I can't tell the difference between flavors

[chronos]

I've only had the smoker for a week but have already done ribs, venison roast, london broil, beef jerky, and a chicken. I've tried messing with each of the flavors of wood pucks and can't really tell a difference. I've tried Hickory, Pecan, Cherry, Apple, special, and Alder and don't notice a difference in either smoke smell or flavor.

Just how subtle a difference are these different flavors supposed to be?

Thanks,

Jerry

[car54]

I also have the same problem. I have had allergies my whole life and that affects my taste buds. I am amazed with people who have a good pallet and can dissect the taste of food.

Brad

[chronos]

Yeah, I'm not known for my discerning sense of smell. For some reason I thought there would be an obvious difference between them all. If it's just a matter of a small degree, I'm not going to be able to pick up on it.

Thanks,

Jerry

[BigSmoker]

After many years I can tell differences in different woods.  Especially mesquite[}:)].  Now the SmokeMistress has a very sensative pallet and can tell the differences in one bite.  I have adopted something Olds told us about "tasting the smoke".  Once you have done this with several different types of wood you should be able to tell a difference.  HTH.

Jeff



Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

[SMOKEHOUSE ROB]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by chronos</i>
<br />I've only had the smoker for a week but have already done ribs, venison roast, london broil, beef jerky, and a chicken. I've tried messing with each of the flavors of wood pucks and can't really tell a difference. I've tried Hickory, Pecan, Cherry, Apple, special, and Alder and don't notice a difference in either smoke smell or flavor.

Just how subtle a difference are these different flavors supposed to be?

Thanks,

Jerry

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
chronos tell us how many pucks you are useing? like when you did ribs? and chicken? and jerky? and the top vent , do you have it closed or half open ? by giving us this info we can help you figure out the taste bud thing.

[chronos]

Thanks everybody for the responses.

     I'm not entirely sure how the vent is supposed to be normally, so I typically leave it either completly shut or only the slightest bit open.  It's got a little bit of space in it even if it's completly closed so smoke still gets out.

     I typically do 9 bricks for 3 hours of smoking. I used cherry tonight and I noticed a difference with the chicken I smoked. I'm wondering if it is because I had previously done meats with a heavy rub that is pretty strong tasting. Maybe the smoke flavor got overpowered?

     The great thing about this is performing enough trials to qualify it as a "clinical study" means I get a ton of good food.

Jerry

[car54]

Jerry.

From what I have read on this site, chicken should be smoked for only 2 hours. Apparently it absorbs much of the smoke. This is probably more important in the stronger smoke flavors.

Brad

[Oldman]

As I've aged my sense of taste has lessened. Nevertheless I can still tell what wood is what... thank the good Lord.

Now allow me to share this with you. Please give what I have to say now some very serious thought.

IMO 90% of all food smokers look at smoke as thee all important flavoring. That IMO is a real shame. This is why they will always be chasing that rainbow. They always will be two steps behind the great food smokers of the world.

Anyone who just read this above statement is more than likely thinking: Wow Olds! You are full of Chit! We smoke foods to add that flavor!

If you are one of those folks then read on and allow me to offer to you a new thought line... perhaps a new level in the finished product.

Yes we smoke foods to add a flavoring.  However, this is where I part with the masses concerning this item. Most smokers, again IMO, build their rubs, maninades, and other ingredients around the "magic" flavoring of the smoke. As if the smoke was the main ingredient~~! It is not! The food item is the main ingredient.

The smoke should not have any more "prowess" then any other ingredient that makes up your recipe. From salt to garlic to pepper to whatever you are using, smoke is only one part of the equation and not the title of the book. A person does not add more salt just because it taste good or more of one type of a pepper over another jsut because it taste good. There has to be a balance of all ingredients or the blend is lost.

This is why understanding the flavors of the various woods is so very important.

Let me give you a good example of what I'm trying to explain. In this new recipe I'm working on for pepper beef (BTW pepper beef is not normally smoked)I coated the beef with so much moist fresh ground black pepper that you could not see the meat. I smoked that beef using Pecan as Pecan is a semi sweet wood where that sweetness is tasted in the upper area of your senses. I smoke it 2 hours. After I removed the meat from the box I allowed it to cool then wrapped it in plastic and place it in the refrig for two days.

Now I hope you are ready for this next step as it is my main point. Before I sliced the beef I took a vegtable brush and scrub off under cold running water every bit of pepper!

What? Why? This is why...the smoke flavoring had to pass through the pepper. Thus a new combinded flavor was created. One that blended well with the items I used in the marinade. Yes you could taste the smoke, but it was not any greater than you could taste the salt or the 3 types of peppers or any of the other items I had used. The flavor was balanced.  If I had left the pepper on the beef then the smoke would have over powered everything else and the direction I was wanting to go in flavoring would have been lost.

When I had this taste tested by some friend and family members I heard things like Wow---this is so good! This is just incredable! How did you get it to taste like this? Not one of them made the comment "This is the best smoked beef I've ever had." Again, yes there was that hint of sweet smoke flavor, but it was no greater than the saline taste of the salt.

I hope I have given some folks here a reason to give pause and to reflect about perhaps looking at this new thought line.

Simply put smoke is no more an important flavoring then the salt you are using.

Olds

[BigSmoker]

As always Olds hits the nail directly on the head [:D].

Jeff



Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

[psdubl07]

chronos, have you tried doing the same recipe with different bisquette flavors and comparing them to each other?  If you prepare some chicken and smoke 1/2 with alder (or Mesquite!) and 1/2 with apple and I think you will be able to tell the difference.

Olds makes a good point about the process of cooking/smoking and how each step and ingredient is important, although I have to disagree a bit.  I bought a smoker to make smoked foods and taste smoked flavor.  If the smoke is no more important than the salt, I wouldn't wait 14 hours for a pork butt, I'd just cook it in the oven.

[chronos]

Thanks for all of the responses. I certainly appreciate all of the info.

I had cooked the same food with different flavors and originally couldn't tell the difference. I believe I have figured out why. I always had the vent completely closed. This led to oversmoked food where the smoke was too overpowering to determine the finer points of its taste.

I cooked ribs and chicken last night with Hickory, doing it the right way, and noticed a huge difference. I could taste the chicken as well as the smoke flavor and the combo was terrific. My sister and her husband loved the food!

Thanks again!

[Oldman]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by chronos</i>
<br />Thanks for all of the responses. I certainly appreciate all of the info.

I had cooked the same food with different flavors and originally couldn't tell the difference. I believe I have figured out why. I always had the vent completely closed. This led to oversmoked food where the smoke was too overpowering to determine the finer points of its taste.

I cooked ribs and chicken last night with Hickory, doing it the right way, and noticed a huge difference. I could taste the chicken as well as the smoke flavor and the combo was terrific. My sister and her husband loved the food!

Thanks again!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">Glad we could help... next never allow the smoke to exit via your generator. The oils will build up and gum up your generator.

Olds