Bitter smoke.

[xpumasx]

I'm smoking with a double barrel UDS smoker and I am still learning how to control it precisely. I have smoked plenty before using a MES with great... No awesome results. I'm a little bummed about what's coming out of the UDS. The food has a very strong bitter taste. I'm assuming it's creosote. Could it also be from coal briquettes?

 

[SmokinAl]

No it has to be from too much white smoke or your rub. Charcoal will not give you a bitter taste.

 

[chef willie]

Not an expert on these but it could be stale smoke in the food chamber....not enough smoke getting out the vent. I've read other posts on here where guys have the exhaust damper pretty much closed off & not allowing stale smoke to escape giving the same result. I'm sure there will be other double barrel guys around soon with more advice.

 

[eman]

Either to much smoke or not enough air flow or both.

 

[xpumasx]

I've been told that these kinds of smokers could be fueled with an all wood fire. The issue we are having is that to keep the temp in the right zone, we need to burn a good amount of wood. Once we out a new log on, we do get a large white cloud of smoke. What's the secret to keeping the fire hot enough, that when you put a new log in, you don't get this kind of smoke? Ive even debated just using lump coal in e fire basket and throw a few wood chunks in every hour.

 

[cliffcarter]

Try pre-heating your logs by keeping them on top of the fire box, they shoud take right off burning when you put them in the firebox,thus minimizing the white smoke.

 

[Fife]

Good luck with the smoker. Love my MES40

 

[xpumasx]

Yea, the MES is fantastic. I wanted to take a shot a learn wood pit smoking. I am finding that there is a lot of science behind it.

 

[meateater]

Can you post up a pic of your double barrel UDS? A pic just might be the ticket to help you out since it's a custom job. 

 

[smokeifyougotem]

If your doing all wood smoking many guys that have your set up or brick pits keep a seperate firebox going (like a kettle grill) so that their only adding coals to the smoker firebox in essence their letting the logs burn off all that extra smoke in the other area and when their glowing orange they throw them in the smoker box.  I had the same problem with my UDS at first to much creosote from the wood makes the food taste bitter now I pre burn my wood chunks in my weber kettle and then add them into the basket with my lump to get my UDS started and I put a handful smaller chips in bottom of basket.  Its just that initial wood burn if your just filling it with wood let it burn 15-20 min till those coals are red hot then add your food adding 1 log at a time shouldn't produce that much creosote just dont wait till ur fire dies down to much.  Double drums are hard to control temps on.  I almost did one glad I did UDS instead so much easier to work with.. Good luck.... you dont need a lot of smoke to be smoking meats there is plenty already you want the thin blue smoke which comes after your fuel (wood, charcoal, lump, whatever ) has been burning for awhile.

 

[richoso1]

Either to much smoke or not enough air flow or both.

He has it down to a few words. Well put eman.

 

[jirodriguez]

If your doing all wood smoking many guys that have your set up or brick pits keep a seperate firebox going (like a kettle grill) so that their only adding coals to the smoker firebox in essence their letting the logs burn off all that extra smoke in the other area and when their glowing orange they throw them in the smoker box.  I had the same problem with my UDS at first to much creosote from the wood makes the food taste bitter now I pre burn my wood chunks in my weber kettle and then add them into the basket with my lump to get my UDS started and I put a handful smaller chips in bottom of basket.  Its just that initial wood burn if your just filling it with wood let it burn 15-20 min till those coals are red hot then add your food adding 1 log at a time shouldn't produce that much creosote just dont wait till ur fire dies down to much.  Double drums are hard to control temps on.  I almost did one glad I did UDS instead so much easier to work with.. Good luck.... you dont need a lot of smoke to be smoking meats there is plenty already you want the thin blue smoke which comes after your fuel (wood, charcoal, lump, whatever ) has been burning for awhile.

  Most folks using a UDS use lump as their heat source then add chunks of flavor wood for the smoke. If you really want to use all wood then you will need a pre-burn pit of some sort.

 

[sqwib]

I think the OP said he has a Double Barrel Smoker similar to the one below

More info needed

Are your temps where they should be?

Make sure you have good ventilation.

Is there ventilation under and around the fire?

Is the wood smoldering or are you just getting white smoke during combustion?

The longer the wood is in a combustion state, the more smoke you will get.

If you are set on using wood, you can preburn as others have suggested

You can try a fire basket using a very small contained fire using very small splits, feeding often

Try Lump and charcoal as well to see how well the smoker does with that as a fuel source.

Try alternating with different fuels like using charcoal and wood.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

my unit is probaly bigger than yours, it holds heat well, so I can add a heated stick and get almost instant flames.How ever if you want to burn wood and keep the temp. steady,try pre-burning the wood to embers. Wood.if you like to take road trips,is easy to find when you know your wood.There is some on a road coming into our town i'm gonna get(Oak)! You can look on Craigs List and find someone to sell a bundle or a Rick for just a little.I guess I'm the consument scavenger. When I see good wood I stop and ask,all they can say is NO!

  With the embers it is easy to control the heat by way of the intake(exhaust fully open all the time).Done this way you end up with steady temps. and good "Q". You should get a probe and keep track of your temps. ,if they fall add embers; watch the smoke so it stays "Blue and thin", if you can smell it ,it is smoking.

A small hot fire is my secret,and I get good results:

 

[wildrooster]

use smaller potions of wood are you soaking any of your smoke wood i use buning wood thats for heat to get it started and smoking wood that been soaked for a few hours its all burning and making smoke 

open your exit vent mine runs at about 3/4 open and my entrance vent at about half 

run a good tigth fire there hot a losse fire burns with much less heat however you can get it to hot another start another fire burning all the creasod and grease in the smoker that wont taste good mainly you need good air flow

remeber you can do good smoking with just a cardboard box and a fire

yeah I'm a all wood guy except in the winter when I use coal to help start a wood fire

 

[wildrooster]

use smaller potions of wood are you soaking any of your smoke wood i use buning wood thats for heat to get it started and smoking wood that been soaked for a few hours its all burning and making smoke 

open your exit vent mine runs at about 3/4 open and my entrance vent at about half 

run a good tigth fire there hot a losse fire burns with much less heat however you can get it to hot another start another fire burning all the creasod and grease in the smoker that wont taste good mainly you need good air flow

remeber you can do good smoking with just a cardboard box and a fire

yeah I'm a all wood guy except in the winter when I use coal to help start a wood fire