may have messed up

[SmokeyBear]

I am currently cooking my first Boston Butt in the BGE. I picked it up from a local butcher yesterday, and put it in a little after midnight. From the looks of things, it was moving along well.

Every so often, I dropped a chunk of hickory into the coals, and it was giving off a very nice smell.

I dropped the last one in about an hour ago, and I just went out to check the temp and baste (been at the 160 plateau for a while). The smoke smell was VERY bitter. I quickly pulled the butt and brought it inside to finish off in the over. I pulled off a small piece. It had a very nice flavor, but it had a slightly bitter after taste.

The temp was starting to drop in the cooker, but it was still in the range. Could it be that the last chunk just was not burning good enough to the point to get good smoke? Could it have been simply a bad piece of wood? This chunk did have a little bark on it where the others did not. Anybody else ever run into something like this?

[Ranucci's Big Butt]

Could just be the Hickory, it's very easy to over smoke with hickory or mesquite. I have never really liked those 2 woods to smoke with for that reason. Next time you do a butt try some apple, pecan or maple wood.
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Alex

Ranucci's Big Butt BBQ
www.ranuccis.com
www.bigbuttbbq.com

[barnburner180]

SB... You only want to "smoke" for the first hour or so. The rest of the time should be more cooking with lump or charcoal. For me, after the first few logs are gone, I don't put any more wood on or the meat will be oversmoked or too much smoke making it bitter.
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KCBS Master Judge

[CtheSmoke]

I've watched shows on the tube where Texans use exclusively Mesquite. I like Mesquite but in small quanitys. I can't imagine using nothing but Mesquite... Seems to me that it would be incredibly overpowering...
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Hair today, gone tomorrow...

[CtheSmoke]

[Smokin WV]

SB,

After meat gets to around 130* it will no longer "take smoke". The ring has been formed by it's chemical process that I don't care to explain, and smoke will no longer enter the meat. As long as it was just a brief amount of time from the last chunk or two, I wouldn't worry. Now if you did this for a couple of hours, Houston we have a problem. So if you are worried about taste, you are safe this time. Hope everthing comes out alright for ya.
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Travis
Teams Saucey Bonz

[edskull69]

If you were already @ the 160 range the only thing you are doing is putting Extra smoke on the bark. Once your Butt reached 140 deg you really didn't need anymore smoke. I use hickory a lot but I will put my last hunk of wood on the fire once I hit about 125-130 degrees that way I won't over smoke. I think you should be allright, if you have a bitter taste (when you pull it) just don't include a lot of bark and sauce it up you should be fine. Just my opinion. I do use apple and cherry most of the time for my pork but the hickory is a real nice flavor you just have to be carefull because it is very strong wood.
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Them Bones BBQ

Lang Model 60 with Deluxe Warming rack

www.thembonesbbq.com

[mrcustomsteel]

Hey CtheSmoke, I think it depends on the smoker. If you are burning mesquite in a large offset or big TX style pit the smoke flows faster through the cooking chamber and/or over the meat. You are burning the wood faster, not smoldering it on coals like BGE's or verticals.
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D. Tillery
Texan transplanted in Billings, MT
www.mrcustomsteel.com

[roxy]

You can still add smoke flavour after the meat hits 140 degrees but after that point the smoke ring does not develop any further.

With your cooker I would use wood until the meat reaches 140ish and when just charcoal to finish it off.

The bitter flavour was caused by the wood smoldering and not burning properly. The test would be if the meat makes your lips go numb then you got a problem with it. Never had that problem with the chargriller using straight wood for heat and smoke.
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Chargriller Akorn
WSM
LIAR #100
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Do not rely on a rabbits foot for luck, it did not work out too well for the rabbit...

[Mark H]

You're going to have to read between the lines here to possibly use this in your BGE.

I am presently trying to cook with wood. I establish a nice base of coals with lump charcoal, then use hickory chunks. These chunks are no more than 5 inches long, nor more than 2 1/2 inch diameter. These chunks are also as dry as a popcorn fart. They burn, rather than smoke. I have come to find that I really get very little smoke, more of a blueish wisp here and there. These chunks burn with a visible flame.

Even though I'm using wood for a pork butt, and cooking for 6 to 7 hours, I do not find I'm getting a bitter or unpleasant taste using hickory. BUT........ all bets are off if my fire starts to smolder. I am amazed how quickly things get bitter when there is a change in the fire.

Since I'm using an offset, which is quite different than your BGE, I hope you can use some of the information offered here.
Mark H

[Robert 31320]

Don't feel alone. I all but ruined some BBs today with TOO much hickory smoke
_________________
Robert 31320
Midway, Georgia

If you're lookin, you're not cookin!!!

[loren]

Hey Smokey, I just put a few chunks in on top of the BGE brand lump, at the start of cooking, and thats all the wood I use. this works good in my egg. good luck.

[SmokeyBear]

Everything turned out okay, but it wasn't quite what I set out to get. Thankfully, it didn't taste bitter in the end, and the funny thing is that it didn't have a lot of smoke taste. The meat also didn't have the same consistency all the way through; so, I guess I didn't get an even cook.

We "ate my mistake" for supper tonight, and it was okay.

[CtheSmoke]