Too smokey?

[flteng]

I use a smoker with a side burner box and have been trying out different woods. The meat seams to have a strong smokey flavor(almost over smoked) and the skin on the chicken comes out black. When I build the fire I get it going for about an hour or so letting the wood turn to coals then add wood as needed to maintain the heat. What am I missing here? There has to be a way to regulate how smokey the meat turns out. When I do ribs I smoke them for 2 hours then wrap them in foil and complete the cooking so they don't get too strong of a smokey flavor. When I use charcoal the meat doesn't get that over smoked flavor.

Any inputs will be appreciated.

 

[bbq bill]

 Is this a built smoker or store bought? What kind of wood are you using?  How old is the wood?  Was it seasoned good? Do you open the stack all the way and control your temp with your firebox air vent.  Maybe your not getting enough draft (air/smoke circulation)? 

I'm sure there are others who could help better, but that's where I would start. 

 

[flteng]

Custom made smoker. Using black jack oak, stack fully open and not sure how long the wood has been drying.

 

[bbq bill]

I am not familiar with "black jack oak". I am from Kentucky and all I have ever heard of was Red Oak & White Oak.  I moved to Florida and have heard people who talk about red oak, white oak, black oak, turkey oak, scrub oak, bur oak, chestnut oak, post oak, bluff oak.... and on and on and on.... So I am still learning myself.  Really sorry I can't be of much help on this, but I am sure there are people on here who could help alot more.  

 

[fwismoker]

Most likely your wood isn't seasoned enough. Fresh wood equals creosote, hence the black color.   Charcoal is real wood but doesn't produce the creosote but lacks the flavor you get from plain wood. 

Add wood chunks to your charcoal and you should have great results.....look up the "minion method"    You're using unlit coals with lit coals on top which will give you a longer burn and good smokey flavor. 

 

[chef jimmyj]

This Article was written by a hardcore Stick Burner...He makes some great looking Q. Check it out. You can PM Stan with any questions, real friendly old cuss...JJ

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/stickburning101

 

[cliffcarter]

IMHO it could be any one or combination of these three things-

1. Your fire is not burning hot enough

2. Your wood is not seasoned enough

3. You are not getting proper air flow in your smoker

What color smoke is coming out of your exhaust vent?

How much smoke is coming out of your exhaust vent, is it a little or a lot.

If you have little to no visible smoke coming from your exhaust then your fire is burning properly and you should not have the problem you describe IMHO.

Be sure to check out the link to Stan's Stickburning 101 article.

 

[biggronn]

All the input here is good. What I did when my meat was getting to smokey, was to cut back on my chips. I soak my chips. Then I  put just 1 handful of the soaked chips in the chip box. Sometimes I used more but not often. The other day I christened my new MES30 with 2 chickens. I used 2 handfuls of chips.The chickens came out black too. That was ok because I removed the skin because I was gonna use them for pulled chicken sandwiches and chicken salads. Got plenty of smoke in the meat but it wasn't over bearing. The sandwiches and the salad came out great. "she who must be obeyed" loved the salad with the hickory smoked chicken.