Why can't i taste a difference?

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mattyoc20

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Aug 11, 2013
159
23
Dresher PA
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?
 
Need more smoke? 
icon_question.gif
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
And it did turn awesome. Just a bit on the salty side. Should have soaked it water for a bit before smokingbut still ttasty
 
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
 
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.
 
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