# Mesquite ruined my meat



## waytoodeep03 (Jan 16, 2010)

Just got done smoking a fattie and a half rack of baby backs. Used a couple of chunks of mesquite throughout. I wanted to try something different from the pecan/hickory that I normally do.

I cant even eat this food because it is so bitter. I heard that mesquite was punget but not to this extent. Is there any way to salvage this food?


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## tasunkawitko (Jan 16, 2010)

i would suggest chopping up the fatty and the ribs (after cutting the meat off the bone) and maybe incorporating them (separately or together) into another dish or two. 

the fattie might be great crumbled into a soup or as part of a breakfast casserole. i really enjoy taking leftover meat from ribs and turning them into pork fried rice or something similar.

if all else fails, there's always chili!


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## chisoxjim (Jan 16, 2010)

not a fan of mesquite at all, really have to be carefull with it.


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## fourthwind (Jan 16, 2010)

Mesquite being a very hard wood can be very difficult. Most overuse or do not truly "burn" the wood, but smolder it producing white smoke instead of the thin blue we all chase.  I love using mequite with chicken, but only use it in smokers where the wood is burning.  Not sure how to salvage what you have other than maybe peeling off the outside layers and see if the middle is edible.


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## fire it up (Jan 16, 2010)

Sorry to hear about the food.
I would do as suggested and try it in other dishes,
Personally I don't care for the flavor of mesquite so I don't use it.


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## bbally (Jan 16, 2010)

Ahhhh shiiiieeetttttttt 

Mesquite is an advanced wood.

Wash them off, with the outside washed off the bitter should go away.

How was your damper set?  And your draft?

Mesquite will make creosote faster than any other wood save green pine.


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## thunderdome (Jan 16, 2010)

I primarily cook with Mesquite and Pecan only.....

Was it seasoned? Or Lump mesquite?

A common mistake is not realizing hot and long mesquite burns, so if you don't keep it hot, or build too big a fire then close the intake to control that heat you will get bitter billowing white smoke.

If you keep your fire relative to how hot mesquite gets, I think you would enjoy it. I wouldn't write it off just yet.


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## smokebuzz (Jan 16, 2010)

I LOVE skeet wood, had a freind haul me some back from Texas a couple years ago, The best beef wood I have ever used. I have won money useing it, plan on useing more, If he ever hauls more back up here for me.


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## ugaboz (Jan 16, 2010)

I HAVE done the samething with hickory before


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## rivet (Jan 16, 2010)

Sorry to hear that Way, hope you can rescue some of your stuff. You got some good advice from the guys above ^^^^^^

Don't give up on mesquite completely yet, it has a great flavor-profile to add to your meat, it just takes a bit of care.


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## meateater (Jan 17, 2010)

I use mesquite when grilling steaks and country style ribs with no lid. If I'm smoking a pork butt I might toss a few small pieces alongside the hickory.  Theres some good advice above. ^^^^


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## rickw (Jan 17, 2010)

Sorry to hear that. I don't use it either, not a big fan of the taste.


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## waytoodeep03 (Jan 17, 2010)

I had the vent open about mid way yesterday on my smoke n pit but the wind was gusting to 50 mph yesterday in Florida. I bought the mesquite from walmart in that bag they have


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## chefrob (Jan 17, 2010)

i like mesquite in little doses........maybe ya just used too much of it.


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## bman62526 (Jan 17, 2010)

I skimmed through this thread to see if anyone else mentioned this, so sorry if I am repeating but I didn't see it above...

Regarding the fattie, ground meat absorbs smoke MUCH quicker than regular cuts.  So that might be why you got the bitter taste.

With the ribs, hard to say...but I agree with the others, use a little less and keep the draft flowing correctly and you should do better next time.


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## jirodriguez (Jan 18, 2010)

The windy day might not have helped very much either. If the wood does not get hot enough to combust fully it will smolder producing billowy white smoke and creasote - both yucky and undesireable.

I primarily use hickory, but when I do use mesquite I cut back my flavor wood useage by approx 40-50%.


