Apple wood pellets vs lump charcoal, one made my brisket taste like a campfire gone wrong

Honestly I ran the same cook twice last month in Austin to settle this. First round I used apple wood pellets in my pellet tube and the smoke was thin and sweet, bark came out nice but the flavor was almost too clean. Second round I swapped to mesquite lump charcoal for the same 8 hour brisket, and that thing came out tasting like I dragged it through a bonfire, bitter and sharp. My neighbor Rick walked over mid slice and said, 'Did you burn the roof of your mouth or the brisket?' The charcoal gave a crust that looked awesome but the meat underneath picked up a harsh acrid note that never faded. Pellets won for me because they gave consistent smoke without that ugly bite. Has anyone else found a way to get that deep charcoal bark without the bitter taste, or am I stuck picking one or the other?

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ericgonzalez20d ago

That "dragged it through a bonfire" line hit home. I've been there too. The bitter bite is almost always from the charcoal burning too dirty, especially at the start. Try letting your lump get fully gray and ashed over before you put the brisket on. Also, I started mixing a few chunks of apple wood right into the charcoal bed. That way you get the deep bark from the coal but the sweet smoke covers up that sharp acrid taste. One more thing, check your airflow. Too little air makes charcoal smolder instead of burn clean. That's usually what causes that harsh note that never fades.