back you can read it here. http://forum.cookshack.com/eve...=368109263#368109263

Hey MWY... I hear your blues. I too, was feeling your pain, stay cool, we can bump that sweet smoke flavor up a notch or 2. I cook on a fec 100 7rack. I picked up a stainless steel "mud trough" at my local u-do store. menards. This is a 3" x 14" ss drywall mud trough that I add wood chuncks to and gain smoke flavor in addition to my pellets. I only use Candys, or FE pellets. I set the trough running front to back right over the center drain hole. chill out! the trough doesen't block the drain, the natural drain slope in the center of the FE floor is lower than the trough so the grease can flow right on by! I lay out in a single row 5-6 wood chunks,that I buy by the 5lb bag. I fire up my weber charcoal chimney,lay 1 hot coal at the front of the trough under the first chunck of wood. Im all over a mellow slow burn for about 6-7 hours. I then add more as needed with only 1 hot "lighter coal". I did 6, 11-12lb turkeys for holiday gifts 2 weeks ago and my outcome was absolutely awesome. just keep in mind that we are adding smoke flavor, NOT heat.Our FE pellet poopers are a work of art,amazingly efficient just as they come. keep your trough mellow and happy and the FEC mother board wont get in a funk,and want to nap. good Q my friend.

Well I was able to pump up my smoke. I put two bricks standing tall next to the heat pot (on either side) and laid a very small piece of hickory fire wood over the pot but not blocking pellets. It worked great, when the pit was firing, it ignited the wood and then it would smolder when the heat was off. The ribs turned out excellent. Thanks to every one that responded. Now I love my cooker.

Smoklahoma,

Everyone does have a different opinion as to how much smoke meats need. And that is maybe were people come to the defence of what they feel is the perfect amount of smoke flavor.

But your comment about how many people have made the comment about wanting more smoke. When the total number of owners of the FEC100, is placed beside of those who have posted about needing more smoke flavor. The percentage is fairly small.

I just came back from Jack's old South cooking class. And they only use wood, and alot of it. And thier meat, didn't any more of a smokey flavor than my FEC's. Ecxept the whole hog which cooked a full day.


RandyE

Randy, given the cost, were you happy with the J.O.S. learning experience?

Having been to Mike Davis's and Johnny Trigg and Rod Grey's Classes I do have something to judge against.

I do feel that we got to see everything he does. We covered whole hog, shoulders, butts, chicken, ribes spares and babies, brisket (wagyu)

we got to do hands on prep on butts, ribs, shoulder, chicken and brisket. Hands on was set up into 8 tables to allow more hands on.

They cooked everything we prepped.
18 butts, 9 shoulders, 9 wagyu briskets, 40 racks of ribs, whole hog, 80 thighs

they fed us on friday night, lunch and dinner on saturday, and all the bbq you could eat on sunday at the end of the class.

He did turn in boxes the MIM, KCBS, FBA for the various meats.

Gave us all the formulas for all the glazes. And we got an apron.

The ony thing I would have iked to have gotten, was samples of the rubs and his sauces.

I would say for the money it was worth it. We covered alot more than the other classes. But the other classes were also good.

I haven't made it to Cookshacks yet, haven't made the dates work out yet.

RandyE

Was surprised that Myron didn't sample ya'll his sauces and rubs.My teammate took his course and they were a focal point to keep you buying his products-which as you know are pretty pricey.

Myron is arguably one of the best two,or three hog cooks and MIM presenters in the business,so that is a major area that the others wouldn't be covering.

He would be in the top ten shoulder cook/presenters ,which other classes wouldn't work as much on.

He would be the only one of the four that hot cooks his large cuts,so that is another area that needs focus.

It should be a very different class, because of these things.For a Memphis cook,which is all pork and booth presentations Myron should be the essential course.

CS classes are a little more FEC specific,viewpoints from different top cooks and more interactive among good cooks from around the country that have successful FEC techniques.

Eddy is more of a traveling consultant that has seen about everything that everybody in all areas of the country does.
He knows stuff that he doesn't even know he knows.

Just a couple of thoughts to tag onto Randy.

quote:

Originally posted by happycook:
Hey MWY... I hear your blues. I too, was feeling your pain, stay cool, we can bump that sweet smoke flavor up a notch or 2. I cook on a fec 100 7rack. I picked up a stainless steel "mud trough" at my local u-do store. menards. This is a 3" x 14" ss drywall mud trough that I add wood chuncks to and gain smoke flavor in addition to my pellets. I only use Candys, or FE pellets. I set the trough running front to back right over the center drain hole. chill out! the trough doesen't block the drain, the natural drain slope in the center of the FE floor is lower than the trough so the grease can flow right on by! I lay out in a single row 5-6 wood chunks,that I buy by the 5lb bag. I fire up my weber charcoal chimney,lay 1 hot coal at the front of the trough under the first chunck of wood. Im all over a mellow slow burn for about 6-7 hours. I then add more as needed with only 1 hot "lighter coal". I did 6, 11-12lb turkeys for holiday gifts 2 weeks ago and my outcome was absolutely awesome. just keep in mind that we are adding smoke flavor, NOT heat.Our FE pellet poopers are a work of art,amazingly efficient just as they come. keep your trough mellow and happy and the FEC mother board wont get in a funk,and want to nap. good Q my friend.

Do you have pics of your "mud trough" in action?