After taste

[MNBrownie]

I get a very smoky after taste to my meat after using both of my electric smokers.
Thought maybe it was the brine I used in the beef jerky on the Big Chief. But last night I smoked a pork loin in my Masterbuilt (Christmas present!) and had the same after taste.
What am I doing wrong?

 

[dcecil]

What kind of wood are you using

 

[Preacher Man]

Are you getting heavy white smoke or thin blue smoke?

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

How much wood are you using and how often are you refilling the chip tray?

How much are you opening your vent?

 

[oldsmokerdude]

How much wood are you using and how often are you refilling the chip tray?

Great question. In electrics it is very easy to "overdo" the smoke resulting in some strange and bitter off tastes.

 

[MNBrownie]

What kind of wood are you using

Wood chips from fleet farm.

How much wood are you using and how often are you refilling the chip tray?

How much are you opening your vent?

Only filled the smoker tube once and that was an hour after I put the meat in.

 

[MNBrownie]

How much wood are you using and how often are you refilling the chip tray?

How much are you opening your vent?

Vent open halfway the whole time.

 

[chopsaw]

Keep the top vent full open .

 

[Preacher Man]

Keep the top vent wide open and invest in an Amazen Maze

 

[MNBrownie]

Keep the top vent wide open and invest in an Amazen Maze

Wide open for the whole time or just when I add the chips?
I’ve have an amazen tube.

 

[Preacher Man]

Mine stays wide open 24/7.

I have an amazen tube as well. I'm wanting to get the maze, as I feel the tube can often throw out too much smoke. There's some good info in this thread regarding using the tube.

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

You may want to try pellets rather than chips in the tube. The pellets are believed to put out thin blue smoke, which means a milder smoke flavor than the chips. This is because the chips put out more white smoke, especially as they're lit. In a tube, the chips are going to be getting lit over and over putting out that white smoke every time.

The MES is sealed up good. When the smoke is rolling, you might want to leave the vent open to keep air moving so old smoke doesn't sit around with your food in there. You might also want to pull out the chip loader part way to help keep air flow going, which also helps keep pellets lit.

 

[Preacher Man]

You might also want to pull out the chip loader part way to help keep air flow going, which also helps keep pellets lit.

I usually do this as well, but it depends on the ambient temperature. If it's too cold outside my smoker won't get up to right temp.

 

[MNBrownie]

I usually do this as well, but it depends on the ambient temperature. If it's too cold outside my smoker won't get up to right temp.

It was -10 last night, still got up to 220-225 in half hour.
Loin took 4 hrs to get done all the way through. 145-150.

 

[Preacher Man]

For reference, this is how mine is set up.

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

I usually do this as well, but it depends on the ambient temperature. If it's too cold outside my smoker won't get up to right temp.

I've heard of people building plywood or metal structures to cut the wind hitting the smoker, with cutouts for air flow. I wouldn't want the plywood getting hot though, might off gas the glues and chemicals in it, especially onto the food. At the same time, it'd be outside.

Also, things like thermal blankets, water heater jackets/blankets or welding blankets might help. The material just has to be something that's made for high heat that won't burn.

 

[cansmoke]

The rule of thumb I cam across and use is that the last round of wood chips or pellets goes in at 1/2 of the cooking time. Works for us as the first time I used the MES30, the meat was too smokey. Didn't know there was such a thing.