WSM Minimal Smoke Ring Theory


 
Enrico...

Moisture at the surface of the meat is the vehicle to which the oxides of nitrogen attach, due to their excellent solubility in water. If there is a layer which is not soluble in water, such as an oil or fat, then the migration of those oxides are hindered. When those oxides react with the meat's myoglobins, a 'smoke ring' is produced, provided the myoglobin protein have not denatured due to heat.

You increase the depth of the smoke ring by increasing the time the it takes before the myoglobin proteins denature. Two common methods are used. One is to start with meat at a cooler temperature. The other is keeping the cooking temperatures low, at least until the meat has reached about 140 degrees at the surface. Combining these methods can produce a smoke ring of 1/2" or better.
 
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Bob Bass said:
Enrico...
Moisture at the surface of the meat is the vehicle to which the oxides of nitrogen attach, due to their excellent solubility in water. If there is a layer which is not soluble in water, such as an oil or fat, then the migration of those oxides are hindered. When those oxides react with the meat's myoglobins, a 'smoke ring' is produced, provided the myoglobin protein have not denatured due to heat.
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Got it! Thanks!
 
I've never had a problem with smokerings on a wsm, either. This brisket below was cooked around 275-300 with no water in the pan. Trim and season ahead of time so meat goes on cooker cold, and make sure there's at least a little smoke in the first part of the cook when the smokering forms.
 
Sunday's Cook Log For The Smoke Ring Test...

Today I am testing some minor adjustments to my WSM cooking methodology, in an effort to improve my smoke ring formation.

First, I am going back to using water in my water pan. Next, I created a makeshift gasket around the charcoal door by wrapping it with foil to eliminate any smoke leakage. Lastly, I'm cooking with the top vent open only about 50%, to keep smoke in the cooking chamber longer, and so that the smoke will push lower into the cooking chamber is the meat on the lower rack will have better exposure to smoke.

Today, I am cooking a full-cut slab of angus beef ribs, one rack of spare ribs, and some spicy garlic brats. The beef ribs are on the lower rack, and every thing else is on the top rack. I'm cooking those meats because I want to measure performance for short, medium, and long cook meats. The sausage will come off first, then the spare ribs, and last, the beef ribs.





I'm using the Minion method to fire the cooker. I lined the bottom of the fire grate with apple chunks, then I filled the charcoal ring with Kingsford briquettes, and started the fire with about 10 lit coals.

10:15 AM

When the smoker got up to about 150* I put the meat on right out of the fridge, then I added about 5 large chunks of hickory and sealed up the charcoal door.



11:15 AM

I'm happy to see my theory about closing down the top vent is proving true. I can see that more smoke is hovering throughout the cooking chamber. The bottom vents are all wide open, but the smoker is not up to my cruising temp of 225* degrees yet. I'm only at 185* right now, but that's ok, because it is steadily rising. It won't be long until I'll have to close the bottom vents to about 50%.

3:00 PM

The spares had a good color on them, so I put them in foil with brown sugar, honey, and butter. I put the back on the smoker and I'll check on the in a couple of hours.

I also took my sausage off. The flavor was amazing! The smoke ring… meh! It's there but not really pronounced.



4:15 PM

I took the beef ribs off the smoker and wrapped them in butcher paper. The color was very nice, and the texture was screaming "wrap me!".



5:15 PM

The spare ribs are ready to come out of the foil. The look amazing! Beautiful color and perfect texture. I glazed them with some of my special sauce, and put them back on the smoker to set the sauce.





The beef ribs are still in butcher paper and will stay on for a couple more hours or more.

6:00 PM

The spare ribs have been hanging out for a while, so I thought I would break into them and see what happened. Again, the smoke ring was there, but not very pronounced at all. The ribs were great, delicious and beautiful, but why does the deep, well-defined, smoke ring elude me?



9:30 PM

I took the beef ribs off the smoker and let them rest. They smelled wonderful! They tasted amazing too. My wife, who is not a beef fan, was in devour mode! But… there was utter failure in the smoke ring department!





I have no idea what the problem is with my WSMs, but something is definitely not right. I have been doing this for along time now, so I know about putting cold meat on the smoker, I know about the science behind smoke ring formation, I know the differences between good and bad wood, I know about various methods of cooking with/without the water pan, and with/without water in the pan, and I know the difference between different types of fuel and their effects on the cooking process. What I don't know, is why my WSMs won't give me a smoke ring! Maybe it's the air in Indianapolis or something! Well, I'm done worrying about it now.

I gave my stick burner (CG Smokin' Pro) to my son, who, by the way, is enjoying not only delicious tasting food, but also the bragging rights behind having those beautiful smoke rings which are always so reliable with stick burners. Now, I have no option but to pull the trigger on my new stick burner sooner than I thought. I'm going to pick up my new Oklahoma Joe Longhorn this week, and get her seasoned and ready for my big cook on July 4th. Then In 2015, I'm getting myself a Lang!

