Over Smoked Chicken

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Packin Meat

Newbie
Original poster
Oct 3, 2019
4
0
Nazareth PA
Here is a scenario I need input on in order to resume smoking. I took a 5 year break while healing. I burned my Weber Smoky Mountain 22.5" water smoker in prior to use with high heat to burn off any manufacture/shipping oils and new paint. I proceeded to perform my first smoke a few days later. I use to use an offset, so I followed a similar flow of activity with prep and warm up time prior to adding the chicken. The smoking process, as far as I could tell, went flawless for maintaining heat level. I pulled the meat off after a few hours and proper temperature was reached internal to the chicken. The inside meat tasted juicy and awesome....as we all know. The outside was bitter and made my tongue numb.....Well.. Me being a hungry guy... 2 breasts later.... I was done. That night and for the next two days I was doubled over.... the next three years I was going to the doctor for scopes and been on Carafate and Omeprizole (heavy duty) to reduce the burning. I had, as they categorized it, 200 ulcers from esophagus through to the small intestines. Very painful. Has anyone had the bitter taste and what caused it. I am ready to fire this up again after 5 years and never want to experience what I have these past 5 years.
 
If it was bitter and made your tongue numb, that's from creosote. Your methods don't jump out as being problematic, but would question the charcoal or any other chunks that were added. Thin blue smoke (TBS) is going to give you the best results, than heavy white or grey smoke, but you probably already knew that from being a previous stick-burner.
 
Bitter taste = bad smoke, creosote, usually white and heavy.

With your WSM only use a couple of chunks of wood buried in the charcoal. Look up the minion method for starting it up. Basically you fill the charcoal ring up, and remove some of the charcoal in the center(go down to the grate). Then refill the void with about ten lit pieces of charcoal. Don't put your meat on until the WSM has settled in on your desired temp. There are plenty of WSM users on board that are more then willing to assist you and answer any questions you may have. Good luck and don't give up.

Chris

p.s. Poultry takes on smoke quickly, so be careful and gradually build up until you get the profile your looking for. s
 
i used the same charcoal as normal (Kingsford original) and a handful of applewood dried chips that I bought packaged from home depot. I did leave the temp come up and steady at 230 before adding the meat. I added the apple chips, dry, about hours 3 and "smoked" for 1 hour" It was light smoked. Definitely white but light...


Has anyone else had the bitter taste and did you eat it or toss it?
 
Chips flame up and burn quickly with charcoal. Try using chunks next time.

Chris
 
  • Like
Reactions: Packin Meat
the first time I did chicken years ago I way over smoked it thinking the thicker the smoke the better, it was so bitter tasting I tossed it thinking how can people eat this smoked chicken crap, then I got reading on smf and discovered the tbs. much better now
 
lol...yeeahhhhh if your hungry enough you just cut the outside off and eat it....I however dont recommend it. I have been in pain for 5 years. It has slowly diminished with the healing process.

It was definitely bitter. I had an iron stomach prior. Now I sniff black pepper and my stomach blows up. getting better though.
 
glad your healing up and hopefully to 100%, but are you saying eating that chicken caused your illness. just curious
 
What did your doctors say caused the ulcers...
Did you have the upper vent closed...
I know it's been 5 years or so but.... You didn't give us much information...
Sounds like you used a lighter fluid and it wasn't burned off and it condensed on the meat and burned it's way through your gut...
 
I used raw charcoal. Paper to start he burn. No lighter fluid. Yes eating the chicken caused the burn due to the smoke.... toxic portions... collecting on the chicken. The doctors concluded it was a chemical burn.

As far as being 5 years ago, I remember it very well. Kind of hard to forget with the kind of intense pain it caused. Vents on top were wide open. bottom were partial. I still have it set to the spots it was from that day as a reminder to me that I will talk this thing.

I appreciate the input, as I am trying to find something, a flaw in what I did, bad chicken, bad charcoal, bad paint.... anything... so I can correct it for when I fire her up again. I ruled out the chicken, as that wouldnt cause ulcers just maybe food poisoning. I am assuming these are mass produced, and I had a burn in period, so I can rule out the paint. Charcoal was new bag. No additional adders were used for the light. I didnt put the meat on until an hour after placing the briquets on the grate out of the chimney starter. I did put a handfull of applewood chips on for an hour (I am going with chunks next time as the chips could have reached a high temp and released toxins)....

My wife did try the chicken. She had two bites and said it tasted bitter. Within an hour her mouth was tingly and numb. She didnt eat any more though because she said it tasted bad. Of course I had already eaten all mine. She was fine after a day.
 
I would lay money on the Apple Wood Chips. I suspect the company does not raise groves of Apple Trees to grind for chips. They likely have a contract with area Orchards that retire trees periodically. Who knows what Chemical Insecticides, fertilizer and weed killers are applied to and around the trees.
While the symptoms of mouth tingling, numbness and bitter taste points to Creosote, you know enough to avoid White Smoke and did. Something foreign and unexpected in the Wood Chips seems the only thing NOT in your control...JJ
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky