If you're noticing a bitter, almost "spicy" flavor to your smoked foods, don't worry. You're not alone...You're simply doing it wrong!

Most people see all that billowing white smoke and think that's a guaranty of great food to come. It's not. 

The thick white smoke and resulting bitter flavor comes from byproducts of "incomplete combustion" that commonly occurs during the initial stages of cooking with wood products. 

At the very start of your cook, the wood product is at "room temperature" and during the first several minutes will produce that thick, billowy white smoke. And if you put your food on during this stage, your end product is gonna taste like a telephone pole. Wood fuels ignite more quickly, and burn much more cleanly once they're heated nearer to the point of combustion.

After about 10 minutes, and increasingly moreso as you get nearer (and beyond) 20 minutes, the bulk of the wood product in the cooker will have warmed up and will be burning much more cleanly. The smoke coming from the exhaust will be more transparent with an almost blue tint. THIS (NOT when the display says "add food") is when you know it's time to add your food. And you'll be in for a MUCH more pleasing flavor experience.

Good luck! - W


A web search for "what is dirty smoke" will bring up a wealth of articles on the subject. 

Here's one from "The Meat Smoking Guy" that I consider one of the better ones out there: Dirty Smoke: What Is It And How To Avoid It!