How much flavor does lump add during cooking? Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right? I bought some generic lump at Wal Mart,
packaged and distributed by Wal Mart and the list of contents said "Includes
apple, hickory, cherrry and maple" It's the first time I've ever used lump
and It seems like the food was smokier than usual and had a bitter taste to
it so I'm wondering if I didn't need to add additional chunks of seasoned
wood to the lump for smoking or if the list of contents wasn't complete and
included some softer woods. The packaging also said it was 100% all
natural, real wood, no additives etc. etc.

Rich

"Rich" wrote in message
...
How much flavor does lump add during cooking? Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right? I bought some generic lump at Wal Mart,
packaged and distributed by Wal Mart and the list of contents said "Includes
apple, hickory, cherrry and maple" It's the first time I've ever used lump
and It seems like the food was smokier than usual and had a bitter taste to
it so I'm wondering if I didn't need to add additional chunks of seasoned
wood to the lump for smoking or if the list of contents wasn't complete and
included some softer woods. The packaging also said it was 100% all
natural, real wood, no additives etc. etc.

Rich

Lump typically doesn't add all that much flavor if it's properly processed.
However, I've had some (mesquite from Mexico) that wasn't carbonized all that
well. As it turned out, It was really better for me as it added some light smoke
without using any wood.

I could speculate on some wild theories about why you got too much smoke flavor
but would need more info from you.

Did you do anything else different than you normally do?

Was the meat really cold when you put it on?

Did you have billowing white/gray smoke or just a wisp of blue?

_________
ht_redneck

Rich wrote:
How much flavor does lump add during cooking?

Depends on the lump and your fire.

Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right?

Where'd you get that? Never heard that one before.

I bought some generic lump at Wal
Mart, packaged and distributed by Wal Mart and the list of contents
said "Includes apple, hickory, cherrry and maple" It's the first
time I've ever used lump and It seems like the food was smokier than
usual and had a bitter taste to it so I'm wondering if I didn't need
to add additional chunks of seasoned wood to the lump for smoking or
if the list of contents wasn't complete and included some softer
woods. The packaging also said it was 100% all natural, real wood,
no additives etc. etc.

The bitterness could be because of smoldering cause by very incomplete
combustion, something to avoid when cooking with lump. Typically caused by
closing down the exhaust stack. Keeping the exhaust stack completely open at
all times usually fixes the problem.


--

Rich wrote:
How much flavor does lump add during cooking?

Depends on the lump and your fire.

Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right?

Where'd you get that? Never heard that one before.

I bought some generic lump at Wal
Mart, packaged and distributed by Wal Mart and the list of contents
said "Includes apple, hickory, cherrry and maple" It's the first
time I've ever used lump and It seems like the food was smokier than
usual and had a bitter taste to it so I'm wondering if I didn't need
to add additional chunks of seasoned wood to the lump for smoking or
if the list of contents wasn't complete and included some softer
woods. The packaging also said it was 100% all natural, real wood,
no additives etc. etc.

The bitterness could be because of smoldering cause by very incomplete
combustion, something to avoid when cooking with lump. Typically caused by
closing down the exhaust stack. Keeping the exhaust stack completely open at
all times usually fixes the problem.


--

Rich wrote:
How much flavor does lump add during cooking? Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right?

Theoretically, you are correct, Rich. However, most lump really isn't pure
lump. Much of the lump bagged for outdoor cooking has not been completely
carbonized, and so will still add some smokiness to the equation.

Rich wrote:
How much flavor does lump add during cooking? Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right?

Theoretically, you are correct, Rich. However, most lump really isn't pure
lump. Much of the lump bagged for outdoor cooking has not been completely
carbonized, and so will still add some smokiness to the equation.

"Tyler Hopper" wrote in message
...

"Rich" wrote in message
...
How much flavor does lump add during cooking? Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right? I bought some generic lump at Wal Mart,
packaged and distributed by Wal Mart and the list of contents said
"Includes
apple, hickory, cherrry and maple" It's the first time I've ever used
lump
and It seems like the food was smokier than usual and had a bitter taste
to
it so I'm wondering if I didn't need to add additional chunks of
seasoned
wood to the lump for smoking or if the list of contents wasn't complete
and
included some softer woods. The packaging also said it was 100% all
natural, real wood, no additives etc. etc.

Rich

Lump typically doesn't add all that much flavor if it's properly
processed.
However, I've had some (mesquite from Mexico) that wasn't carbonized all
that
well. As it turned out, It was really better for me as it added some light
smoke
without using any wood.

