Tastes like lighter fluid comment?

[JMoney7269]

In your humble opinion, where do y'all think it comes from besides the obvious?
My thought is kingsford or any style of briquette that is not ashed over and still is producing smoke from the sawdust added as an ignition aid. We have never gotten this comment but ya know just curious. So?

[Scott P]

I don't think it would come from charcoal unless lighter fluid had been used. I remember an episode of BBQ Pitmasters when the blondie borrowed a BGE and got that comment. She didn't use the fluid, but the previous person did and it stuck around the ceramic.

[BluDawg]

I agree with ya J$. Everyone who has ever had a Weinee cooked on charcoal ( Normally KBB) associates the taste to lighter fluid while it is not actually the lighter fluid because it burns off fairly quickly( if it didn't those burning out an oil drum to build a UDS would complain) but the Crap they mix together to make that awful stuff gassing off. May be I have a sensitive pallet but I can taste the difference in food cooked with Briquettes, Lump, or Wood. Briquettes add a special flavor all their own. Lump is neutral and a little smoky, and wood is earthy/mellow smokey like a Good Scotch.

[JMoney7269]

Lemme clarify, I think kbb is the devil when bbqing but I love it for grilling.
We only use lump to BBQ and smoke. I too can taste the difference between food cooked with kbb, lump and just wood, well if they actually know how to operate their stick burner. You would be surprised the amount of comp folk that actually don't. They believe mo smoke is mo betta. Be burping that crap for a week. Ol George and victor never believed I could taste the difference between something cooked with kbb in a vault vs lump. They wanted me to try some samples at a Cookoff they were at and I told em both samples were cooked with kbb. They looked at each other like wtf, he's serious. I'm serious about my BBQ.
I saw that episode also. Ol Leann whippen.
Bet she was a looker when she was young!
Lol bludAwg I would associate kbb with scotch! Yuck.
I love me some whiskey, especially the Rebecca creek.
There is one scotch I will drink, my buddy drinks it, it's blantons and is ok, but I would prefer Jim beam on the rocks over a scotch any day. My sipping liquor is tangaray gin with a splash of tonic.

[BluDawg]

I used to be that way. You'll wake up one Day and your new best pal will be Mr. Walker in a Black suit, Glennfildech,& Glennturrent and the Famouus Grouse, It's the peat smoked Barley that give it it's distinct notes.( Notice how I did that :wink:) I still like a little sour mash,( George Dickle 12 yr old) me and JB had our days in the sun too. Gin gives me the heart burn from hades. Althogh a good White Dog is a Very good thing indeed.

[Papa Tom]

I can't believe it ......you don't like lighter fluid and then you drink that stuff.......

BTW in judging comps I have smelled lighter fluid when viewing the box a couple times those samples did not get tasted. Both times it was chicken I think those folks fired up the Weber in a hurry to do their bird. But no mistaking the smell.

[Gomeat]

OK, gotta throw in on this one. If your smoke temp is too low (grey or brown smoke) creosote molecules begin to condense in the smoke and on the food. Creosote can form long hydrocarbon molecules, hydrocarbon as in petroleum products, as in tastes like lighter fluid. So it is possible to have never used lighter fluid but running brown smoke and getting stuff on the food that triggers that taste. Always keep the smoke looking like white or blue colors, higher temps. I stopped soaking wood in water years ago because of this effect.
In Redneck's cooking class years ago he talked about putting wood on top of the firebox to heat, then putting the split on the fire and leaving the door open until it gets a good flame going. No smoldering, but good flames. It keeps that good smoke going.