Uds too smokey...is it me??

Gibbs · Sep 16, 2014

I love how efficient the uds is. For some reason mine leaves a very strong smoke flavor in the meat. My set up is this. 18" grate w 2" legs and about a 15" basket. Holds 20 lbs no problem. It will cook for 20 hrs no problem. I typically cook 8 butts. 4 above a BGE plate setter then 4 more 2" above that. I use an ique 110 for heat regulation. I am even wrapping at 130 sometimes, very early I know, why too much smoke flavor. Last few cooks I haven't even added wood. No difference between lump or reg kingsford either. What's the deal.

landarc · Sep 16, 2014

I would ask, are you sure you like smoked meat?

Of course you do, so likely as not, I would start by giving my drum a good cleaning, sort of starting anew. Get any old smoke aroma out of there. Even bad seasoning from a dirty fire or bad fuel can cause off flavors that will affect your taste buds.

Next, you want to make sure that you have good airflow, especially note that you have enough exhaust to keep your UDS drafting. Too small of an exhaust can trap old smoke, which will lend an off-taste to foods.

Smokin' D · Sep 16, 2014

Do you have any type of a diffuser in the drum? I find a UDS produces a much stronger smoke flavor than any of my other cookers. A nice diffuser, while extending the cook a bit, will reduce the smoke, or Fat-in-the Fire taste, quite a bit.

mykeystoy · Sep 16, 2014

Stop using the IQ110 for a few cooks and see if there is a difference. I honestly believe That it can only hurt your outcome. Let the drum do its thing.

Mike

Pole D · Sep 16, 2014

Gibbs said:
I love how efficient the uds is. For some reason mine leaves a very strong smoke flavor in the meat. My set up is this. 18" grate w 2" legs and about a 15" basket. Holds 20 lbs no problem. It will cook for 20 hrs no problem. I typically cook 8 butts. 4 above a BGE plate setter then 4 more 2" above that. I use an ique 110 for heat regulation. I am even wrapping at 130 sometimes, very early I know, why too much smoke flavor. Last few cooks I haven't even added wood. No difference between lump or reg kingsford either. What's the deal.

You're getting too much smoke flavor and you're not even using wood? When you say smoke flavor do you mean smoke as in something is burning or smoke flavor as what you get from hickory, pecan apple, etc?

Are you starting of with a clean basket of new charcoal?

NewEnglandQ · Sep 16, 2014

In my opinion there are a few types of smoke flavors. The flavor you want is clean burning wood smoke that is "thin blue" and produces great BBQ.

A few smoke flavors that I find unpleasant are:

1) White smoke - whatever the cause

2) Grease smoke - meat dripping over hot coals, I know many people are UDS fans etc... however I do not enjoy BBQ cooked this way. I modified my pit barrel cooker to have a middle shelf to support a water pan.

Gibbs · Sep 16, 2014

I do use a diffuser. It's a green egg plate setter. Works great. I agree, I may stop using the ique 110. I believe its forcing too much air. I do clean it prior to cooking and use fresh coals. I guess I was thinking the flavor would similar to my egg and primo because they are direct cookers w diffuser plates. Just hasn't been the case. Thank for the input.

TinySmokin · Sep 16, 2014

Next, you want to make sure that you have good airflow, especially note that you have enough exhaust to keep your UDS drafting. Too small of an exhaust can trap old smoke, which will lend an off-taste to foods.

^^^I would bet the exhaust either being to small or choked down is your issue. Hard to tell if you have a good draft / combustion with the ique 110 since it will keep the temp up no matter what the total draft. I would open up the exhaust full and leave it there. The ique should still keep the temps in check by controlling the intake. I just recently put together 2 UDS's for my Legion and one of the members choked down the exhaust on one thinking he would "Help". I noticed it about 2 hours later when the smoke was not a light blue color coming out of the drum...that meat definitely more smokey and a little bitter. I am running iQue 110's as well.

THoey1963 · Sep 17, 2014

Don't own a UDS, but it really just sounds like dirty smoke. Are you sure you are letting it stabilize enough and getting TBS prior to putting your meat on?

grantw · Sep 17, 2014

With that amount of meat too it could be a grease fire. I reccomend next time you use it dont put meat on it, really pay attention to the fire, the smoke should be clean or even invisible, when i use kingsford i cant always get invisible but a light blue works as well.

grantw · Sep 17, 2014

Just too add to that too for that size of cooker i would be lighting with about half a bucket of full lit coal

Grimm5577 · Sep 17, 2014

What are your intake and exhaust measuremets? I would bet the problem is due insufficent draft aka not exhausting enough (especially since you have a blower on your intake).

PappaOscar · Sep 17, 2014

What flavor wood you using and with what meat? I've learned from the brethen different woods have different effects on different meats.

2 Bones BBQ · Sep 17, 2014

I'm blowing a newly built uds with an 110 right now but I have an old Weber lid on it with the damper open all the way. I do have the first version of the 110 which doesn't have the adjustable fan intake so I taped up about 2/3 of the fan space on the 110. I always would rather have the exhaust be all the way open to create a clean draft and restrict the blower. I got thin blue immediately and it's been cruising all morning long.

2 Bones BBQ · Sep 17, 2014

Only two big chunks of hickory btw with lump.

Doog · Sep 17, 2014

Try using some Stubbs charcoal if you can find some. See if that helps.

TXLX · Dec 6, 2014

I'm noticing the grease smoke flavor a bit more as I've used my UDS over the last several months. It's not a bad taste, but I can definitely pick it out. I have really good airflow, no problems with temperatures. This was evidenced today when I started with a clean lid to do some fatties and ended with a very greasy lid.

The next long cook I plan, ill power wash my drum, add a large drip pan, and see if there is a noticeable difference. I like the UDS, but I feel like I'm slowly moving towards wanting a vertical offset smoker.

Q Junkie · Dec 6, 2014

Get yourself a weed burner and clean your barrel with that. It takes a little technique to keep the flame from going out but it will make short work of the build up in the drum.

TXLX · Dec 6, 2014

It should be manageable with a drip pan, in theory. The smoke point of lard is 370°F, so if you can keep the drippings out of and away from the fire, there shouldn't be any grease smoke. It will be tough to catch all the drippings from a big brisket. Briskets seem to go wall to wall in my UDS.

Is grease smoke non-existent in a offset smoker?

Sean "Puffy" Coals · Dec 6, 2014

landarc said:
Too small of an exhaust can trap old smoke, which will lend an off-taste to foods.

Landarc FTW!!!!

When it comes to smoking meat, there actually is such a thing as being "too efficient." Usually it's caused by improper drafting of smoke thru the cooking chamber. This causes the cooking chamber to retain heat and smoke far longer than is needed to cook and flavor the meat and leads to overly smoky, bitter flavor.

Uds too smokey...is it me??

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somebody shut me the fark up.

is Blowin Smoke!

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