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## meandmytwodogs (Jan 18, 2010)

All I can do is offer my condolences. I despise the flavor of mesquite.
But kudos for trying something new! But next time check in here BEFORE you do it!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Dave


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## cppbrian (Jan 19, 2010)

I am new at smoking, and I bought a bag of mesquite lump that I've not gotten around to using.  I don't want to have problems like the original poster. 
What precautions should you use?  I have a MES that smolders the wood. Should I just not use the mesquite wood in an electric smoker?  is there a thread or article here that will outline the proper way to use it?

For the original posters question, I like the idea of cutting away the outside of the meat down. I would cut it to where the smoke ring stops.  That should hopefully get rid of the bitter taste. I hate throwing away meat.


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## mgwerks (Jan 19, 2010)

If you are new to mesquite, or have had a bad experience using it, I offer a couple of suggestions.  First of all, use smaller pieces, like big chips, instead of chunks.  They will catch on fire more easily, stay alight better, and burn more cleanly without smouldering.  Being very hard, it also burns longer and hotter than most other woods.  On top of that, you might reduce the amount of mesquite you use, maybe going half and half with pecan or oak.  I have found that many who don't like the taste of mesquite or find it bitter have eaten food that was overdosed with it.  It isn't set-and-forget like say oak or pecan when it comes to smoking with it.

I've been using it fo a long time and it actually is my primary flavor wood, depending on what I am smoking.  I also use oak, hickory and pecan.  About 10 miles from me is the town of Medina, the "Apple Capital of Texas" - guess what I'll be looking for there!


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## rstr hunter (Jan 20, 2010)

I like Mesquite on beef especially brisket as the flavor complements beef fairly well.  I think that beef and a little bitterness go together like prime rib and horseradish.  I personally wouldn't use this on sausage or chicken and limited on pork. But I wouldn't give up on it with a bad experience or two. Just realize that it might be better paired with something else.  Good luck.


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## jirodriguez (Jan 20, 2010)

The mesquite lump will give you a light mesquite flavor. You might want to try it just by itself the first time out - maybe on some chicken. Then if you decide you want more flavor start with a very small amount of chips/wood.

I have a Char-griller and I find if I put 2 fist sized chunks of wood directly onto the hot coals every 60-70 minutes, for the first 3 hours I get a good flavor. By placing it directly on the coals I allow it to combust fully and after 30 sec. to 1 minute of heavy smoke it settles down to a nice thin blue. I have done turky, chicken, and pork shoulder this way with great success.


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## grillin_all_day (Jan 31, 2010)

I've only used mesquite once and that was with a couple of fatty's that I smoked.  I took the chunks I had and cut them down into smaller pieces and everything turned out pretty good.  I'm a noob when it comes to mesquite, but I will definately be using it again in small proportions.


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## pit 4 brains (Jan 31, 2010)

Sounds like evryone covered all the bases. Being in the southwest, i have cooked with mesquite about 98.85% of the time. I use lump unless cooking undrground or camping. Definately need to start off with a good hot fire. I Load up my sfb with lump and then toss in a half chimney of red hot coals, leave the smoker lid open until the smoke settles and go from there. Allways add lit coals to burning coals or the sparks and nast white stuff will be all over the food...


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## graybeard (Jan 31, 2010)

After reading where you said the vent was half open I would keep it fully open and keep that smoke flowing!
beard


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## dirtybird570 (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm from Texas and thats the wood of choice..... If the mesquite is not seasoned it will ruin your meat for sure... never use green mesquite. You can also cut the bark off to reduce the so-called bitterness. I usally start my firebox with oak and throw the mesquite in after the oak has turned to coals.... I smoke the meat about 3 hours and then wrap it in foil and finish it out with oak .. Oak is cheaper than mesquite down here.....


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## phil brown (Feb 6, 2010)

I figured the Texans would weigh in on this one.  Every Texan I know loves mesquite, especially on beef.

I suspect that a lot of the people who say they don't like mesquite really just don't like creosote.  Mesquite will put out more creosote than any other kind of wood I know.  We're talking about the kind that will coat the inside of your smoker in sticky black tar.  My advice would be to cut the bark off and let it sit on the shelf for a couple months - regardless of what the guy who sold it to you says about when it was cut.

Mesquite does have a very strong flavor, and some people just don't like it period.  Thankfully, God made us all different kinds of wood to smoke with!


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## rdknb (Feb 6, 2010)

I used misquite on chickhen with good luck and on red meats.  Seems to work better on that for me.  As was said, if all else fails go to chili


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