Jill,I bought my egg over a month ago and one of the first things I noticed was how wonderful the smoky flavor was, even for things where I didn't add any soaked wood chips. The advice given to let the charcoal burn until there is little or no smoke coming out will go a long way to keeping your food, more or less, smoke free. The other advice about port being a very mild meat is certainly true. Some cuts have more flavor than others. One of the great things about the egg is that it is open to a lot of experimentation; more so than many other smokers/cookers, etc. Who knows, maybe you'll find yourself liking the smoky taste. I sure do.