bitter taste

[WestCoastSmoke]

Hi all...newbie here from the Left Coast.
I've learned a lot from what I've seen so far...but I'm hoping to learn more.
And I can't think of a better way to start then to ask a few questions.
Here we go...

Cooked up some ribs today but they ended up tasting bitter.
So here is what I did:
Filled up the offset with some charcoal and a small log of cherry wood.
(first time to use cherry wood...dried for about 8 months)
Gave it about 40 min to heat up/waited for the white smoke to vanish.
Threw on my ribs at a temp around 225 for a good 3 hours. (3-2-1 method)
Foiled for almost 2 hours...(added some more charcoal at the 4 hour mark)
Unfoiled and painted with sauce for about an hour.
Temp was around 200 toward the end.

Beside the taste of NyQuil they also tasted a little bitter.
Other then that the meat looked great. Tender but not fall off the bone.
Any idea why so bitter?

[Markw142]

when you add charcoal, make sure you light in in a chimney first, don't throw raw charcoal on your fire, when it's starting to burn it will give your food a bitter taste, another thing that will do that is if you control your temp with your smoke stack damper instead of your intake (firebox) damper... Your smokestack should remain pretty much wide open, i keep mine at about 1/4 open just to get the smoke to back up a little bit if my smoke is almost clear.

[dub']

Cherry wood is easy to oversmoke with.
that could've been the prob.

dub(use 1/2 a log next time)

[BluDawg]

Sounds to me like your fire wasn't hot enough for the cherry wood and was making creosote; to much charcoal and not enough air. Also forget that 225 BS especially on ribs run the temp to 270 and let em cook spares take 4 hr and really meaty BB 3.5 no foil neded.

[WestCoastSmoke]

I think we found the culprit.
Raw charcoal and a dislike for cherry wood.
I'll do better next time and I'll definitely try a higher temp.
Thanks everyone.

[jumbo]

I think we found the culprit.
Raw charcoal and a dislike for cherry wood.
I'll do better next time and I'll definitely try a higher temp.
Thanks everyone.

Yeah I don't agree with the comment about unfired charcoal. If that was the case, every cook that used the minion method or a coal basket would be creating creosote. My .02

[Davidtxs]

open all veb\vrntsforalln top ventd

[Boots]

Cure your charcoal issue and if your cherry is hard and dry, you should be fine

[limey]

open all veb\vrntsforalln top ventd

[limey]

I think we found the culprit.
Raw charcoal and a dislike for cherry wood.
I'll do better next time and I'll definitely try a higher temp.
Thanks everyone.

Yeah I don't agree with the comment about unfired charcoal. If that was the case, every cook that used the minion method or a coal basket would be creating creosote. My .02

Have to agree,It is not the charcoal issue, if that was the case alot of UDS and Weber Smokey Mountain users would have the same problem. Keep your exhaust fully open and a good grate to give you some airflow underneath your fire. I would also recommend a weed burner to start your wood, starts fast and hot and it will wake your neighbors up early in the morning.
Good Luck and don't let this issue get you down,

[Markw142]

Had it happen to me early on...have to admit it was back in my matchlight stage....before I learned better....dumped unfired matchlight on a dying fire and ruined a cook...my dog had to lick it's behind to get the taste out of his mouth... it may be overkill but I don't Use anything but fired charcoal as a base and add sticks to maintain....on occaision (ran out of Pecan) iused my chimney and added more fired charcoal..... never had the bitter problem again....oh and of course...switched to lump charcoal

[DATsBBQ]

I agree with the comments about it not being the charcoal, unless as mentioned earlier it was matchlite or started with lighter fluid. When I fire up E2 for a lowNslow event, perhaps only four or five pieces of lit lump are set ontop a pile of unburnt lump, followed that same procedure back in the WSM period. Never had a bitter effect.

Some folks love cherry wood to smoke with and god bless them. Personally, I wouldn't even buy furniture made out of the stuff. Helps keep the prices down for those who do.

[WestCoastSmoke]

I wasn't using any fuel enchanced charcoal. I used Kingsford Competition Briquets all the way.
But it was my first time to use cherry wood and my last.

[El Ropo]

If you don't like cherry wood in your BBQ than you better stick to a crock pot. Seriously, it's one of the best woods to use for BBQ. A lot milder than mesquite or hickory for sure.

Something else is going on there. Don't blame it on cherry wood.

As to the comment on dumping unlit charcoal, whether it creates an off flavor if added unlit to a dying fire. There is a difference in the way a UDS/WSM works as opposed to dumping cool briqs on a fire. In a UDS/WSM, the briqs are preheated by the existing fire, so by the time they ignite, they burn fairly clean. Just like pre heating splits for a stick burner.

[WestCoastSmoke]

Growing up in Texas most of my bbqing/smoking was with pecan, mesquite and the occasional oak.
To me those are the tastes of Texas BBQ.
But now that I live in California I thought I would experiment with some designer woods.
And I shouldn't say I'm giving up on cherry wood...next time all cut the flavor with another wood.
Oak wood is big out here.