Why can't i taste a difference?

[mattyoc20]

I cured 15lbs of belly in the same brine (pops).  Half the belly I smoked with maple and the other half i smoked with apple.  I put both on at 5 pm and smoked the bacon til 10 am the next day. so roughly 17 hours.  I cold smoked and the temperature outside did dip below freezing and i had no other form of heat other than the amps.  How come i cannot taste the difference between the two woods?

 

[woodcutter]

Need more smoke? 

 

[alblancher]

Hey Matty

You're not alone.    I can taste when there is too much "fake" smoke, I can taste the creosote of bad smoke, I can taste when someone uses too much mesquite but 9 times out of 10 I couldn't tell you what type of wood was used in a smoke.  Maybe our taste buds are not sophisticated enough.  I think with most BBQs the rub and the doneness of the meat is the biggest factor.

I just know when something tastes good and when it doesn't so did it all taste good?

Since you are tasting bacon I would give it a couple of days to meld together and do another taste test.

 

[mdboatbum]

I can usually tell cherry, and mesquite, but other than that, it's generally the level of smokiness that determines my wood choice. For instance, if I want sort of medium smoke, I'll go with pecan. More robust, I'll go with hickory. Really mild and I'll choose apple. I believe both woods you used fall into the "mild" category, so probably pretty similar. I've never used maple, so that's just a guess.

 

[mattyoc20]

Thanks for the insight everyone. I did let it rest for a few day. Pulled it off Tuesday and sliced today. Glad to here it sounds like it isnt me

 

[mattyoc20]

And it did turn awesome. Just a bit on the salty side. Should have soaked it water for a bit before smokingbut still ttasty

 

[daveomak]

Matty, morning.... If you had just finished the smoking portion of the bacon, then fried and tasted it, you could have been de-sensitized to the smoke.... Wait a few days and do the taste test..... There might be a difference..... Maple and Apple are both very mild smoke woods and the difference is very subtle.... I used big leaf maple and alder on salmon and the difference was negligible......

Dave

 

[dave17a]

Fruitwood is milder. Hardwoods can overcome. As far as pellets on AMNPS, can't tell any diff cept smell. I did hedge forever with a Brinkman water smoker(open at bottom) loved it. That was years ago,1999. We loved it. Hedge is getting more populer. Have tons of it here.

 

[woodcutter]

Maybe the pellets had fillers in them . When you smoke with Maple it definitely sweetens the meat.