Problems with finishing meat in oven

[Keanbean86]

Ive been trying my hand at smoking this past summer and some stuff has turned out well others not so good. Ive done a few chuck roasts and chickens that turned out well but when time is short and i have tried to finish in the oven and every time it doesnt end well. I smoke on a weber kettle and have been pretty good on consistent temps and my time but when i have other stuff goin on i sometimes try to finish in the oven. I had 2 chuck roasts goin yesterday with very different rubs on them a could see the difference between them. At the stall i pulled them out and tbey looked great and noticeably different. I wrapped them in foil and set oven to 250 and let them go til 200 temp. When i unwrapped them they both were very dark and couldn't tell difference. They taste very strong and harse almost over smoked taste but i know they weren't over smoked in the kettle. Ive bad this same problem with 2 racks of ribs i tried to finish in oven. They look perfect and smell great before the oven then when they come out they are almost enedible. What is going wrong

 

[hawtsauc3]

Sorry to say this, but they are probably over-smoked on the smoker. i've never had the oven or a crock pot affect the taste. I actually always finish my chuck roasts in a crock pot due to personal preference, but that said, what i've found with my WSM is that a little bit of wood goes along way, as in I only put in maybe 2 chunks at the most and even with. The briquettes that I use (embers) seem to have very strong smokey flavor to them which makes using additional wood mostly unnecessary. I haven't personally smoked on a kettle, but i'd presume that it's like a WSM and then some given the very small surface area for smoke to absorb into.

 

[TNJAKE]

First off I can assure you your oven isn't contributing to the over smoked taste. How's your smoke look when you are running the smoker? Is it billowing white smoke? Or is it thin blue smoke? The smoke should be almost transparent. Sounds to me you have dirty smoke

 

[gmc2003]

Two things come to mind.

1st: How is your kettle set-up, snake, baskets, charcoal piled up to one side, how much wood, and type of wood?

2nd: Have you used the rub before and liked it?

Chris

Ok maybe more then two things.

 

[Keanbean86]

Sorry to say this, but they are probably over-smoked on the smoker. i've never had the oven or a crock pot affect the taste. I actually always finish my chuck roasts in a crock pot due to personal preference, but that said, what i've found with my WSM is that a little bit of wood goes along way, as in I only put in maybe 2 chunks at the most and even with. The briquettes that I use (embers) seem to have very strong smokey flavor to them which makes using additional wood mostly unnecessary. I haven't personally smoked on a kettle, but i'd presume that it's like a WSM and then some given the very small surface area for smoke to absorb into.

Sorry to say this, but they are probably over-smoked on the smoker. i've never had the oven or a crock pot affect the taste. I actually always finish my chuck roasts in a crock pot due to personal preference, but that said, what i've found with my WSM is that a little bit of wood goes along way, as in I only put in maybe 2 chunks at the most and even with. The briquettes that I use (embers) seem to have very strong smokey flavor to them which makes using additional wood mostly unnecessary. I haven't personally smoked on a kettle, but i'd presume that it's like a WSM and then some given the very small surface area for smoke to absorb into.

I only use 2 chunks as well and its never the dark grey smoke rolling out its almost always the light blue just barely flowing out. I have over smoked ribs before and realized right away thats what i had done but all the chucks ive done all the way on the weber always turnt out well. I was on the same track with these until i put them in the oven. How would they look perfect before wrapping and putting in the oven to being almost black when i pulled them out? When i wrap and finish in the weber they always still have great color

 

[flatbroke]

Listen to TNJAKE

 

[Keanbean86]

First off I can assure you your oven isn't contributing to the over smoked taste. How's your smoke look when you are running the smoker? Is it billowing white smoke? Or is it thin blue smoke? The smoke should be almost transparent. Sounds to me you have dirty smoke

Its almost always the thin blue i have over smoked before and learned my lesson. Every time i go all the way on the weber it for the most part turns out really well. Its only when i use oven i get the harsh taste. The chucks were looking great both were a nice dark red when wrapped but almost black looking when pulled from over at 200 internal

 

[Keanbean86]

Two things come to mind.

1st: How is your kettle set-up, snake, baskets, charcoal piled up to one side, how much wood, and type of wood?

2nd: Have you used the rub before and liked it?

Chris

Ok maybe more then two things.

I do snake and its Malcom reeds bbq which is red so dont understand the super dark almost black finish color

 

[TNJAKE]

Its almost always the thin blue i have over smoked before and learned my lesson. Every time i go all the way on the weber it for the most part turns out really well. Its only when i use oven i get the harsh taste. The chucks were looking great both were a nice dark red when wrapped but almost black looking when pulled from over at 200 internal

I don't know what to tell you other than bad smoke. If you had a method that works consistently I'd go back to that.

 

[flatbroke]

I do snake and its Malcom reeds bbq which is red so dont understand the super dark almost black finish color

Listen to TNJAKE he knows his stuff

 

[Keanbean86]

I don't know what to tell you other than bad smoke. If you had a method that works consistently I'd go back to that.

Yea ill have to just keep on the weber since it has worked for me almost every time except the first few when i was figuring things out. i just dont understand the drastic color change. I wish i would've taken pictures from before wrap to the finish to show

 

[chp]

Its almost always the thin blue i have over smoked before and learned my lesson. Every time i go all the way on the weber it for the most part turns out really well. Its only when i use oven i get the harsh taste. The chucks were looking great both were a nice dark red when wrapped but almost black looking when pulled from over at 200 internal

Have you checked the calibration of your oven with a temperature probe? Maybe you are much hotter than you think? Maybe a crazy hot spot in the oven?

 

[Keanbean86]

Have you checked the calibration of your oven with a temperature probe? Maybe you are much hotter than you think? Maybe a crazy hot spot in the oven?

I have not. 250 is the lowest setting but when i do that i can smell faint gas smell like all the gas isnt burning off so maybe the excess gas is giving foul taste

 

[chp]

I have not. 250 is the lowest setting but when i do that i can smell faint gas smell like all the gas isnt burning off so maybe the excess gas is giving foul taste

Maybe you could try the same oven finish, but use a neighbor/friend/family’s oven and see if the end result is the same?

 

[jcam222]

I have not. 250 is the lowest setting but when i do that i can smell faint gas smell like all the gas isnt burning off so maybe the excess gas is giving foul taste

Relative to the color I wouldn’t get to caught up in it. If you smell gas while you are cooking at 250 I’d quit doing it for safety reasons if nothing else. Try finishing at a higher temp in your oven. Try 300F. Once you are in the oven no reason not to turbo cook it.

 

[Bearcarver]

I did a Ham in my Kitchen oven one time, and I stuck my Maverick Smoker Sensors in there. The Maverick showed me that my Oven was more than 30° off, so I adjusted the stove to match my Maverick, just like I'd do if my MES is off that much.

Yours could even be farther off than mine?!?!

Bear

 

[smokin peachey]

Get yourself an offset and never look back!

 

[daspyknows]

Get yourself an offset and never look back!

That was my move.

 

[flatbroke]

That was my move.

He knows

 

[hawtsauc3]

as an update for OP, i made ribs and a turkey breast in the WSM today. threw the turkey on a tad early (a bit much smoke) and then finished it in the oven at 350. still zero smoke issues. My guesses are that it's over smoked or you're using too harsh of wood. I've found if you're using a heavy charcoal like embers then apple is all that you need. my first few smokes on the WSM had pecan and the combo of that and charcoal was too heavy, and i say that as someone who loves heavy smoke.