I could speculate on some wild theories about why you got too much smoke
flavor
but would need more info from you.

Did you do anything else different than you normally do?


This is the first time I've used lump on one of those cheap bullet water
smokers. Usually use Kinsford.


Was the meat really cold when you put it on?


No, it might not have been quite roome temp but it was sitting out for a
good 35-40 minutes after I pulled it out of the fridge.

Did you have billowing white/gray smoke or just a wisp of blue?



It started out with a lot of white smoke but after I let it burn down a bit
it was wispy blue.

_________
ht_redneck

"Duwop" wrote in message
...
Rich wrote:
How much flavor does lump add during cooking?

Depends on the lump and your fire.

Theoretically it isn't
supposed to add anything right?

Where'd you get that? Never heard that one before.

I bought some generic lump at Wal
Mart, packaged and distributed by Wal Mart and the list of contents
said "Includes apple, hickory, cherrry and maple" It's the first
time I've ever used lump and It seems like the food was smokier than
usual and had a bitter taste to it so I'm wondering if I didn't need
to add additional chunks of seasoned wood to the lump for smoking or
if the list of contents wasn't complete and included some softer
woods. The packaging also said it was 100% all natural, real wood,
no additives etc. etc.

The bitterness could be because of smoldering cause by very incomplete
combustion, something to avoid when cooking with lump. Typically caused by
closing down the exhaust stack. Keeping the exhaust stack completely open
at
all times usually fixes the problem.



My bullet smoker doesn't have a exhaust stack. If what you are describing
is the cause, how do I rectify. I didn't see any mods on the FAQ for such a
problem.

--

"Rich" wrote in message
...


Was the meat really cold when you put it on?


No, it might not have been quite roome temp but it was sitting out for a
good 35-40 minutes after I pulled it out of the fridge.

Okay, you should be good there.


Did you have billowing white/gray smoke or just a wisp of blue?



It started out with a lot of white smoke but after I let it burn down a bit
it was wispy blue.

If you start out with a lot of white smoke you really do need to let the fire
settle down for a while. That smoke indicates a lot of incomplete combustion of
VOC's which are very nasty. Regardless of the temp of the meat in your case it
will condense on the food and leave a very nasty flavor. (Think Liquid Smoke).

What kind of bullet do you have? Most less expensive ones have the same problem.
That is air flow control which also manifests itself into temp control problems
and frequent tending of the fire. There are a few mods that a fairly universal
among bullets and several folks here hake used them successfully.

_________
ht_redneck

"Rich" wrote in message
...


Was the meat really cold when you put it on?


No, it might not have been quite roome temp but it was sitting out for a
good 35-40 minutes after I pulled it out of the fridge.

Okay, you should be good there.


Did you have billowing white/gray smoke or just a wisp of blue?



It started out with a lot of white smoke but after I let it burn down a bit
it was wispy blue.

If you start out with a lot of white smoke you really do need to let the fire
settle down for a while. That smoke indicates a lot of incomplete combustion of
VOC's which are very nasty. Regardless of the temp of the meat in your case it
will condense on the food and leave a very nasty flavor. (Think Liquid Smoke).

What kind of bullet do you have? Most less expensive ones have the same problem.
That is air flow control which also manifests itself into temp control problems
and frequent tending of the fire. There are a few mods that a fairly universal
among bullets and several folks here hake used them successfully.

_________
ht_redneck

"Tyler Hopper" wrote in message
...

"Rich" wrote in message
...


Was the meat really cold when you put it on?


No, it might not have been quite roome temp but it was sitting out for a
good 35-40 minutes after I pulled it out of the fridge.

Okay, you should be good there.


Did you have billowing white/gray smoke or just a wisp of blue?



It started out with a lot of white smoke but after I let it burn down a
bit
it was wispy blue.

If you start out with a lot of white smoke you really do need to let the
fire
settle down for a while. That smoke indicates a lot of incomplete
combustion of
VOC's which are very nasty. Regardless of the temp of the meat in your
case it
will condense on the food and leave a very nasty flavor. (Think Liquid
Smoke).

What kind of bullet do you have? Most less expensive ones have the same
problem.
That is air flow control which also manifests itself into temp control
problems
and frequent tending of the fire. There are a few mods that a fairly
universal
among bullets and several folks here hake used them successfully.


