kerry_sf

Thanks so much for the replies, they're very helpful. I wanted very much to try with a smaller quantity of charcoal because I felt we were probably dealing with some partially unlit lump (my KK's joint custodian wasn't so interested in my theory... well, well, well.) The charcoal we used this time (from Whole Foods) seems to be a lot better (or at least a lot more forgiving), so I think part of it is the mesquite thing, and part of it is just Lazarri. Some of the "lumps" that come in the 40 lbs Lazarri bags are small tree trunks, they probably just take a long time to get completely lit. I'm not sure we're giving away the mesquite just yet, but I can say the difference in smell during the cook is huge. Our KK is 100' from the door to our house and we always had to make sure it was closed during a cook because otherwise, the house smelled pretty strongly of smoke. The new charcoal was fine with the door left open for the husband's pulled pork burn last night/this morning. Maybe I will try the mesquite once more on a pizza night, and use somewhat uniform sized pieces, leaving them even longer than usual before raking the coals. Maybe I'll convince the husband to try this approach with one of his meat creations... (yeah right) Thanks again for all the help! Kerry

Hi there, I'm relatively new to the KK and was wondering if there is anyone who might have a recommendation about what seems to me to be an overly smoky flavor. Part of the problem is that I'm a pescetarian (veggie + fish), and don't eat any of the meat that reflects this flavor well. Another problem is that I bought 80 lbs of Lazarri mesquite instead of hardwood lump on the last trip. I'm sure this imparts even more smoke flavor, but I still feel the hardwood overpowered even our pizzas, let alone the fish. (And the mesquite isn't a subtle smoke flavor at all.) I had the most amazing black cod ever cooked in a ceramic cooker, so I know I should be able to make something similarly non-smoky tasting. Could it just be the Lazarri brand has a strong profile? I was also thinking that maybe just using approximately the amount of charcoal needed (we always top off the basket to begin) might help. I haven't tried extruded coconut charcoal yet, but that seems like overkill for everyday cooking. Any thoughts? Cheers, Kerry