bitter taste

[mpishue]

I'm new to this, I made a DYI smoker out of wood, the first couple batches of fish and jerky turned out good, but now the things I smoke have a bitter taste. the inside of the smoker is smoke stained and has the same bitter smell. I've tried washing, and even sanding the insides. Has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks
Mike

 

[bauchjw]

Welcome to the forum Sir! I’m glad you found us! You may have to be a little more specific with what you’re burning, what you’re burning it in, what kind of wood you made the smoker out of, how the smoke is conveyed into the smoker, and more details on ventilation, etc. Pictures would be ideal. There is a lot of knowledge on smokers here, but they need a little more detail, possibly some safety things to consider as well.

My intuition is that your fire isn’t getting enough oxygen so you’re getting a dirty burn that is creating creosote and is affecting the flavor. Possibly poor ventilation is stifling the burn and keeping bad smoke in?

With a bit more detail youll have a bit more informed answers soon!

 

[pineywoods]

Welcome to SMF glad you joined us. It sounds like creosote to me as well. As Jed said more details and pictures if possible will help us get a better idea of what is causing it. Do you have heavy white billowing smoke coming out of the smoker?

 

[mpishue]

Welcome to the forum Sir! I’m glad you found us! You may have to be a little more specific with what you’re burning, what you’re burning it in, what kind of wood you made the smoker out of, how the smoke is conveyed into the smoker, and more details on ventilation, etc. Pictures would be ideal. There is a lot of knowledge on smokers here, but they need a little more detail, possibly some safety things to consider as well.

My intuition is that your fire isn’t getting enough oxygen so you’re getting a dirty burn that is creating creosote and is affecting the flavor. Possibly poor ventilation is stifling the burn and keeping bad smoke in?

With a bit more detail youll have a bit more informed answers soon!

Hi
I've attached pics. The dimensions are 11'' x16'' x28" its made of 3/4" pine T&G, I'm using a 1200 watt hot plate for heat, have tried burning in a SS pot on the burner , and a different time using a smoker tube and the hot plate for heat only, I've tried both chips & pellets, the pellets seem to have a stronger bitter taste , there is an 1 1/4" hole on the bottom for intake air and a 1 1/4 hole on top for exhausting both with adjustable dampers. I figure that my first attempts I didn't have enough air flow, but now the box has that bitter odor that I cant seem to get rid of, and affects the taste. I'm wondering if I should line or coat the insides with something that will not absorb the odor like the wood.
Thanks for your help
Mike

 

[ron50]

Hi Mike:

It's been a very long time since I've visited here so my knowledge might be a little rusty but here are my thoughts.
The wood that should be used for smoking meats are all hardwoods. Hickory, Oak, Mesquite, apple, cherry etc.
Soft woods like pine contain a lot resin and when you burn them up they can release smoke that can add a bitter taste to both food and the smoker.
Now I didn't catch the type of wood you used as fuel. Was it pine or a different wood? If it was pine or another softwood, there is your culprit. If it was a hardwood then either your temperature was too high and it created a white billowy smoke which contains creosote as mentioned above. if it wasn't then perhaps the interior of the smoker can heating up to the point where it was burning and emitting smoke into the smoker.
I am sure those more knowledgeable will be along shortly to help.
Good luck

 

[civilsmoker]

I didn’t see any pics, but do understand that the smoking chamber is 11 inches x 16 inches x 28 inches? Does this include the heating element as well?

if this the real volume you won’t need much wood at all. Like maybe a cup of pellets. You could also buy the shredded type of wood made for little chief smokers....

 

[mpishue]

I didn’t see any pics, but do understand that the smoking chamber is 11 inches x 16 inches x 28 inches? Does this include the heating element as well?

if this the real volume you won’t need much wood at all. Like maybe a cup of pellets. You could also buy the shredded type of wood made for little chief smokers....

Hi
I've attached pics. The dimensions are 11'' x16'' x28" its made of 3/4" pine T&G, I'm using a 1200 watt hot plate for heat, have tried burning in a SS pot on the burner , and a different time using a smoker tube and the hot plate for heat only, I've tried both chips & pellets, the pellets seem to have a stronger bitter taste , there is an 1 1/4" hole on the bottom for intake air and a 1 1/4 hole on top for exhausting both with adjustable dampers. I figure that my first attempts I didn't have enough air flow, but now the box has that bitter odor that I cant seem to get rid of, and affects the taste. I'm wondering if I should line or coat the insides with something that will not absorb the odor like the wood.
Thanks for your help
Mike

thanks Ill try using less wood

 

[thirdeye]

I'll say too much smoke.... combined with improper draft. Your goal is to sort of take advantage of a gentle amount of smoke as it passes by the meat on the way out the top vent. If the smoke is stagnant the flavors it imparts can be bitter.

Two easy tests would be: 1) When smoking.... take a sniff near the top vent, and if it smells bad it will impart the same flavor to you food. And 2) take a candle and set in your ash pan WITHOUT the hotplate turned on. Set it on a piece of foil to catch any wax. Give it 15 minutes of burn time, then peek in and see if it's still lit. If the candle is out, it likely means your oxygen level is too low and the draft could be improved.

 

[sandyut]

I'll say too much smoke.... combined with improper draft.

That’s kinda where my head went as well. Should be thin blue smoke, nothing heavy