I got it at home depot. I think it's a charbroil H2O smoker. Actually I
didn't have any problems maintaining a 250 temp for about 4 hours
continuous. I was doing spare ribs so that was plenty of time (too much
actually, as they were a little on the dry side). I've checked out the FAQ
about the modifications and I have never done any of them. I switched to
the lump this time because reading this forum I found a post that said lump
burns hotter than charcoal so I thought I'd give it a go. The charcoal
requires more attention so maybe the fire pan modifications are what I need
to do and stick to charcoal because I don't have the proper air flow
control?


_________
ht_redneck

"Rich" wrote in message
...


I got it at home depot. I think it's a charbroil H2O smoker. Actually I
didn't have any problems maintaining a 250 temp for about 4 hours
continuous. I was doing spare ribs so that was plenty of time (too much
actually, as they were a little on the dry side). I've checked out the FAQ
about the modifications and I have never done any of them. I switched to
the lump this time because reading this forum I found a post that said lump
burns hotter than charcoal so I thought I'd give it a go. The charcoal
requires more attention so maybe the fire pan modifications are what I need
to do and stick to charcoal because I don't have the proper air flow
control?

I'd say try other things before you switch back to briquettes. I suggest you try
to imitate the "minion method" if possible. This explains it far better than I.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html#minion

The variation with lump is to roughly sort it by size. Put the bigger pieces in
the bottom of the fire pan and fill in with increasingly smaller stuff. Also,
instead of firing up a chimney full and dumping it on top, use a broken up
starter stick and light the fire in two or three places from the top.

In my experience you can reduce the gray smoke burn down time by burying the
wood chunks amongst the lump. Temp ramp up time is extended but overall the
thing is a bit easier to control.

_________
ht_redneck

"Rich" wrote in message
...


I got it at home depot. I think it's a charbroil H2O smoker. Actually I
didn't have any problems maintaining a 250 temp for about 4 hours
continuous. I was doing spare ribs so that was plenty of time (too much
actually, as they were a little on the dry side). I've checked out the FAQ
about the modifications and I have never done any of them. I switched to
the lump this time because reading this forum I found a post that said lump
burns hotter than charcoal so I thought I'd give it a go. The charcoal
requires more attention so maybe the fire pan modifications are what I need
to do and stick to charcoal because I don't have the proper air flow
control?

I'd say try other things before you switch back to briquettes. I suggest you try
to imitate the "minion method" if possible. This explains it far better than I.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html#minion

The variation with lump is to roughly sort it by size. Put the bigger pieces in
the bottom of the fire pan and fill in with increasingly smaller stuff. Also,
instead of firing up a chimney full and dumping it on top, use a broken up
starter stick and light the fire in two or three places from the top.

In my experience you can reduce the gray smoke burn down time by burying the
wood chunks amongst the lump. Temp ramp up time is extended but overall the
thing is a bit easier to control.

_________
ht_redneck

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 18:50:33 GMT, I needed a babel fish to understand
"Tyler Hopper" :


"Rich" wrote in message
...


I got it at home depot. I think it's a charbroil H2O smoker. Actually I
didn't have any problems maintaining a 250 temp for about 4 hours
continuous. I was doing spare ribs so that was plenty of time (too much
actually, as they were a little on the dry side). I've checked out the FAQ
about the modifications and I have never done any of them. I switched to
the lump this time because reading this forum I found a post that said lump
burns hotter than charcoal so I thought I'd give it a go. The charcoal
requires more attention so maybe the fire pan modifications are what I need
to do and stick to charcoal because I don't have the proper air flow
control?

I'd say try other things before you switch back to briquettes. I suggest you try
to imitate the "minion method" if possible. This explains it far better than I.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html#minion


Looks like the minion is typically used in Bullet Smokers.
Has anyone dinkered with the usage of it in a offset smoker? If so,
does it extend your burn time... or should I say lower the fire
maintenance time?

Was thinking of messing with this, but my next BBQ session is for the
wife's Bday so that's not the time to try any off the wall changes.
Guess Ill save it for one after the next....

"Lewzephyr" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 18:50:33 GMT, I needed a babel fish to understand
Looks like the minion is typically used in Bullet Smokers.
Has anyone dinkered with the usage of it in a offset smoker? If so,
does it extend your burn time... or should I say lower the fire
maintenance time?

Was thinking of messing with this, but my next BBQ session is for the
wife's Bday so that's not the time to try any off the wall changes.
Guess Ill save it for one after the next....


Lew, I use a modified minion method on my Kamado. A very modified version I've
heard described for an offset is to lay out the lump in a linear fashion and
light it from one end and let it burn toward the other.


Tyler