Bad After-Taste From Smoked Food

I have smoked food for 2 years now, the first year I used oak and the food was fantastic. I then got cherry and this was when I first got the bad after-taste from smoked food.

The first time I used cherry there was a nasty after-taste, very bitter, almost like lighter fluid, which I did use so I thought I over did it on the lighter fluid.

The second time I used lighter fluid again and the taste was still there. Third time, no lighter fluid, bad after-taste still there.

I then thought, was the lighter fluid in my smoker? So I got a new smoker, no lighter fluid, bad taste still there. I then thought its got to be something wrong with the wood, so I went back to oak, bad taste still there. The only thing I have not changed is the charcoal, which is Kingsford, could this be my problem? Thanks

Answer:-

We're only talking about charcoal, smoker, lighter fluid and wood chips and by the sound of it you've eliminated any possibility of the smoker or lighter fluid. Kingsford charcoal is used by so many competition pitmasters that I can't believe that it would be anything to do with this.

I'd hazard a guess that it's the wood, are you still using the same supplier and are they dedicated to barbecue?

Try a different supplier and see if that makes the difference. I also prefer to use a lighter cube rather than fluid, this might help too.

FYI - The two companies below specialize in BBQ wood and offer a mail order service:-

BarbecueWood.com - These guys do the full range of cooking planks too.

Mark's Tree Farm - Reasonably priced smoking wood.

See Also:-

What Flavor Wood Chips To Use
More Great Cooking Tips
Share Your Top Tip With Us

Return To Home Page From Bad After Taste From Smoked Food