tri tip to much smoke?

[reggofcal]

I built a smoker and it worked good.cooked the meat good kept the temp regulated good, but when I tasted the meat it tasted like mesquite flavor bad.

 

[pignit]

When you are smoking meat you want the flow of smoke to be rapid through the smoker. If it's sitting there with smoke seeping from all the seams and lazily meandering out the vent, your gonna get a bad taste from the smoke. You want a thin blue smoke coming from the stack. I would rather be light on the smoke as to have too much. Also, you only need to smoke for the first couple or three hours. The meat will quit absorbing the smoke when it reaches 120 degrees. Pouring the smoke to the meat after this point will also give it a bad tasting bark. Hope this helps a little. I'm sure there will be more advice soon.

 

[billbo]

I have also "oversmoked" meat. I used to think I had to have the fire dept on ready! I have since just scaled back to the nice thin blue. No more problem! Good luck!

 

[msmith]

Were you using green mesquite wood and what kind of smoker are you using. Mesquite is a strong wood to begin with. And the meat will take on the smoke flavor as long as it is on the smoker.

 

[dacfan]

From all that Ive read meat stops forming a smoke ring at 140* but it never stops absorbing the smoke even after it stops forming the smoke ring. I'm no expert though, anyone else care to comment?

 

[richoso1]

This is correct about smoke absorbtion. Too much smoke taste can sometimes be changed by using less wood or a different type of wood. This is one reason some folks combine apple or cherry or some other wood along with mesquite. It is a heavy smoke flavor, although I do enjoy it, some others find it too heavy.

 

[pignit]

Meat protein starts to set or cook at 120 degrees F internal temperature and is completely cooked at 140 degrees. As I understand it, once the protein sets it can not and will not absorb any more smoke flavor. Especially the leaner meats. The fat in less lean cuts, such as butt or picnic, can take on more smoke flavor. So... smoking cured meats can take on much more smoke flavor because of the length of time it can stay in the smoke without spoiling. Now.... I'm not sayin I'm right, but this is how I understand the smoking process from what I've read and discussed. I would think that the smoke would certainly be effecting the outside flavor of the meat being smoked, but it isn't being absorbed past the 140 degree internal temp.

 

[reggofcal]

so light blue smoke,I had thick heavy smoke and the wood was dry.Someone told me I should soak the wood in water so it wont burn, but smoke.my smoker is custom made by me but it seems to work good. Is oak smoke alot lighter smoke than mesquite smoke, and you just want a light smoke out the exaust pipe until the meat hits 130 degress. than no more smoke right. thanks for the info

 

[darrin]

I think we have all oversmoked meat at one point. Less wood and more air flow. Got any pics of your smoker?

 

[reggofcal]

this is my smoker pic hopefully the pic works

 

[reggofcal]

 

[darrin]

Cool looking design.