Charcoal Taste vs. Wood Taste

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Bacchus2b

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I have been smoking meat for twenty plus years with wood using either a stick burner, electric smokers, or pellet smokers, but until now have never used a charcoal cooker.

One of the nice things about this forum are all the new toys and deals you are made aware of. Because of the Brethren I have bought all kinds of stuff I don't need like another Chef's Knife, Injection mix, rubs, and a Pit Barrel Cooker!

I'm sure I will be flamed by the fan club here who got me to buy the PBC in the first place, but everything I cook on the PBC tastes to me like Charcoal first, and meat second. Chicken is the least noticeable because it's only on for two hours, but ribs and brisket were charcoal first for sure in terms of the finished flavor. My last Brisket ended up chopped with lots of sauce and broth to tame the charcoal. I've got ten cooks under my belt on the PBC following directions and using original Kingsford Charcoal.

Do you get the same flavor profile on gravity fed and other vertical charcoal smokers? Are my taste buds just too sensitive? Last weekend a buddy cooked 2" thick prime NY strips for me on my birthday (I know hard life) on his BGE, and again I got the distinct flavor of lump charcoal.

Just curious to hear other peoples thoughts as I know taste is open to interpretation.

Thanks! David
 
IMHO, your first problem is using Kingsford. That brand has the worst taste of all. Second, I think you could try Royal Oak lump. It gives a good wood flavor and smoke. Finally, the one last thing is that nothing gives the taste of good, well-seasoned wood.

Try some experimenting and let us know how it comes out.
 
I think Joe is onto something with the Kingsford.


If you're not into trying lump right off the bat I recommend Royal Oak Chef select briquettes. It's only available at Do it Best stores and only in 40lb bags. It's the best all natural briquette that I've tried that doesn't break the bank. Kingsford pro isn't bad, but seems to burn up pretty quick and leave a lot of ash. I've stopped using Stubbs as I get tired of waiting for the white smoke to clear up since they were bought out by Cowboy(unless I'm mistaken on who bought them).


But, if you're really after a cleaner flavor a good lump charcoal will go a long way in that direction IMO.
 
You know what's crazy, I've used my UDS for the last 3 years exclusively and I thought I loved the taste of my product. I got a pellet smoker about a year ago and I pretty much have used that exclusively since I bought it. About a month ago I went back to the drum to do some pork butts and couldn't eat the meat because of the taste of charcoal. I went and did some chicken with Lump on my kettle and the same thing... I couldn't get past the lump flavor. Maybe I'm just really not used to the strong flavors any more? I don't know... I've been wondering the same things lately though.
 
Only time I will use KBB is in my kettle and fully lit...
Any minion or snake setup will call for lump or occasionally RO briqs...
In my stick burner...I burn wood...
 
charcoal, of all types, will have a different flavor profile compared to all wood. Beyond that, it is a matter of taste. Everyone has a different taste.
 
I always wondered about the "snake" method. First, I use wood in my offset pretty much exclusively but I will start with charcoal at times but let it burn to white coals before starting. I believe charcoal that is not white - completely - should not be cooked on but that is just my 54 year old learnings.
 
Briquets can have a nasty flavor, especially KBB, made much worse if you don't let them burn off the white smoke before putting the meat on. They actually put in an additive so they turn white and you can see that they are ready. That means no minion or snake method as far as I am concerned, and really limits low and slow.

Even after that, I still think they can have an off flavor so they are best left for things that cook quickly and won't absorb too much smoke.

Lump is better, and good lump better still. I still think that air starved charcoal cookers are not going to give the same flavor as a stick burner that is burning clean with excess oxygen. They can make good food, but it is going to be different.
 
On the rare occasion that I have to use charcoal, I go with lump. If I have to leave my cooker for a long period of time, I will heat up some lump and let that slow burn while I'm away. I feel it doesn't affect the flavor at all. 11 hours of wood with one hour of mixed wood/charcoal doesn't seem to change the flavor profile.
 
My wife complains of a "bad" charcoal flavor when I use kbb and don't let it get fully going (white) before I place the meat on. I would recomend making sure your cooking with white/ashed over briquettes. For low and slow, its probably best to go with good lump, but I can get by with KbB, to my wife's standards, if I start a chimney of a few briquettes, let them get ashed over before putting them on the fuel pile. The key with this is as new briquettes start,M they are only emitting a very small amount of the bad flavor and it gets mostly combusted by the briquettes that are already going.

Either way, the tell tail sign is you want no white or blue smoke coming from your top vent. Once you have the charcoal burning like that,M then add your flavoring wood.
 
Today I'm thinking of doing a cook with the same kind of meat...one w/ charcoal and the other burning splits. Will report back if I do.
 
Joe is right on the money...

KBB is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to charcoal, for $11 get a bag of Royal Oak lump or a bag of Stubs and give that a go!

True story... I went to Home Depot to get a bag of charcoal and a bunch of other stuff. I got everything on the list except for charcoal, on the way to the register there was a pallet of KBB so I thought "What the heck, just grab it and go!" Cooked dinner with it that night and the family took one bite and asked what happened to the meat? After using only Stubs briquettes and Royal Oak lump, they knew something was off with one bite...
 
Well i will be the subject of scorn and say i love charcoal, have no idea what you are talking about. But maybe if i had a stick burner i would like it more, not sure.
 
al_pastor said:
Well i will be the subject of scorn and say i love charcoal, have no idea what you are talking about. But maybe if i had a stick burner i would like it more, not sure.
Click to expand...

No you won't be scorn. lol For most of my BBQ life I've used nothing but charcoal and wood chips/chunks, NOW I only use wood(for my personal cooks) I have to use charcoal for test cooks for the products I'm developing. It might seem comical to some ...maybe not but it is very difficult for me to do the charcoal cooks because I'm spoiled with wood split cooks. Hope that makes sense.
 
Just like different kinds of wood add a different flavor. The charcoal/wood very. But, There is quite a difference in taste depending on the amount of intake/fresh air to the ratio of exhaust. Burning splits or burning coal/wood. Not enough draw/flow and you get a much different taste to the smoked product. At least that is my findings.
 
ebijack said:
Just like different kinds of wood add a different flavor. The charcoal/wood very. But, There is quite a difference in taste depending on the amount of intake/fresh air to the ratio of exhaust. Burning splits or burning coal/wood. Not enough draw/flow and you get a much different taste to the smoked product. At least that is my findings.
Click to expand...
Ding ding ding ding ding... so very true Tom.
 
SMOKE FREAK said:
Only time I will use KBB is in my kettle and fully lit...
Any minion or snake setup will call for lump or occasionally RO briqs...
Click to expand...

Except for the RO briqs part, that's the way I roll too.
 
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