At which point do you know that smoke is enough? Bitter outcomes

[tempnexus]

Ok so I smoked chicken and then the next day I smoked beef etc.  Each time I Use my 30" MB smoker and I set it at 250" with the vent on and I loaded the smoker every 45 min...and each time the product came out bitter.  I did not use a water pan (after my first bitter mistake) but it still came out bitter.

So at what point of smoking do you know that the smoke is creating bitter taste vs. smoke taste?

So far I have wasted 3 meals and 2 with inlaws who started to question me....i used to smoke with propane grill converted to an offset smoker but I had to throw it out when I moved.  I found the 30" Electric smoker at Wally for $25 so I picked it up (digital smoker).   But so far I am not too happy with the outcome. 

 

[daveomak]

Try adding the wood chips twice...  you should add about 1/4 - 1/3 cup each time...    then finish the cook without any additional smoke...  adjust from that test until you get what you like....   and start with a mild smoke flavored wood....  apple, maple...  then oak, hickory...  Mesquite is very strong flavored...  When I use mesquite, my food only gets about 10-20 minutes of smoke.....

 

[bbqwillie]

Please tell me you're not soaking your chips before you use them. Sounds like you're not getting a clean burn on your chips and they are producing that nasty old white smoke that is causing you to get that bitter taste.

One of the worst aspects of the MES is that gawd awful chip chute.. Do yourself a favor and get an A-Maze-N pellet tray and be done with it.

 

[tempnexus]

I thought wet wood was not advised on electric.  

Sorry, misunderstood. 

Yeah I have no extra funds to purchase anything extra just move out of Texas and lost everything I own so I am glad I got the smoker on the deal I got.

Yeah my "BOX SIZE MOVER" ( won't name the name) didn't arrive in time....honestly I don't blame them but still it was a day before the hurricane hit....so I lost all of the stuff I had in the "BOX" and thus I am stuck with what I have now -300K worth of damages (if insurance pays)

Air Mattress and fun times in Northern Virginia.  WOOO HAAA! 

 

[bbqwillie]

 
I thought wet wood was not advised on electric.  

Sorry, misunderstood. 

Yeah I have no extra funds to purchase anything extra just move out of Texas and lost everything I own so I am glad I got the smoker on the deal I got.

Yeah my "BOX SIZE MOVER" ( won't name the name) didn't arrive in time....honestly I don't blame them but still it was a day before the hurricane hit....so I lost all of the stuff I had in the "BOX" and thus I am stuck with what I have now -300K worth of damages (if insurance pays)

Air Mattress and fun times in Northern Virginia.  WOOO HAAA! 

So sorry to hear about your loss. It's tough to start over. I sure hope the insurance company does the right thing by you. I got wiped out in Juan back in the 80's. life was miserable for awhile but I recovered. Keep the faith, you'll land on your feet.

 

[jokensmoken]

Wow...sorry to hear about your loss but it sounds like you're making the best of a messed up situation...stay positive and have faith.
Good luck and don't give up on the smoking...when you figure it out, it'll be worth it.

Walt.

 

[tempnexus]

Stuff is getting better.  Woot woot.  Thanks.

I got an MB Electric Smoker from WallMart for $25 it was the floor(outside) model but it works great!  It's a Gen1 MB 30" and I have been smoking with it for a while now.  

The move came in multiple parts...the first parts that arrived survived the other parts did not...oh well life goes on...that's all we can ask for and God has nothing to do with it.  It's just life. 

 

[daricksta]

 
Stuff is getting better.  Woot woot.  Thanks.

I got an MB Electric Smoker from WallMart for $25 it was the floor(outside) model but it works great!  It's a Gen1 MB 30" and I have been smoking with it for a while now.  

The move came in multiple parts...the first parts that arrived survived the other parts did not...oh well life goes on...that's all we can ask for and God has nothing to do with it.  It's just life. 

I started out using wood chips when I bought my MES 30 Gen 1 five years ago. I was one of the guys who liked a lot of smoke so I went heavy on the wood chips. My wife and kids complained about how bitter my Q was. When I started using wood pellets I stopped over smoking the meats and cheeses. Smoking became a lot easier and more fun too since I wasn't reloading the chip burner every 20-30 minutes. 

 

[tallbm]

One of the worst aspects of the MES is that gawd awful chip chute.. Do yourself a favor and get an A-Maze-N pellet tray and be done with it.

I agree with the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS).  Makes applying smoke so much easier to get correct and to just set and forget :)

 

[daricksta]

 
I agree with the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS).  Makes applying smoke so much easier to get correct and to just set and forget :)

That's exactly what I use.