Every once in a while, I get this nasty, bitter raw smoke flavor on my
ribs and brisket. My guess is; sometimes I add oil or butter to my mop
liquid, do oils attract this nasty part of the smoke?

Steve

Steve wrote:
> Every once in a while, I get this nasty, bitter raw smoke flavor on my
> ribs and brisket. My guess is; sometimes I add oil or butter to my mop
> liquid, do oils attract this nasty part of the smoke?
>
> Steve

They can't if there's no bad smoke to attact in the first place. What kind
of cooker and wood or lump are you using?

It's most likely you're simply letting the wood smolder for lack of O2.
Opening your smokestack damper all the way is the most common cure.
If your using a side cooker, do you have a smokstack extender? It can be as
simple as using aluminum foil.

The FAQ will help too:
http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/toc.html


D
--

Steve wrote:
> Every once in a while, I get this nasty, bitter raw smoke flavor on my
> ribs and brisket. My guess is; sometimes I add oil or butter to my mop
> liquid, do oils attract this nasty part of the smoke?
>


Too much smoke resulting from incomplete combustion. You need a clean hot
fire, the *size* of which determines your heat.

Do not try to control heat by closing exhaust vents.

TFM®

"TFM®" > wrote in message
>
> Too much smoke resulting from incomplete combustion. You need a clean hot
> fire, the *size* of which determines your heat.
>
> Do not try to control heat by closing exhaust vents.
>
> TFM®

That's exactly it, thank you to both of you for the insight.

Steve

On 30-Apr-2004, "TFM®" > wrote:

> Too much smoke resulting from incomplete combustion. You need a clean hot
> fire, the *size* of which determines your heat.
>
> Do not try to control heat by closing exhaust vents.

Exactly correct. What he didn't say was that getting that fire the
right size is not the easiest thing in the world to do until you
develop a lot of familiarity with your pit. Emphasis on "Don't close
down on the exhaust damper".
--
M&M ("When You're Over The Hill You Pick Up Speed")