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[pmillen]

I bought a Bullseye hoping that, when grilling, we would discover that we like the "great wood-fired flavor, without the extensive work required on charcoal grills" that REC TEC advertises.  After two high temperature cooks, grilling hamburgers and pork chops, we couldn't detect the alleged "great wood-fired flavor."

Do any of you Bullseye users detect it when grilling?  If so, what's your grilling technique?

[pmillen]

I waited a few weeks without a reply so I sold my Bullseye for half of my cost.

I've now waited a year—still no replies.

In the interim, I noticed that the REC TEC web site has listed the Bullseye as "OUT OF STOCK".

[Bentley]

One of the tenants in the rental units left one of those $50 square charcoal grills a few years back.  I need to bring it down, clean the grill, and buy some charcoal.  I then need to have Kristin cook a burger, on the griddle, the charcoal and the Pro and do a blind taste test of all three.  I just have not eaten grilled food cook on anything but the Pro in so long, I have no idea if I could tell the difference between one or the other.

I think I will make a concerted effort to try that this weekend!

[pmillen]

I think it's ZCZ who regularly cooks steaks in his Memphis, not over direct flame.  I suspect that he's getting precisely the "wood-fired flavor" that I was hoping for.  I should probably try it on my pit's indirect side at a high temperature.

I'm interested in your results.  (Take a teaspoon of gelato between tastes to clear your palate.)

[Bar-B-Lew]

I think it's ZCZ who regularly cooks steaks in his Memphis, not over direct flame.  I suspect that he's getting precisely the "wood-fired flavor" that I was hoping for.  I should probably try it on my pit's indirect side at a high temperature.

I'm interested in your results.  (Take a teaspoon of gelato between tastes to clear your palate.)

I cooked them at 250° for an hour on my Elite and get that wood fired flavor.  Not great if you like a char on your steak.  But, I don't need the char so it works for me.

[Bentley]

I think if you set the FE at 400° and cooked a steak in Zone 1 you would be extremely please, but maybe there is a flavor that charcoal imparts that you taste and I don't.  Or it has been so longs since I ate anything cooked with charcoal I do not remember!

[GatorDave]

On my Bullseye, for anything but steaks, I throw the meat on, then fire it up.  That does impart a decent smokey flavor.  Not as much as a charcoal grill, but enough to know it wasn't cooked in the oven.  For steaks, I get a hint of smoke, but not much, because I throw them on at full temperature.  The ease of use over the stronger smoke profile is worth it for me.  My wife calls me lazy for a reason.

[Th3Batman86]

Got rid of my bullseye for the same reason. Didn't do anything well. Did it cook food, yes. Did it grill, no. Did it impart any special flavor, no. Luckily I didn't have to take a loss on mine since I got it for free after the first two arrived damaged beyond use.

[pmillen]

I think if you set the FE at 400° and cooked a steak in Zone 1 you would be extremely please, but maybe there is a flavor that charcoal imparts that you taste and I don't.  Or it has been so longs since I ate anything cooked with charcoal I do not remember!

I tried steak a few times over my FE PG500 direct zone, and chops & burgers over the direct-only Bullseye.  Neither are what Marcia and I want.  I think that we grew up on charcoal grilled steaks, and some Omaha steakhouses grill over charcoal (some have a charcoal fire in the dining area and the guest are welcome to grill their own).  We're accustomed to the flavor and miss it when it's not present.  I've always hoped that pellets would recreate that flavor, and maybe the indirect zone will—I've not tried that (yet).

EDIT:  I'd be happy with the wood flavor we used to get when grilling over campfire coals.

See my experiment in this post, https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=95.msg378#msg378

[Bentley]

I need to get the charcoal this weekend...see if I am missing something.

[pmillen]

My gas-grilling friends tell me that the flavor I speak of comes from the fats dripping on the coals and smoking.  They maintain that the old style gas grills with hot ceramic "briquettes" or lava rock playing the same role create the same flavor profile.

Our preference may be imaginary.  I wonder how we'd perform in a blind taste test.

[Canadian John]

I need to get the charcoal this weekend...see if I am missing something.

I always add a chunk or two of wood to my lump when cooking meat, for smoke flavour. I like cherry, apple or sugar maple. If you do it, make sure the wood is off to the side so as not to be cooking
over a flame. At times I'll cook over the wood flame depending what I am cooking.

[glitchy]

Over the past couple years, I've cooked steaks every way imaginable. Numerous times Sous Vide and then finished over charcoal, Memphis open flame, cast iron, pellet grill with Grill Grates, or a George Foreman grill. I've reverse seared on the Pro. Pan fried them in cast iron with butter, Ghee, or oil. Straight high heat charcoal. Memphis open flame. Pellet grill with Grill Grates. To me, charcoal definitely imparts a unique taste that I cannot replicate any other way. The closest I've come in taste is a reverse sear on the Pellet grill, but it was still different.

Some of the best overall steaks I've ever made were prime New York strips that I threw in sous vide, then seared over charcoal. It was a good combination of tenderness and flavor. However, steaks seasoned and just cooked hot and fast over charcoal still have more or better flavor to me. They just aren't always as tender as when you Sous Vide.

After all my experimenting, I'm almost ready to revert 100% to charcoal only for steaks except when the weather really prevents it. Sous Vide will be more for chicken and vegetables. I need to study more on aromatics or something, but I'm not the biggest fan of the lack of flavor on beef cooked primarily sous vide. I'm also leaning towards learning towards buying only whole tenderloins and learning to break them down myself. Any of you try that and have any advice?

[bten]

My gas-grilling friends tell me that the flavor I speak of comes from the fats dripping on the coals and smoking.  They maintain that the old style gas grills with hot ceramic "briquettes" or lava rock playing the same role create the same flavor profile.

Our preference may be imaginary.  I wonder how we'd perform in a blind taste test.

I have one of those gas grills with ceramic briquettes and I agree.  I think it is very close to charcoal.  I would not purchase a gas grill without ceramic briquettes.

[Bentley]

Got the charcoal today and will see if there is a noticeable difference with a cheeseburger!  I have no chimney starter and I dont want to use an accelerate on it, so getting the coals going should be an interesting dilemma!