I will keep my WSMs to help out on big cooks where I need extra meat cooked to handle higher volume, but my go to machine will be my stick burner.
 
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Itza puzzler. I use less than half the wood you did and get 3x the ring.

BTW, those beef ribs look devine. The size is amazing!
 
Len Dennis said:
Itza puzzler. I use less than half the wood you did and get 3x the ring.

BTW, those beef ribs look devine. The size is amazing!
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Hey thanks! I tried my best to duplicate what I had at Franklin BBQ. I discovered the flavor profile, and that smell is definitely in the air around my house! While the beef ribs were definitely tender and juicy, I think I could have let them stay on for a while longer to get that "melt in your mouth" effect. Definitely a lesson for next time! :D
 
TonyHunter said:
So I know it's a dangerous prospect, but I was thinking today! ;)

The solution to the WSMs' minimal smoke ring problem should be resolved by:

1.) Ensuring a very tight seal of the cooking sections.
2.) Ensuring that the charcoal door has a very tight seal.
3.) Closing the top vent during to cook to 50-75 percent.

This should create an environment inside the cooker, where smoke is literally rolling around trying to find an exit. Because the top vent is not wide open, the smoke will hover in the cooking chamber at the cooking grate levels, until it is inevitably pushed out by the draft.

:D
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Hi Tony,

Interesting hypotheses, great pics. However it has been my experience that runs counter to all three of your assumptions. Obviously YMMV.

1. I have a ok/poor seal to my dome and middle section to my 22.5 WSM. It came shipped almost 2 years ago not fitting very well. That is one of the reasons I only get 8-10 hours 220-260 because of the leaks. It has been suggested by many on this site to get a replacement. It's on the list of things to do.
2. Charcoal door seal is ok/good. See #1.
3. I always leave the top vent 100% open, even during snow storms and rain. That is what I learned here and it works so I am not inclined to experiment with this

I do refrigerate my rubbed meat until it is ready to be racked and smoked. It also takes awhile for my WSM to get to 220-260 dome temp. So this may play into why I get decent smoke rings but I have have no baseline other than what I cook and the pics posted here.

Good luck with your experiments. :-)


I have not tried a blind taste test.
 
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I only put in enough wood to smoke for the first hour, however that said: when I use Kingford Hickory or Mesquite I don't even use wood and I get a beautiful smoke ring
 
Danny B (Albany said:
Your food looks great. My experience with the smoke ring is simple - water in the pan prevents a good smoke ring. Maybe try the same set up again w/o water??
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Actually, google water pan and smoke ring together and you might question your assumption.

Other factors at play in smoke ring development, but as already suggested, keeping the meat's surface moist at the beginning of the cook helps. The water pan adds humidity and can only help in that regard. Also, putting the meat on rubbed ahead of time will help. Harry Soo calls it giving the rub enough time to "sweat".
 
ChuckO said:
I only put in enough wood to smoke for the first hour, however that said: when I use Kingford Hickory or Mesquite I don't even use wood and I get a beautiful smoke ring
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Charcoal briquettes contribute much more to the smoke ring in a charcoal smoker than the wood, since that's where the majority of the combustion is taking place. I guess that's why fully carbonized pieces of lump not only contribute less smoke flavor than briquettes, but they less help with the smoke ring as well.
 
Well for what it’s worth, I did a brisket and a butt for the first time on my WSM 22 and I was also disappointed in the smoke ring that was yielded. Having said this, I didn’t go out looking to create a massive smoke ring, but I do remember when cutting the meat, I said why is my ring so light?

I did a 14.5 USDA prime Brisket. The meat was great. I placed in on the smoker at 6PM and smoked it on my top rack at 250 degrees for 13 hours. I did not use a water pan and used an ATC. I placed the butt on at 1 AM.

In the past, before I got my WSM, I would used my Performer and a Smokenator. I have done brisket flats, ribs and one butt with that set up and the smoke rings that I achieved with that setup was remarkably better than what I got this past weekend. With the Smokenator, I did use a water pan.

Based on the original poster’s comments and the 50/50 response from the forum, it is evident that he may be on to something that requires additional research. My $.02 is that is seems as though the individuals who were able to get great smokes rings on the WSM, did so on the 18s. Perhaps its smaller size compared to the 22 allows for a more concentrated area or make. Additionally the fact that it has 3 exhaust as oppose to 4 exhaust holes on the dome allows for less smoke to leave the cooker at a slower pace. Again just my $.02
 
if your finished product tastes well enough to your liking, who really cares about a smoke ring...?

too much is spent trying to make food look "pretty".

for pete's sake, it's only food. if you don't like the looks of it, donate to the HUNGRY!
 
No water for me always get a nice ring.
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