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16 replies

Not Much Smoke Flavor

O olysmokesMember
I have had my FEC100 for about 3 months now - previously used an Amerique for 5 years. Comments from my son and neighbor who also get to sample the food, say smoke flavor is lighter (sometimes lacking) in what I have been smoking lately, and I tend to agree with them. Most of my smokes lately have involved small loads - just one or two racks of food (chickens, ribs, butts, pork crown roasts). I have been using the upper shelf positons of the smoker (just above the vent opening) to keep food farther away from the heat, with cooking temps 225-250 depending on foods. Pellets are a mixture of hickory, apple, and a little mesquite. Pellets are from Northwest Mfr so alder is used as the filler wood (vs the oak filler used by the midwest pellet mfrs).
I think I have seasoned the FEC pretty good by now, having smoked loads of 8-10 pork butts, 8-10 chickens, or 12-15 slabs of babybacks. Walls are getting fairly black.
Any thoughts? Does the FEC not smoke as well with smaller loads? Should I be using the lower shelf positions? Should I use a "stonger" wood type - if so, any suggestions? Have we just been too "conditioned" from using the Amerique where I could really smoke things up by using several chunks of wood?
The Thanksgiving turkey, with just one 13# bird in it, came out with a nice, just-right smoke flavor, so I know it can work good.
Thanks for any comments!!
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FM Former Member
This is the great Pellet debate. It is the same debate as people who debate over which smoker is better. I started using 100% pellets over 2 years ago and in what I use there is a huge difference. I do know that you do not want to use 100% apple because there is no BTU's in that wood. If I were you I would find a Bag of 100% Hickory and 100% Mesquite (if you like Mesquite) and try it out. I use Lumberjack 100% Mesquite almost all the time. Now the Lumberjack Pellets burn more dirty so you need to clean the fire pot after every burn. I am sure other will offer help but this is what has worked for me.
R randye 2Member
Much of the time when this topic has come up, it has come from someone who had been using a stick burner.

When I had my stick burner, I used oak and cherry or apple. I liked the oak flavor better than the hickory. Hickory can be bitter. I feel part of what you are running into is the alder vs the oak.

The FEC will produce less smoke as the unit is coming up to temp. The alder I believe has less BTU's per lb, and will burn more wood to produce the same amount of heat. The alder is also a milder flavor, and should produce a less smoke flavor than the oak.

I think I would try some of the pellets from the midwest and see if it gives you the flavor your looking for. I have had very good luck with mine in comps, and smoke flavor is important there.

Others will also tell you that letting the unit run at a lower temp for the first hour will give much more smoke flavor. And this may be a good first step to try.

RandyE
M maxqMember
FEC100 owner here. Here's a few thoughts that work for me.

Pellets - I like Cookshack's Mesquite and Fast Eddy's (Maurin) 100% Hickory. Avoid Alder anything for hot smoking.

Keep the meat as cold as possible prior to loading the FEC.

Use Ribdog's method of starting @ low heat and two staging to a higher temp.

If that combo still leaves you wanting more smoke, try the Amazen tube smoker mentioned by splintermc. It's a simple perferated cylinder...you fill with pellets, light the end, let burn a few minutes and extinguish. It provides additional smoke.

Good luck.
O olysmokesMember
Thank you all for the info & tips. I thought the added alder filler in the pellets might be part of the issue. When I bought the FEC100, I also bought several bags of the pellet type the Cookshack dealer here in Washington State offered. Being a newbie to pellets, I did not know there was a filler in many of the pellets - I thought all were 100% of the wood type ordered. I had used a lot of apple in my chunk (Amerique) smoker and liked that flavor, so bought some for pellet smoker. Oh there is so much to learn is there not....
Thanks!
O olysmokesMember
Update: I have switched to pellets with oak as the filler, and tried the low-temp trick for first hour - things are better but still am not getting as much smoke flavor as I did when I first purchased the FEC. Lately I am cooking smaller loads that fit easily on one shelf without crowding, such as 2 chickens, or 2 small pork roasts. Wondering if the FEC100 just does not do well when there is only a small load?? Should I put a few foil wrapped bricks or blocks of wood in there also to add more mass?
FM Former Member
Had the same problem for the first year I had my FEC. Came from a stick burner and was looking for that level of smoke on the FEC. After talking with Eddy, he gave me a bag of his 100% hickory pellets. I cringed at the thought of hickory in my rig. He told me to load the FEC with refrigerator cold meat, shut the door, start the smoker and walk away. I set the FEC between 260 and 280 per his recommendations and let it do it's thing. I have been extremely pleased with the results ever since. Have not tried the amazen tube but was very displeased with the original AMNPS. Lots of people have great luck with them. After replacing seals twice from fires from the AMNPS I finally gave it away to a forum member. Todd from A-Maz-N said the tube is better for our rigs if you still need more smoke.
R randye 2Member
If you are still having a problem with not enough smoke flavor, I would go with a lower smoking temp. I noted earlier that the units will not produce as much smoke as they are coming up to temp. And when you run the unit at higher temps it is always working to keep the unit up to the temp.

When the unit is operated at lower temps, the unit will just idle along, and theat is when it really kicks out the most smoke.

I have two units I use for comps and I will only have two briskets and then two butts in each during comps. So I don't feel the load size is the issue.

Someone will come on and give a contact for Eddie. But I have been using BBQer's delight.

RandyE
FM Former Member
I don't have a FEC100 but I do have a PG500 and had a PG1000. I also have an Amerique and a Big Steel Keg(again). I have experimented about every which way possible(pellets, Amazen tube and tray, Smoke daddy,etc.) The PG500 puts out really good food, but if you are like me and love that smokey flavor, a pellet grill is just not going to give you that taste. I had sold my Big Steel Keg a while back, and I finally went out and bought another one yesterday. The taste is AWESOME. Everyone has different taste buds and how much smoke they like. The pellet grills are really convenient and I use mine all the time for steaks, chicken, and sides. It is awesome for those things that don't need a lot of smoke flavoring and they come out nice and moist.

This is all just IMO and experiences.
cal 2cal 2Member
quote:
Originally posted by Gunny:
quote:
Originally posted by Nodrog:
KCBBQTruck,
How/where does one find Fast Eddy's 100% pellets? All I can seem to find are pellets of blended woods.
Did I understand correctly you do not preheat your FEC before adding the cold meat? I thought preheating a FEC before adding the meat was the preferred way.

Cookshack.com



Unless it has changed, CS has the blended Hickory and the only way to get 100% Hickory pellets is by purchasing them from Eddy himself.

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